Secundus of Ávila

Saint Secundus, hieromartyr, was a missionary and martyr of the apostolic age, in the first century, honoured as the first bishop of the town of Abula. He is counted among the Seven Apostolic Men of Spain.

According to tradition, Secundus preached the faith in the town of Abula, which has been identified as either Abla or Ávila. The town is mentioned by Ptolemy in his Geography, as lying in the Iberian region of Bastetania, and it is said to have been one of the first cities of Spain to receive Christianity, through the preaching of Secundus. He was its first bishop.

The Seven Apostolic Men were clerics ordained in Rome by the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and sent to preach the Gospel in Spain. Besides Secundus, the group includes Hesychius, Caecilius, Torquatus, Euphrasius, Indaletius and Ctesiphon. No more certain details of the life of Secundus are known, and the early history of the town remains unclear.

The Church commemorates him on 2 May.