The story of St' Alban's Spiritual Teacher. St Amphibalus
- Jul 24
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
He occupied a place in British hagiography almost as revered as Alban himself. According to many hagiographical accounts, including those of Gildas, Bede, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Matthew of Paris, St Amphibalus was a Roman Christian priest fleeing religious persecution under Emperor Diocletian and it is said that have converted Saint Alban to Christianity. He was, a native of Wales, and he fled to Verulamium while serving in the region of Caerleon. He found refuge in the house of Alban, who was at that time still a pagan. Alban was struck by what he observed: the priest engaged in “continual prayer, watching day and night.”
"Intrigued by this way of life, he began to receive instruction from Amphibalus and to imitate his manner of living. Illumined by the grace of God, Alban was converted and became a Christian in all sincerity of heart."
When soldiers came to the house to seize the priest, Alban clothed himself in Amphibalus’ garment and presented himself to the soldiers in his place. He was arrested, brought before the magistrate, and when his deception was discovered, was commanded to sacrifice to the pagan gods. Alban refused, declaring himself a Christian. The magistrate, enraged, condemned him to receive the punishment destined for the priest.
According to Matthew Paris, after Alban's martyrdom, the Romans eventually caught and martyred Amphibalus as well.
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey repeated the story of Alban's martyrdom as given by Bede in his famous Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136), with the addition of the name of the confessor he shelters, Amphibalus. He recounts a church of Amphibalus at Winchester where King Constantine consigned his son, Constans, to become a monk and where another, later, Constantine killed one of the sons of Mordred. Geoffrey may have got the name from Gildas, who describes his contemporary, Constantine, King of Dumnonia, as having dressed in the amphibalo, or 'cloak', of an abbot to murder two royal youths in a church.[10] This could also be the inspiration for Geoffrey's story about the murder of the son of Mordred, and his association of Amphibalus' church with kings called Constantine.
Hagiography
Most of what is known of Amphibalus's life is derived from hagiographic texts centred on Alban, written hundreds of years after his death. He was believed to be a citizen of Caerleon during the 3rd or 4th century. During a religious persecution, Alban sheltered Amphibalus from persecutors in his home. The priest was believed to be pious and faithful, and while in Alban's home he prayed and kept watch day and night. He instructed Alban with "wholesome admonitions", influencing Alban to abandon his previous religious beliefs and follow Amphibalus in the Christian faith. Alban was so inspired by his guest that he chose to sacrifice his own life in order to save Amphibalus.
After the martyrdom of Alban, Amphibalus was believed to have returned to Caerleon, where he converted many others to Christianity, including the saints Julius and Aaron. It is believed that he was eventually captured by the Romans and returned to Verulamium, where he was killed for his faith. Where and how he was killed is unclear. Some sources say he was beheaded others say he was stabbed. A later version of the legend says that Amphibalus and some companions were stoned to death a few days afterwards at Redbourn, four miles from St. Albans. Amphibalus is known for being one of four martyrs of the early Christian church in Roman Britain along with Albus, Julius and Aron. There is little known about any of the four early saints except that they seemed to all be acquainted with each other.
"In 1178, some 800 years after Amphibalus' traditional death date, his remains were discovered at Redbourn in Hertfordshire, England, near the town of St Albans.[21] According to the tale, Saint Alban appeared in a vision to a monk named Robert, indicating that he wished to make the location of the remains of Amphibalus known. Robert followed the spirit of Alban and was led by the saint to the remains of Amphibalus and his companions. Healing miracles were performed immediately, and the abbot ordered the site to be excavated. Several bodies were discovered, and one body seemed consistent with the manner of Amphibalus' death. The body believed to belong to Amphibalus was moved to St Alban's, where a shrine was constructed for the veneration of the relics."
Veneration
The first shrine of St Amphibalus stood before the Great Rood Screen in the Norman Abbey of St Alban's, near the high altar on the north side of the shrine of St Alban. In 1323, a portion of the abbey roof collapsed, damaging the shrine. The shrine was then moved to the north aisle of the chancel. Eventually, around 1350, the shrine was given a position in the centre of the retrochoir, east of St Alban's own shrine in the 'Saint's Chapel', complete with a stone tomb, paintings, and a silver gilt plate.
The shrine was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII and the pieces were used to block the eastern arches of "Saints' Chapel". The relics were scattered; however, the remains of the shrine were discovered in the 19th century during renovations, and were reassembled in 1872 under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott. The stone shrine was restored in 2021 by the Skillington Workshop and can be seen in St Albans Cathedral. The shrine features a new masked figure to commemorate its reconstruction during the COVID pandemic.
Traditionally,
Amphibalus' feast day was held on June 25.
Source: Wikipedia
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