Such beautiful typographical design work in
Zephyrinus’s 1936 Saint Andrew Daily Missal.
You don’t get such a beautiful aid
to one’s Prayer Life in a Missalette !!!
Illustration: Zephyrinus.
23 June, 2026
Division Of The Ecclesiastical Year (Continued): The Sanctoral Cycle.
High Altar, Church of Saint John Cantius, Chicago.
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.
unless stated otherwise.
The Ecclesiastical Year begins on The First Sunday of Advent and ends on the Saturday following The Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost.
It is composed of Liturgical Seasons, or Times.
THE TEMPORAL CYCLE, or, PROPER OF THE TIME, reveals
Our Lord to us in the Traditional setting of the
great mysteries of our Holy Religion.
Simultaneously with this TEMPORAL CYCLE, is a secondary one, called THE SANCTORAL CYCLE, or, PROPER OF THE SAINTS, because it is composed of all the Feasts of those Blessed Souls in which the work of the redemption is already accomplished.
The first place is given to The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Then come the Holy Angels.
Next, according to the greater or less share
they have in the plan of The Incarnation:
Saint John the Baptist, the Precursor of The Messias;
Saint Joseph;
Saint Peter and Saint Paul;
and the other Apostles, whose Feasts have
always been Celebrated with special Solemnity.
The Feasts of National Saints, Patrons of Dioceses and Parishes, come in the First Rank because of special
gratitude due to them.
Next, come:
Feasts of Dedication of Churches;
Martyrs;
Pontiffs, i.e., Popes or Bishops;
Doctors, i.e., Fathers of The Church,
the authorised interpreters of The Word of God;
Confessors, i.e., those who, by their life or doctrine,
have Confessed Christ;
Virgins and other Holy Women.
The most important and the most numerous Solemnities of
this Cycle, especially those of the Time after Pentecost, bring into full light the Cycle of Christ, for it is by Him that the
World must be renewed: “Instaurare Omnia In Christo”.
[Editor: The following is taken from “Catholic Insight”
[“Instaurare Omnia In Christo” was Pope Saint Pius X’s chosen Motto — “To Restore All Things In Christ” — one
to which he lived admirably, reforming The Church
from the inside out: Soon after being elected, he penned
“Tra le Sollecitudini”, (22 November 1903), re-instating Gregorian Chant and Polyphony and the Solemn
Splendour of Liturgy and The Mass.
[Against the dour rigorism of Jansenism, he promoted
daily reception of Holy Communion – nearly unheard of –
and clarified the simple requirements to receive – at the Age
of Reason, and being free from Mortal Sin, that The Bread of Life is Medicine for Sin, and Supernatural Sustenance for Eternal Life, and not a reward for being virtuous].
Resting one upon the other, these two Cycles form, as it were, an immense Monstrance set with precious stones. In the centre is the Host, or The Mass of The Faithful with the three parts which constitute it;
The Offertory;
The Consecration;
The Communion.
Around it is The Mass of The Catechumens, which varies every day, whereby at the Altar, as with luminous rays, we are shown the different Mysteries on each Sunday and Solemnity of the Proper of the Time. Then, in the intervals left free, like lesser rays, shine the Feasts in honour of the Saints.
The Church carries this Divine Sun through the World
in all times, raises it daily toward Heaven in her Liturgical Worship, that, by it, we may offer to God an ever-renewed homage of our gratitude, and receive from it the treasures
of Grace and Holiness.
The Occurrence and Concurrence of Feasts.
In this simultaneous movement of the Temporal
and Sanctoral Cycles, it happens that Feasts of
the Proper of the Time and those of the Proper
of the Saints fall upon the same day.
This is called “Occurrence of Feasts”.
When the Second Vespers of a Feast coincide
with the First Vespers of the following Feast,
it is called “Concurrence of Feasts”.
It should be noted that First Vespers are said on the
Eve of a Feast and the Second Vespers on the Feast, itself.
