 Examples are St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and St. Albans Cathedral in England, which commemorate the martyrdom of Saint Peter (the first Pope) and Saint Alban (the first Christian martyr in Britain), respectively.The place, and therefore the church built there, was considered to have been sanctified (made holy) by what happened there.In modern times, the Catholic Church has continued this practice by placing in the altar of each church, when it is consecrated for use, a box (the "sepulcrum") containing relics of a saint.