Saint Alexander Briant
Saint Alexander Briant (born c. 1556 in Somerset, England; died December 1, 1581 at Tyburn, London, England) was an English Jesuit priest and martyr who was executed at Tyburn during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for the crime of exercising his priestly ministry in England. He is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, a group of Catholics canonized in 1970. Remarkable for his youth at the time of his martyrdom (approximately twenty-five years old), for the extraordinary tortures he endured in the Tower of London, and for the spiritual depth he displayed throughout his imprisonment and trial, Briant was beatified by Pope Pius XI on December 15, 1929, and canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 25, 1970. His feast day is December 1, shared with Saint Edmund Campion and Saint Ralph Sherwin, with whom he was executed.
Alexander Briant belongs to the generation of young Englishmen educated on the Continent (at Douai) who returned to England as ordained Catholic priests in full knowledge that capture meant torture and death. His case is distinguished by the particular severity of the tortures he suffered in the Tower of London and by the fact that he petitioned to be received into the Society of Jesus while in prison—a petition granted so that he might die as a Jesuit alongside Edmund Campion, one of the most celebrated of the English Martyrs.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Alexander Briant
| Saint Alexander Briant | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | December 01 |
| Profession | Jesuit Priest |
| Rel. Affiliation | Society of Jesus (Jesuits) |
| Attributes | Priest's vestments; Jesuit emblem; palm branch (martyr) |
| Birthplace | Somerset, England |
| Death Place | Tyburn, London, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; hanged, drawn, and quartered |
| Primary Shrine | Tyburn Convent, Hyde Park Place, London, England |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial (England and Wales); feast shared with Saints Edmund Campion and Ralph Sherwin |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
Alexander Briant was born around 1556 in Somerset, in the west of England, into a Catholic family. He received his early education in England before crossing to the Continent to pursue the priestly vocation that was illegal under the Elizabethan recusancy laws.
Early Life
Briant studied at the English College at Douai—the principal seminary for the training of English Catholic priests in exile—and was ordained to the priesthood. He returned to England on the English mission, the dangerous apostolate of providing Catholic sacraments to the recusant population in defiance of the laws that made the exercise of Catholic priesthood a capital offense.
He worked as a priest for a period, apparently in the west of England, including in Somerset, where he may have had contacts through his family network. He is associated in some accounts with having lodged with the family of the Jesuit priest Robert Persons (one of Campion's companions on the English mission) and with having ministered in the Somerset area.
Occupation
Father Alexander Briant served as a missionary priest on the English mission, administering the sacraments in secret to Catholic households. He was arrested in 1581 and brought to the Tower of London.
In the Tower, Briant was subjected to extreme torture: he was racked, needles were driven under his fingernails, and he was subjected to the torture of starvation and the rack over an extended period. His torturers sought information about the network of Catholic priests and recusant households he had served. Despite the severity of his tortures, Briant gave no information.
During his imprisonment, Briant wrote to the Society of Jesus asking to be received as a member. He composed this petition in his own blood, having no ink. His request was granted by the Jesuit superior; he was admitted to the Society of Jesus while in the Tower of London, making him a Jesuit in name if not yet by formal training or profession. This acceptance allowed him to die alongside Edmund Campion as a member of the same Order.
He maintained his spirits throughout his imprisonment with extraordinary courage and good humor, and composed accounts of his sufferings that were smuggled out of the Tower.
Death
Alexander Briant was executed at Tyburn on December 1, 1581, alongside Saint Edmund Campion and Saint Ralph Sherwin. He was approximately twenty-five years old. He died by the savage penalty of hanging, drawing, and quartering—the statutory punishment for treason, which was the legal category under which the execution of a Catholic priest for exercising his ministry was framed.
Saint Alexander Briant met his death through martyrdom on December 1, 1581, at Tyburn, London, hanged, drawn, and quartered alongside Edmund Campion and Ralph Sherwin for exercising his priestly ministry as a Jesuit on the English mission.
Significant events
- Born c. 1556 in Somerset, England; Catholic family.
- Studied at the English College, Douai; ordained priest.
- Returned to England on the English mission.
- Arrested 1581; imprisoned and severely tortured in the Tower of London.
- Petitioned to join the Society of Jesus while in prison; admitted to the Jesuits.
- Executed December 1, 1581 at Tyburn alongside Edmund Campion and Ralph Sherwin.
- Beatified December 15, 1929 by Pope Pius XI.
- Canonized October 25, 1970 by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Somerset, England
Death location: Tyburn, London, England
Notable location: Place of his execution (Tyburn (Marble Arch area), London, England)
Notable location: Where he was imprisoned and tortured (Tower of London, London, England)
Notable location: Where he studied for the priesthood (English College, Douai, Nord, France)
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Alexander Briant have been added to the database yet.
Media
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Shrines
Dynamic shrines
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List of shrines
Tyburn Convent, Hyde Park Place, London, England
- Tyburn Convent, at the site of the Tyburn gallows, is the principal shrine for all the Tyburn Martyrs including Saint Alexander Briant. See the entry under Saint Alban Bartholomew Roe for full details.
- Pilgrimage details: 8 Hyde Park Place, London W2 2LJ, England. Diocese: Diocese of Westminster.
Canonization
Beatification
Alexander Briant was beatified on December 15, 1929, by Pope Pius XI.
Canonization
Alexander Briant was canonized on October 25, 1970, by Pope Paul VI, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
Miracles were confirmed through the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in preparation for the beatification of 1929.
Miracle for canonization
Miracles were confirmed through the Congregation for the Causes of Saints as part of the group canonization of 1970.
Patronage
Saint Alexander Briant is venerated collectively with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Feast day
December 01
Veneration
Saint Alexander Briant is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on December 1, shared with Saints Edmund Campion and Ralph Sherwin. His feast is observed in England and Wales, within the Society of Jesus, and among those devoted to the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He is depicted in priestly vestments holding a palm branch.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
- Books about the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, including Edmund Campion's companions
- Evelyn Waugh, Edmund Campion (1935) — a biography of Campion that provides context for Briant and the English mission.
Written by the saint
- A letter written in blood from the Tower of London petitioning to join the Society of Jesus; portions quoted in hagiographic sources.