Surprising encounters with the early British Church: Part II

Shrine of St Alban

Nick Mayhew Smith, author of the new book Britain’s Holiest Places, uncovered a goldmine of Christian heritage during his travels across the country. In this second part he introduces a holy well, an ancient shrine, and the oldest church restored for Catholic use.

To read the first part of this series see: www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=19165

Oldest saint’s shrine
Shrine of St Alban, St Albans Cathedral, St Albans, Hertfordshire

St Alban is the first martyr of the British Isles, killed during one of the last great persecutions before Christianity was legalised in the Roman empire. The fate of his shrine perfectly illustrates the steady revival of our spiritual heritage in recent years. Fragments of the medieval tomb structure, smashed at the Reformation, were rediscovered and then reassembled in 1993. More importantly, an actual relic of the saint himself was finally restored to its rightful place here in 2002, creating an authentic shrine from Christianity’s earliest years. The shrine stands in its original chapel within the Anglican cathedral in St Albans, said to be on the exact spot where our protomartyr met his death at the beginning of the 4th century. Services are conducted here by all the major church denominations.

St Albans Cathedral is open every day. Full details at www.stalbanscathedral.org

Oldest holy well
The Lady’s Well, Holystone, Northumberland

This secluded and enchanting sacred pool lies in a grove of trees surrounded by fields, a short walk from the village of Holystone in rural Northumberland. The pool has a curious apse-like shape, one end curved in the manner of a basilica church building. It is also aligned on a Roman road, which used to run beside its northern edge. Evidence that this really was a very early Christian site is backed up by a local tradition linking the pool to the Roman-era missionary St Ninian (see Whithorn, above). If the great saint did indeed use this pool for receiving converts into the faith, this is one of the very few places in the world where you can immerse yourself in an authentic baptismal experience, as practised al fresco by the very early church. My own quick bathe here was a moment out of time, a truly primal encounter with creation in the raw.

The Lady’s Well is in a little gated enclosure, open at all times, a short walk north of Holystone village. It is in the care of the National Trust, and described in detail at www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/holystoneladyswell

Oldest building restored to Catholic use
The Old Priory, Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire

The monastery on Caldey island is nearly as ancient as the great Celtic foundation on Iona. It too was abandoned at the Reformation and its buildings converted for agricultural use, until the community was revived at the start of the 20th century. The new monastery building is a short distance downhill, but the monks also care for the earlier priory and have revived its atmospheric little chapel. This is dedicated to St Illtyd, the influential bishop who encouraged the monastery’s foundation in the mid-6th century. The structure itself dates from Norman times and later, making it the oldest church building in Britain which has reverted to Roman Catholic ownership. An ancient stone carving stands by the entrance, an inscribed slab from the 6th century that completes a remarkable chain of monastic witness.

Caldey Island can be visited on a daytrip from Easter to October, or as a retreat centre for men. For full details see www.caldey-island.co.uk

For more information on Britain's Holiest Places see: www.holybritain.co.uk