died c. 303
A martyr who suffered for Christ at London during the persecution of Diocletian.
The Holy Martyr Aule, Bishop of London
Aule of London (also recorded as Augulus, Augurius, Augustus, or Ouil) is an obscure early martyr venerated as a bishop who suffered for Christ at London during the persecution of Diocletian, traditionally dated to about 303. His feast is kept on February 7.
The historical record concerning him is fragmentary. The Martyrology of Saint Jerome lists him specifically as a bishop, while other ancient Western martyrologies describe him as a martyr who laid down his life for Christ in Britain. All these sources locate him at Augusta, the name given to London in antiquity, and place his martyrdom roughly contemporaneous with that of Saint Alban.
No Acts of Augurius survive, and later writers have only briefly alluded to him. As an entry of the British martyrology, details of his life are scant, and scholars have noted that little can be established about him with confidence.
The saint appears under several names across the sources, including Augulus, Augurius, Augustus, Aule, and Ouil, reflecting variation in transcription across martyrologies and traditions.
Some French writers have identified him with Saint Ouil or Aule of Normandy, which suggests possible geographic confusion in later tradition about his origin and ministry. He has also been described as possibly of Irish origin, though this claim lacks definitive citation.
His martyrdom is placed within the Diocletianic persecution (284–305), the empire-wide repression under which as many as several thousand Christians were executed.
The reliability of the British martyr accounts of this period is complicated by the historical record: under the Western Caesar Constantius, who was well disposed toward Christianity, the Christians of Gaul and Britain faced almost no persecution apart from the demolition of some churches. This context contributes to the scarcity of documented British martyrs of the era, of whom Saint Alban is the most prominently attested.
Aule's name appears in the Martyrology of Saint Jerome, which lists him as a bishop, and his commemoration is also associated with Bede's martyrology and other ancient Western martyrologies.
All the martyrologies place him in Britain, at Augusta, the name given to London. No Acts of Augurius exist, and the historical record is fragmentary. Canon Frederick Edward Warren noted that there was 'no early authority' for Augulus and that 'nothing is known of their histories.'
An obscure entry of the British martyrology; details are scant.