When two Feasts “Occur”, the lesser
Feast gives place to the greater Feast.
When two Feasts “Concur”, the greater Feast
supersedes the lesser Feast, and if they are of
the same degree (Rank), they share Vespers.
The Vigil Of Saint John The Baptist. 23 June. Violet Vestments.
unless otherwise stated.
The Vigil of Saint John the Baptist.
23 June.
Simple.
Violet Vestments.
The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist (detail).
Artist: Pieter Breughel the Elder (1526-1569).
Date: 1566.
Photo: 20 July 2013.
Current location: Szépművészeti Múzeum
(Museum of Fine Arts), Budapest, Hungary.
Source: Own work.
Author: Yelkrokoyade
(Wikimedia Commons)
Feast Day Procession of Saint John the Baptist,
Patron Saint of Florence, June 2017.
Available on YouTube
The Infant Jesus and John the Baptist.
Artist: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682).
Date: 1600s.
Source:
(Wikimedia Commons)
In the Gospel of 25 March, we read that The Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that, three months later, Elizabeth, in virtue of a Divine Miracle, would have a son. This is why The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist is Celebrated towards the end of June.
This important Feast is preceded by a Vigil.
Mass: Ne tímias.
Fresco of The Birth of Saint John the Baptist.
Date: 1486-1490.
Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio
Current location: Tornabuoni Chapel,
Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Tornabuoni Chapel (Italian: Cappella Tornabuoni) is the main Chapel (or Chancel) in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy. It is famous for the extensive and well-preserved fresco cycle on its walls, one of the most complete in the City, which was created by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop between 1485 and 1490.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
At the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel appeared to The Virgin Mary to inform her that she would conceive of The Holy Ghost, he also informed her that Elizabeth, her cousin, was already six months pregnant (Luke 1:36). Mary then journeyed to visit Elizabeth. Luke’s Gospel recounts that the baby “leapt” in Elizabeth’s womb at the greeting of Mary (Luke 1:44).
The Nativity of John the Baptist, on 24 June, comes three months after the Celebration on 25 March of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy, and six months before the Christmas Celebration of the Birth of Jesus. The Nativity of John the Baptist Anticipates the Feast of Christmas.
Vespers for the Feast of Saint John the Baptist.
Recorded on 19 June 2014, Church of Saint Jean Baptiste,
New York City, by Tom Durack, Michael McGuinnes, and
video editing by Anthony Indelicato.
Available on YouTube
Ordinarily, the day of a Saint’s death is usually Celebrated as his or her Feast Day, because that day marks their entrance into Heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions: The Birthday (Nativity) of The Blessed Virgin Mary (8 September); and the Birthday (Nativity) of Saint John the Baptist
(24 June).
According to Catholic Tradition and teaching, Mary, already, in the first moment of her existence, was free from Original Sin (her Conception, itself, is Commemorated by a separate Feast (8 December)), while Saint John the Baptist was cleansed of Original Sin in the womb of his mother.
The Nativity of John the Baptist, though not a widespread public holiday outside of Quebec, Canada, is a high-ranking Liturgical Feast, kept in Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran Churches.
In the Roman Rite, it is Celebrated, since 1970, as a Solemnity. In the 1962 Missal, it is a Feast of the First-Class and, in still-earlier Missals, as a Double of the First-Class with a Common Octave.
Like the Birth of The Virgin Mary, the subject is often shown in art, especially from Florence, whose Patron Saint is John the Baptist.
Saint Etheldreda. Abbess. Feast Day 23 June. White Vestments.
Saint Etheldreda (Æthelthryth) of Ely.
illuminated Manuscript in the British Library.
Date: 10th-Century.
Source: [1]
![[1]](http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/bytype/manuscripts/survey/0005/598.JPG){kind=link}
Author: Monk.
(Wikimedia Commons)
unless stated otherwise.
