Alban Roe
A defiant Benedictine monk whose execution for secretly performing Catholic rites made him a martyr and a symbol of religious resistance in Protestant England.
1583–1642 (age 59)·English Catholic saint·Birthday: July 20
Biography
Born Bartholomew Roe in Suffolk, his path to sainthood began with a youthful expulsion from Cambridge for his disruptive Catholic leanings. He found his calling with the Benedictines in France, taking the name Alban, and returned to England as an underground priest during a period of intense persecution. His ministry was marked by a charismatic and sometimes combative style; he was known for engaging in spirited public debates with Protestant jailers during his multiple imprisonments. His final arrest led to a death sentence at Tyburn in 1642, where he met his fate with notable cheerfulness, reportedly joking with the executioner. Canonized in 1970, his story encapsulates the fierce religious tensions of 17th-century England.
#1 When Alban Was Born
The biggest hits of 1583
Alban's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1583Born
1588Started school
1596Became a teenager
1599Could drive
1601Could vote
1604Turned 21
1613Turned 30
1623Turned 40
1633Turned 50
1642Died at 59
Key Achievements
- Canonized as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
- Served as a clandestine Catholic priest in England for years despite the severe legal penalties.
- Was imprisoned multiple times for his faith, using his captivity to debate theology and minister to other prisoners.
Did You Know?
He was expelled from Cambridge University for trying to convert a fellow student to Catholicism.
His birth name was Bartholomew Roe; he took the name Alban upon joining the Benedictine order.
He is said to have spent his final night before execution in prayer and playing cards with his fellow condemned priest.
His relics are enshrined at St. Edmund's College, Ware, in Hertfordshire.
“I am come here to die, being a Catholic priest, and I thank God for it.”
