Saint John Roberts
Saint John Roberts (born c. 1576 AD in Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, Wales; died December 10, 1610 AD in Tyburn, London, England) was a Welsh Benedictine monk and priest who was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn for the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in Jacobean England. He had worked in England through two plague epidemics, nursing the sick. He was canonized as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales in 1970. His feast day is December 10 (or October 25 with the group).
Stored in Cargo: Saint John Roberts
| Saint John Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | December 10; October 25 (with Forty Martyrs) |
| Profession | Benedictine monk; priest; plague nurse; missionary |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Benedictine Order (St. Gregory's, Douai — now Downside Abbey); Welsh priest martyred in London |
| Patronage | Wales; Downside Abbey; Welsh Catholics; Benedictine Order; plague victims and nurses; priests under persecution; Forty Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Attributes | Benedictine habit; hangman's rope; plague victims (his nursing); Wales (birthplace) |
| Birthplace | Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, Wales |
| Death Place | Tyburn, London, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on December 10, 1610, for the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in England |
| Primary Shrine | Downside Abbey, Somerset, England — his successor Benedictine community; relic believed preserved here; also Tyburn Convent, London |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast October 25 (with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales); individual feast December 10 |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar |
Biography
John Roberts was born around 1576 in Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd in north Wales. He converted from Protestantism to Catholicism while a student at St. John's College, Oxford. He traveled to Spain and entered the English College at Valladolid, then transferred to the Benedictine monastery of St. Gregory at Douai, where he was professed as a monk and ordained a priest.
He returned to England and worked throughout the first decade of the 17th century as an underground priest. During the plague epidemic of 1603 he worked openly nursing the sick, earning enormous popular gratitude. He was arrested multiple times but Queen Anne of Denmark intervened on several occasions to secure his release or deportation rather than execution.
His fifth arrest, in 1610, was final. He was brought to trial, readily admitted his priesthood, and was condemned. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on December 10, 1610.
Pope Paul VI canonized him as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales on October 25, 1970. He is the patron saint of the Benedictine community descended from his monastery at Douai (now Downside Abbey in Somerset).
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, Wales
Death location: Tyburn, London, England
Notable location: The place of his execution; he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on December 10, 1610; this was his fifth arrest and he had been deported four times previously before being finally executed; he went to Tyburn with great composure, forgiving his executioners (Tyburn, London (now Marble Arch area), England)
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to John Roberts have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Downside Abbey, Somerset, England — his successor Benedictine community; relics believed preserved here.
- Tyburn Convent, London — associated with the Tyburn martyrs.
Feast day
December 10; October 25 (with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
Veneration
Saint John Roberts is venerated as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, canonized October 25, 1970. He is the patron of Downside Abbey.
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.