Etheldreda (or Æthelthryth or Æðelþryð or Æþelðryþe;
4 March 636 A.D. — 23 June 679 A.D.) was an East Anglian Princess, a Fenland and Northumbrian Queen, and Abbess of Ely.
Æthelthryth is an Anglo-Saxon Saint, and is also known as Etheldreda, or Audrey, especially in Religious contexts.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Etheldreda Founded Ely Abbey, a Double Monastery in 673 A.D., which was later destroyed in the Danish invasion of 870 A.D.
Saint Etheldreda’s Church, Ely Place, Holborn, London, is dedicated to the Saint. It was originally part of the London Palace of the Bishops of Ely.
4 March 636 A.D. — 23 June 679 A.D.) was an East Anglian Princess, a Fenland and Northumbrian Queen, and Abbess of Ely.
Æthelthryth is an Anglo-Saxon Saint, and is also known as Etheldreda, or Audrey, especially in Religious contexts.
She was a daughter of Anna, King of East Anglia, and her siblings were Wendreda and Seaxburh of Ely, both of whom eventually retired from Secular Life and founded Abbeys.
Saint Etheldreda’s Church is located in Ely Place,
off Charterhouse Street, Holborn, London. It is dedicated
to Æthelthryth, or Etheldreda, an Anglo-Saxon Saint who Founded the Monastery at Ely, East Anglia, in 673 A.D.
The building was the Chapel of the London residence
of the Bishops of Ely.
Photo: 31 July 2013.
Source: https://www.flickr.com/
This File is licensed under the
2.0 Generic Licence.
Author: Jim Linwood
(Wikimedia Commons)
Etheldreda was “in turn, Princess, Wife, Queen, Nun, and Abbess, enjoying every possible position of power a woman could claim in Early-Anglo-Saxon England”.[1]
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Etheldreda Founded Ely Abbey, a Double Monastery in 673 A.D., which was later destroyed in the Danish invasion of 870 A.D.
Saint Etheldreda’s Church, Ely Place, Holborn, London, is dedicated to the Saint. It was originally part of the London Palace of the Bishops of Ely.
After the English Reformation, part of Saint Etheldreda’s Church was briefly used by a Spanish Ambassador for Catholic Worship.
The Chapel was purchased by The Catholic Church in 1874 and is one of the oldest Churches in England to be in current use by The Catholic Church.
Saint Etheldreda’s Church, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, is 13th-Century and was originally Anglo-Saxon. It was named for Saint Etheldreda because it was adjacent to a Palace of the Bishops of Ely, who held her as their Patron Saint.
Saint Etheldreda’s Church, Ely, Cambridgeshire, is a Catholic Parish Church. It is part of the Diocese of East Anglia, within the Province of Westminster. The Church contains the Shrine and Relics of Æthelthryth (Etheldreda).
The common version of Æthelthryth’s (Etheldreda’s) name was Saint Audrey, which is the origin of the word “Tawdry”, which derived from the fact that her admirers bought modesty-concealing Lace goods at an Annual Fair held in her name in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
By the 17th-Century, this Lace-work had become seen as old-fashioned, vain, or cheap, and of poor quality, at a time when the Puritans of Eastern England disdained ornamental dress.[18]
The Vigil Of Saint John The Baptist. Vigilia De La Natividad De San Juan Bautista. 23 June. Violet Vestments.
The Archangel Gabriel announces to Zacharia that he
and his wife, Elisabeth, will have a son, to be called John.
Text and Illustrations: RINCÓN LITÚRGICO
Iglesia del Salvador de Toledo, Espana.
Church of The Saviour, Toledo, Spain.
23 de junio.
VIGILIA DE LA NATIVIDAD DE SAN JUAN BAUTISTA.
II clase, morado.
La Iglesia se prepara para la solemnidad del nacimiento de San Juan Bautista con esta vigilia penitencial: al celebrar el nacimiento del Bautista, la Iglesia celebra la intervención de Dios en la historia de la humanidad y de Israel.
