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St Albans
StAlbansCathedral-PS02.JPG
View from the west in front of St Albans Cathedral
StAlbans-COA-PS1.svg
Coat of Arms
St Albans is located in Hertfordshire
St Albans
St Albans
St Albans shown within Hertfordshire
Area 6.99 sq mi (18.1 km2)
Population 57,795 (2011)
• Density 8,268/sq mi (3,192/km2)
OS grid reference TL148073
• London 19 mi (31 km) SSE
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ST. ALBANS
Postcode district AL1-AL4
Dialling code 01727
Police Hertfordshire
Fire Hertfordshire
Ambulance East of England
EU Parliament East of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hertfordshire
51°45′18″N 0°20′10″W / 51.755°N 0.336°W / 51.755; -0.336Coordinates: 51°45′18″N 0°20′10″W / 51.755°N 0.336°W / 51.755; -0.336

St Albans /sənt ˈɔːlbənz/, /sn ... / is a city in Hertfordshire, England, and the major urban area in the City and District of St Albans. It lies east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, about 20 miles (32 km) north-northwest of central London, 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Welwyn Garden City and 11 miles (18 km) south-southeast of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north, and it became the Roman city of Verulamium. It is a historic market town and is now a dormitory town within the London commuter belt and the Greater London Built-up Area.

St Albans takes its name from the first British saint, Alban. The most elaborate version of his story, Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, relates that he lived in Verulamium, sometime during the 3rd or 4th century, when Christians were suffering persecution. Alban met a Christian priest fleeing from his persecutors and sheltered him in his house, where he became so impressed with the priest's piety that he converted to Christianity. When the authorities searched Alban's house, he put on the priest's cloak and presented himself in place of his guest. Consequently, he was sentenced to endure the punishments that were to be inflicted upon the priest, unless he renounced Christianity. Alban refused and was taken for execution. In later legends, his head rolled downhill after execution and a well sprang up where it stopped.


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Wikipedia

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