Lucius of Britain

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Saint Lucius of Britain
Died	2nd century
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Major shrine	cathedral of Chur
Feast	3 December
Patronage	Liechtenstein; Diocese of Vaduz; Diocese of Chur

Saint Lucius is a legendary 2nd-century King of the Britons traditionally credited with introducing Christianity into Britain. Lucius is first mentioned in a 6th-century version of the Liber Pontificalis, which says that he sent a letter to Pope Eleuterus asking to be made a Christian. The story became widespread after it was repeated by Bede, who added the detail that after Eleuterus granted Lucius' request, the Britons followed their king in conversion and maintained the Christian faith until the Diocletianic Persecution of 303. Later writers expanded the legend, giving accounts of missionary activity under Lucius and attributing to him the foundation of certain churches.^[1]

There is no contemporary evidence for a king of this name, and modern scholars believe that his appearance in the Liber Pontificalis is the result of a scribal error.^[1] However, for centuries the story of this "first Christian king" was widely believed, especially in Britain, where it was considered an accurate account of Christianity among the early Britons. During the English Reformation, the Lucius story was used in polemics by both Catholics and Protestants; Catholics considered it evidence of papal supremacy from a very early date, while Protestants used it to bolster claims of the primacy of a British national church founded by the crown.^[2]

Contents 1 Sources 2 Veneration in Chur 3 Notes 4 External links

[edit] Sources

The first mention of Lucius and his letter to Eleuterus is in the Catalogus Felicianus, a version of the Liber Pontificalis created in the 6th century.^[1] Why the story appears there has been a matter of debate. In 1868 A. W. Haddam and W. Stubbs suggested that it might have been pious fiction invented to support the efforts of missionaries in Britain in the time of Saint Patrick and Palladius.^[2] However, modern scholars follow the argument first proposed by Adolf von Harnack in 1904 that sees the story as a deriving from a scribal error substituting Britanio, referring to Britainnia, for Britio, referring to Britium in what is now Turkey.^[2]

In Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, Lucius was the son of King Coilus and ruled in the manner of his father. Leaving no heir, his death led to a struggle between the people of Britain and the power of Rome.

Not appearing in any source dating back to classical antiquity, he is most prominently mentioned in the Liber Pontificalis, Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, none of which can claim high historical trustworthiness for the 2nd century. Later traditions are mostly based on one of these three accounts, probably including a medieval inscription at the church of St Peter upon Cornhill in Cornhill, London in the City of London. There he is credited with having founded the St Peter's in 179 AD.^[3]

In spite of differences in the dating of the event, all of these sources tell of King Lucius becoming the first native Christian in Britain after he invited Pope Eleuterus in a letter to send missionaries to Britain in order to Christianize the people. However, both Lucius Britannius rex and his letter to the pope are now generally considered as unhistorical.

The pope sent out Fuganus and Duvianus as missionaries and they converted St. Lucius, after which they began to establish a Christian order throughout Britain with great success. Throughout his reign, the missionaries converted old temples to churches and cathedrals. Also dioceses were established among the people. York became the centre for Albany and Deira, London became the centre for Loegria and Cornwall, and Caerleon was the centre for Cambria. The missionaries returned to Rome, then subsequently returned to Britain with more aides in order to establish a full order on the isle. Lucius assisted by giving lands to the church and helping convert the people.

St. Lucius's feast day is on 3 December and he was canonized through the pre-congregational method.

[edit] Veneration in Chur

The legendary first bishop of Chur and patron saint of the Grisons (Switzerland) was also named St. Lucius, with whom the British Lucius is not to be confused. It is possible, however, that the mentioning of St. Lucius of Britain in the Liber Pontificalis soon led to a scholarly identification of the otherwise somewhat shapeless patron saint with his more prominent British namesake. His supposed relics are still kept in the cathedral of Chur, although there is little doubt among scholars that the bishopric was only established some 150 years after its alleged founder was martyred.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Alan Smith, 'Lucius of Britain: Alleged King and Church Founder', Folklore, Vol. 90, No. 1 (1979), pp. 29-36
• Homer Nearing, Jr., Local Caesar Traditions in Britain, Speculum, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Apr., 1949), pp. 218-227

Regnal titles
Preceded by Coilus	Mythical British Kings	Interregnum of Publius Septimius Geta