Juan, "lleno del Espíritu Santo –santificado - desde el seno de su madre" por obra del mismo Cristo es el primero en recibir la "visita de Dios a su pueblo". El saltar de gozo en el vientre de su madre es anuncio profético de alegría ante la inminencia de la consolación de Israel.
Con Juan Bautista, el Espíritu Santo, inaugura, prefigurándolo, lo que realizará con y en Cristo: volver a dar al hombre la "semejanza" divina.
Imitemos al Precursor en su penitencia y vida,
para que también nosotros, que vivimos en tinieblas
y en sombras de muerte, podamos ser iluminados
y guiados por el camino de la paz.
The Web-Site of RINCÓN LITÚRGICO
can be found HERE
22 June, 2026
English Words Inherited From Victorian And Edwardian British-Indian Army Life.
Officers of the 1st Battalion, 4th Ghurkha Rifles (1st/4th GR)
at Bakloh, India, 2 March 1916. Seated, Left to Right:
Captain John Redmond Hartwell (Adjutant); Major Zellard (Commanding Officer); Captain L. P. Collins; Second Lieutenant H. E. Giles (Quartermaster). Standing, Left to Right: Lieutenant Ross Smith (Indian Medical Service); Lieutenant R. V. Brandon; Lieutenant A. W. Woodhead; Second Lieutenant Samuel Grant Mellis-Smith.
Picture Credit: Image: IWM (Q 81669).
Illustration: IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM
Buckshee.
[Meaning: Free].
(From: “Baksheesh”).
Hindi/Urdu.
Bungalow.
[Meaning: A low-roofed house].
(From: “Bangla”).
Bengali.
Thug.
[Meaning: Bandit].
(From: “Thugee”).
Hindi.
Doolally.
[Meaning: Mad].
(From: “Deolalli”).
A British Indian Army Camp in Maharashtra, India, where Soldiers awaiting repatriation often went “Stir-Crazy”. The term “Doolally Tap” became Soldiers’ slang for madness.
British Indian Army Soldiers, including men from
the 3rd Sikh Regiment and 1st Sikh Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force, in Beijing, circa 1900. Sikh and Muslim Soldiers with Medals. Notes: University of Bristol - Historical Photographs of China. Reference number: BL-n057. Caption on typed list accompanying the box of negatives: “28: Group of Sikhs”. Digitised from a negative made for a copy print. The Officer standing, third from the Left, is Sardar Bahadur Mit Singh, 3rd Sikh Regiment. Sitting, first Left, is a Punjabi Muslim, named Bahadur Ali Khan of the 1st Sikh Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force. He received the Indian Order of Merit for Gallantry in East Africa in April 1896 - and his Decorations and Medals include the Neck Badge of the 3rd-Class Order
of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar.
Source [1]
Author Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Khaki.
[Meaning: Dust-Coloured/Drab-Brown].
(From: “Khākī”).
Hindi/Urdu.
First adopted by British Indian Army Units
for camouflage uniforms in the Mid‑19th-Century.
Then spread to the whole British Army.
Loot.
[Meaning: Stolen Goods].
(From: “Lūṭ”).
Hindi.
Became common in British Military
slang during Campaigns in India).
Verandah.
[Meaning: A roofed platform outside a house].
(From: Possibly of Portuguese origin).
Its widespread English use came through Anglo‑Indian Colonial architecture and Military housing).
Pyjamas.
[Meaning: Leg Garment].
(From: “Pāy‑Jāma”).
Hindi/Urdu.
Adopted by British troops as
comfortable nightwear in the Indian climate.
A chromolithograph of No. 1 Kohat Mountain Battery
of the Punjab Frontier Force (now part of Pakistan Army).
Illustration: Richard Simkin.
Date: Circa 1896.
Source:
(Wikimedia Commons)
Jungle.
[Meaning: Dense Forest].
(From: “Jangal”).
Hindi.
Juggernaut.
[Meaning: A massive crushing force].
(From: “Jagannātha”).
Sanskrit.
