Luglius and Luglianus

Luglius and Luglianus were two brothers of Irish royal descent, killed in northern France on their way to Rome at the end of the seventh century or the beginning of the eighth. They are venerated in the Western Church.

According to tradition they were the sons of King Dodo of Ireland and his wife Relanis. Luglius, the elder, was to inherit the crown but chose to give his life to God, and his younger brother Luglianus took their father's place. After going to the Holy Land, they decided to devote themselves to the Lord and to the salvation of souls. Around 696 they gave their inheritance to the needy and set out on pilgrimage to Rome to venerate the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul. They landed at Boulogne with a few faithful servants and took the Via Francigena. At Thérouanne their prayer is said to have ended a fire.

Near Ferfay, in the valley of the Scyrendale, they were attacked by three robbers. Their servants fled. The robbers cut off their heads, stripped them, and threw the bodies into a pond. It is told that one of the servants, Erkembode, turned back and saw angels descending upon the bodies, which were surrounded by light. Then the sky darkened, a storm broke, and a torrent carried the remains away. The heads were found at Hurionville, where a chapel was built; a spring was discovered beside it. Some sources place their death around 705. The bodies were taken to the castle of Almer on the hill of Hurionville (Burbure). Their feast is 23 October, according to the Western calendar (new style).