First century; born Arimathea, Palestine. He was a wealthy Israelite and a disciple of Christ. He requested from Pilate the body of Jesus and with the help of Nicodemus placed it in the tomb. The legend which tells of his coming to Gaul, 63 AD, and subsequently to Great Britain, where he is supposed to have founded the first Christian oratory at Glastonbury, is fabulous. Patron of the church at Glastonbury. Feast, March 17,.