The huge temple chariots at Puri, India. British Troops and travellers reported the overwhelming size of the Procession, giving rise to the metaphor.
Shampoo.
[Meaning: To knead or massage].
(From: “Chāmpnā”).
Hindi.
British Soldiers encountered the practice in India;
the meaning later shifted to hair‑washing.
Bangle.
[Meaning: Bracelet].
(From: “Bangri”).
Hindi.
_1910.png444.png)
Soldiers of the 3rd Sappers and Miners.
Illustration by Maj. A. C. Lovett.
Published 1911.
Source: Engineers Regimental Centre
Link: “The Armies of India”
Author: A. C. Lovett.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Bandana.
[Meaning: Tie-Dyed Cloth].
(From: “Bandhnu”).
Hindi.
Mogul.
[Meaning: Powerful Figure].
(From: “Moghul”).
Persian/Urdu.
Blighty.
[Meaning: Foreign/British/Home].
(From: “Vilāyatī / Bilētī”).
Hindi/Urdu.
British Soldiers’ corruption adopted during
the Raj and popularised in World War I
as a sentimental term for “Home”.
Hobson‑Jobson (1886) already records this Soldierly corruption. It became hugely popular in World War I, especially in the phrase “Dear Old Blighty.” Soldiers also coined “a Blighty wound” — a wound bad enough to send you home, but not bad enough to kill you.
PLUS
the following are all Indian‑origin words that circulated heavily in British‑Indian Army life and administration and, thus, into British usage.
Cheetah.
Catamaran.
Cashmere.
Chintz.
Ginger.
Pepper.
Punch.
Sugar.
Orange.
Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica Of The Nativity Of Saint Mary, Milan. Basilica Cattedrale Metropolitana Di Santi Maria Nascente, Milano. (Part Eight).
English: Milan Cathedral.
Italiano: Milano - Duomo.
This File: 30 January 2014.
Source: Own work.
This file is licensed under the
Share Alike 3.0 Unported Licence.
User: Чаховіч Уладзіслаў
(Wikimedia Commons)
Duomo of Milan.
The Church that took 600 Years to finish.
Available on YouTube
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.
On 20 May 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte, about to be crowned King of Italy, ordered the façade to be finished by Pellicani.
In his enthusiasm, he assured that all expenses would fall to the French treasury, which would reimburse the Fabbrica for the real estate it had to sell.
Though the re-imbursement was never paid, it still meant that finally, within only seven years, the Cathedral’s façade was completed.
Pellicani largely followed Buzzi’s project, adding some Neo-Gothic details to the upper windows. As a form of thanksgiving, a statue of Napoleon was placed at the top of one of the Spires. Napoleon was crowned King of Italy at the Duomo.
In the following years, most of the missing Arches and Spires were constructed. The Statues on the Southern Wall were also finished, while, during 1829 – 1858, new Stained-Glass Windows replaced the old ones, though with less aesthetically significant results.
Pellicani largely followed Buzzi’s project, adding some Neo-Gothic details to the upper windows. As a form of thanksgiving, a statue of Napoleon was placed at the top of one of the Spires. Napoleon was crowned King of Italy at the Duomo.
In the following years, most of the missing Arches and Spires were constructed. The Statues on the Southern Wall were also finished, while, during 1829 – 1858, new Stained-Glass Windows replaced the old ones, though with less aesthetically significant results.
English: Stained-Glass Window commissioned by Pope
Pius IV Medici for the monumental grave to his brother, the condottiero Gian Giacomo Medici (1498-1555), called "il Medeghino", by Leone Leoni, in the Cathedral in Milan.
Italiano: Duomo di Milano. Vetrata di papa Pio IV
Medici, al di sopra del monumento funebre a suo fratello, il condottiero Gian Giacomo Medici (1498-1555),
detto "il Medeghino", di Leone Leoni.
