Saint Arthur of Glastonbury

Who was Saint Arthur of Glastonbury?

Saint Arthur of Glastonbury, according to some French sources, was an English Roman Catholic faithful in the 16th century. He was martyred during the period of King Henry VIII's suppression of the Catholic Church due to his refusal to accept the king's claim to spiritual leadership of the Church in England.

English Catholic sources lack information on St. Arthur of Glastonbury's martyrdom under Henry VIII. It is possible that the legendary King Arthur of Camelot, believed to have been connected with Glastonbury, and the story of a local martyr may have been conflated in Breton oral tradition; there were a number of Catholic martyrs during the English Reformation who hailed from the region including Richard Whyting of Glastonbury Abbey. Martyred with Whyting was John Arthur Thorne, treasurer of the abbey and owner of the original Glastonbury chair.

St. Arthur's feastday is celebrated regionally on November 15 in Brittany.