Photo: 8 March 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: G.dallorto
(Wikimedia Commons)
The last details of the Cathedral were finished only in the 20th-Century: The last Portal was inaugurated on 6 January 1965. This date is considered the very end of a process which had proceeded for generations, although, even now, some uncarved blocks remain to be completed as statues.
PART NINE FOLLOWS.
Saint Paulinus. Bishop And Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 22 June. White Vestments.
unless stated otherwise.
Saint Paulinus.
Bishop And Confessor.
Feast Day 22 June.
Double.
White Vestments.
Saint Paulinus of Nola.
English: Gothic-Revival Stained-Glass Window,
Linz Cathedral, Austria.
Deutsch: Linzer Dom ( Oberösterreich).
Neogotisches Buntglasfenster mit Darstellung
des heiligen Paulinus von Nola.
Photo: 14 March 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Wolfgang Sauber.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Paulinus, born in 353 A.D. of a very distinguished Roman family at Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France, distinguished himself in his studies and became a Senator at the age of twenty-five.
Elected a Consul, he established his residence at Nola, Campania, Italy, near the tomb of Saint Felix, the Martyred Priest, whose Feast The Church Celebrates on 14 January, where he was suddenly touched by Grace and, soon after, Baptised.
Following the example of Christ, "Who, being Rich, made Himself Poor" (Epistle), and Who counselled the practice of The Virtue of Poverty (Gospel), he abandoned his great riches and, at this price, bought The Kingdom of Heaven.
Having separated from his wife, who also gave herself to God, he became a Priest. Later, he was Bishop of Nola (Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, Communion).
His former friends blamed him: “He is content with the approval of Jesus”. Soon afterwards, the Goths ravaged Campania and utterly despoiled the Rich of Rome, who gained no merit thereby, whereas Saint Paulinus, who had abandoned his riches voluntarily for Christ’s sake, is rewarded a hundredfold hereafter in Eternal Life.
He died in 431 A.D., at the age of seventy-eight, and was buried near Saint Felix at Nola.
Mass: Sacerdotes tui.
Saint Alban. Proto-Martyr Of England. Feast Day 22 June. Red Vestments.
English: Stained-Glass Window in St Albans Cathedral, England, showing the Martyrdom of Saint Alban.
Polski: Witraż z katedry w St Albans
przedstawiający śmierć św. Albana.
Photo: 11 April 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Przemysław Sakrajda
(Wikimedia Commons)
Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
Saint Alban (Latin: Albanus) is Venerated as the first-recorded British Christian Martyr,[1] for which reason he is considered to be the British Proto-Martyr.
Along with fellow Saints, Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three named Martyrs recorded at an early date from Roman Britain (“Amphibalus” was the name given much later to the Priest he was said to have been protecting).
He is traditionally believed to have been beheaded in Verulamium (modern Saint Albans) sometime during the 3rd- or 4th-Century A.D., and has been celebrated there since ancient times.
Saint Albans Cathedral.
Photo: 1 August 2014.
Source: Own work.
Attribution:
“Photo by DAVID ILIFF.
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0”.
Author: Diliff
(Wikimedia Commons)
Alban lived in Roman Britain, but little is known about his religious affiliations, socio-economic status, or citizenship. According to the most elaborate version of the tale found in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, in the 3rd- or 4th-Century A.D., (see dating controversy below), Christians began to suffer “cruel persecution”, and Alban was living in Verulamium.[2]
However, Gildas says he crossed the River Thames before his Martyrdom, so some authors place his residence and Martyrdom in, or near. London.[3]
Both agree that Alban met a Roman Catholic Priest fleeing from persecutors and sheltered him in his house for a number of days. The Priest, who later came to be called Amphibalus, meaning “cloak”, in Latin, Prayed and “kept watch” day and night, and Alban was so impressed with the Priest’s Faith and piety that he found himself emulating him and soon converted to Christianity.
Stained-Glass Window of Saint Alban (Proto-Martyr of England) and Saint George (Patron Saint of England) in the South Wall of Sandhurst Church, Berkshire, England. The Window is a War Memorial to The Fallen of Sandhurst in
The Great War (First World War).
Photo: 12 July 2009.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Attribution: Philip Halling /
Sandhurst Church /CC BY-SA 2.0
Author: Philip Halling
(Wikimedia Commons)
Eventually, it came to the ears of an unnamed “impious Prince” that Alban was sheltering the Priest. The Prince gave orders for Roman soldiers to make a strict search of Alban’s house. As they came to seize the Priest, Alban put on the Priest’s cloak and clothing and presented himself to the soldiers in place of his guest.[2]
Alban was brought before a judge, who just then happened to be standing at an altar, offering sacrifices to “devils” (Bede’s reference to pagan gods).
When the judge heard that Alban had offered himself up in place of the Priest, he became enraged that Alban would shelter a person who “despised and blasphemed the gods,”[2] and, as Alban had given himself up in the Christian’s place, Alban was sentenced to endure all the punishments that were to be inflicted upon the Priest, unless he would comply with the pagan rites of their religion.
Alban refused, and declared: “I worship and adore the true and living God Who created all things.” (The words are still used in Prayer at Saint Alban’s Abbey).
Alban was led to execution, and presently came to a fast-flowing river that could not be crossed (believed to be the River Ver). There was a bridge, but a mob of curious towns people, who wished to watch the execution, had so clogged the bridge that the execution party could not cross.
When Alban reached the summit of the hill, he began to thirst and Prayed God would give him water. A spring immediately sprang up at his feet. It was there that his head was struck off, as well as the head of the first Roman soldier, who was miraculously converted and refused to execute him.
The earliest mention of Alban’s Martyrdom is believed to be in Victricius’s “De Laude Sanctorum” (The Praise of Saints), circa 396 A.D. Victricius had just returned from settling an unnamed dispute among the Bishops of Britain.[6]
This “Passio” survives in six manuscripts, with three different recensions, referred to as T, P, and E,[8] the oldest of which dates to the 8th-Century A.D.[9] The T manuscript is in Turin, the P manuscript is in Paris and the E manuscripts (of which there are four) are at The British Library and Gray's Inn, both in London, and Autun (France) and Einsiedeln (Switzerland).
The “Passio” is very likely the source text of the more well-known accounts found in Gildas and Bede.
Another early text to mention Alban is the “Vita Germani”, or “Life of Saint Germanus of Auxerre”, written about 480 A.D., by Constantius of Lyon.[10] The text only very briefly mentions Alban, but is an important text concerning his nascent cult.
Alban was brought before a judge, who just then happened to be standing at an altar, offering sacrifices to “devils” (Bede’s reference to pagan gods).
When the judge heard that Alban had offered himself up in place of the Priest, he became enraged that Alban would shelter a person who “despised and blasphemed the gods,”[2] and, as Alban had given himself up in the Christian’s place, Alban was sentenced to endure all the punishments that were to be inflicted upon the Priest, unless he would comply with the pagan rites of their religion.
Alban refused, and declared: “I worship and adore the true and living God Who created all things.” (The words are still used in Prayer at Saint Alban’s Abbey).
The enraged judge ordered Alban to be scourged, thinking that a whipping would shake the constancy of his heart, but Alban bore these torments patiently and joyfully. When the judge realised that the tortures would not shake his Faith, he gave orders for Alban to be beheaded.[2]
Alban was led to execution, and presently came to a fast-flowing river that could not be crossed (believed to be the River Ver). There was a bridge, but a mob of curious towns people, who wished to watch the execution, had so clogged the bridge that the execution party could not cross.
Filled with an ardent desire to arrive quickly at Martyrdom, Alban raised his eyes to Heaven, and the river dried up, allowing Alban and his captors to cross over on dry land.
The Nave, Saint Albans Cathedral.
The North Wall (Left) features a mix of Norman Arches dating back to 1077 and Arches in the Early-English Style of 1200.[18]
Photo: 3 September 2008.
Source: St Albans Cathedral, Roof
Author: the_majestic_fool
(Wikimedia Commons)
The astonished executioner cast down his sword and fell at Alban’s feet, moved by divine inspiration and Praying that he might either suffer with Alban or be executed for him.[2][4]
The other executioner hesitated to pick up his sword and, meanwhile, Alban went about 500 paces to a gently sloping hill, completely covered with all kinds of wildflowers, and overlooking a beautiful plain. (Bede observes that it was a fittingly beautiful place to be enriched and sanctified by a Martyr’s blood.)[2]
The other executioner hesitated to pick up his sword and, meanwhile, Alban went about 500 paces to a gently sloping hill, completely covered with all kinds of wildflowers, and overlooking a beautiful plain. (Bede observes that it was a fittingly beautiful place to be enriched and sanctified by a Martyr’s blood.)[2]
When Alban reached the summit of the hill, he began to thirst and Prayed God would give him water. A spring immediately sprang up at his feet. It was there that his head was struck off, as well as the head of the first Roman soldier, who was miraculously converted and refused to execute him.
The Wallingford Screen of circa 1480. The statues are Victorian replacements (1884–1889) of the originals, destroyed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when the Screen was also damaged.[30] Statues of Saint Alban
and Saint Amphibalus stand on either side of the Altar.
Photo: 1 August 2014.
Source: Own work.
Attribution: “Photo by DAVID ILIFF.
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0”
Author: Diliff
(Wikimedia Commons)
However, immediately after delivering the fatal stroke, the eyes of the second executioner fell out of his head and dropped to the ground, along with Alban’s head, so that this second executioner could not rejoice over Alban’s death.[2]
In later legends, Alban’s head rolled downhill after his execution, and a well sprang up where it stopped.[5] Upon hearing of the Miracles, the astonished judge ordered further persecutions to cease, and he began to honour the Saint’s death.[2]
Saint Albans Cathedral now stands near the believed site of his execution, and a well is at the bottom of the hill, Holywell Hill.[5]
In later legends, Alban’s head rolled downhill after his execution, and a well sprang up where it stopped.[5] Upon hearing of the Miracles, the astonished judge ordered further persecutions to cease, and he began to honour the Saint’s death.[2]
Saint Albans Cathedral now stands near the believed site of his execution, and a well is at the bottom of the hill, Holywell Hill.[5]
The Choir, Saint Albans Cathedral.
Photo: 1 August 2014.
Source: Own work.
Attribution: “Photo by DAVID ILIFF.
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0”
Author: Diliff
(Wikimedia Commons)
He does not mention Alban by name, but includes an unnamed Martyr, who, “in the hands of the executioners told rivers to draw back, lest he should be delayed in his haste.”[6] The account closely resembles Alban’s Martyrdom, and many historians have concluded that this may be a reference to Alban, making it the earliest surviving reference to a British Saint.
The foundational text concerning Alban is the “Passio Albani”, or the “Passion of Alban”, which relates the tale of Alban’s Martyrdom, and Germanus of Auxerre’s subsequent visit to the site of Alban’s execution.
The foundational text concerning Alban is the “Passio Albani”, or the “Passion of Alban”, which relates the tale of Alban’s Martyrdom, and Germanus of Auxerre’s subsequent visit to the site of Alban’s execution.
World-first technology used to restore colour to
Saint Albans Cathedral’s 15th-Century Wallingford Screen.
Available on YouTube
The “Passio” is very likely the source text of the more well-known accounts found in Gildas and Bede.
Another early text to mention Alban is the “Vita Germani”, or “Life of Saint Germanus of Auxerre”, written about 480 A.D., by Constantius of Lyon.[10] The text only very briefly mentions Alban, but is an important text concerning his nascent cult.
According to the “Vita”, Germanus visited Alban’s grave shortly after defeating the Pelagian heresy in Britain and asked Alban to give thanks to God on his behalf.
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