History Main / PatronSaint

* In the ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'' film, a statue of St. Dionysius was used as a prison for the monster Sammael, and later a finger bone of St. Jude is used to ward off the same monster.

* On ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'', Gloria practices [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa Santeria]], which she describes as "Catholic plus." Her backstory involves a prayer to St. Anthony of Padua [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane and a fire that destroyed her abusive boyfriend]].

* Several stories are based on the fictional patron saint of engineers, St. Vidicon, who martyred himself to ensure a key speech by the Pope would make it to air. He is invoked to defend against {{Finagle|sLaw}}.
* The aforementioned St. Vidicon is referenced in the ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo''-verse. He is venerated (due to the circumstances of his martyrhood) by radio technicians as the holy helper against the ravages of {{Murphy|sLaw}}, half in earnest and half as an in-universe lampshading/jab at up-time Catholics who continue to venerate saints who are either still alive in down-time or, due to TheButterflyEffect, will never be born. When three radio techs petition the local cardinal for permission to found a holy order dedicated to St. Vidicon, he is less than amused.

* In ''Literature/{{Cell}}'', by Creator/StephenKing, Denise successfully helps Clay find a necessary item by invoking St. Anthony's help. Clay himself borrows this idea at the [[NoEnding ending]].

* ''Webcomic/{{Roommates}}'' and its '[[{{Franchise/Buildingverse}} verse]][[note]]''Webcomic/GirlsNextDoor'', ''Webcomic/DownTheStreet'', ''Webcomic/{{Superintendent}}'', ''Webcomic/MeanwhileUpstairs'' etc.[[/note]] has the Saint Jude university, where most of the cast works or studies. Kinda fitting how much concentrated ''[[FailureIsTheOnlyOption fail]]'' the place has, beginning with the main characters, who are mostly [[MegaCrossover antagonists from different stories]] trying to begin a new, more normal life. Lost Causes indeed. Also Javert tells James to "Go St. George on" the dragon [[http://asherhyder.deviantart.com/art/Roommates-272-Toothless-319339842 here]].

* Another fun saint is La Santa Muerte -- Saint of Death, or Our Lady of the Holy Death. She's a syncresis of Catholic traditions and local indigenous religions of Mexico, and her cult is increasingly popular amongst the lower classes.

* Another fun saint is Santo Muerte -- Saint Death. He's a syncresis of Catholic traditions and local indigenous religions of Mexico, and his cult is increasingly popular amongst the lower classes.

Note that Catholics and Orthodox vehemently deny offering "worship" (''latria'') to the saints; what the saints receive is ''doulia'' or "honor" -- or, in the case of the Queen of the Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary, ''hyperdoulia'' or "extreme honor". One does not pray '''to''' the saints, but rather asks them to pray '''for''' you. Roman Catholic theology calls this ''intercession:'' Being the Boss of Heaven, only the [[{{God}} Big G]] has the power to grant prayer requests, but one can ask a saint in heaven to lend his assistance in expediting the process. Apparently, Heaven still has a lot to work on fixing red tape within the celestial bureaucracy.

* Several stories are based on the fictional patron saint of engineers, St. Vidicon, who martyred himself to ensure a key speech by the Pope would make it to air. He is invoked to defend against [[FinaglesLaw Finagle]].
* The aforementioned St. Vidicon is referenced in the ''SixteenThirtyTwo''-verse. He is venerated (due to the circumstances of his martyrhood) by radio technicians as the holy helper against the ravages of [[MurphysLaw Murphy]], half in earnest and half as an in-universe lampshading/jab at up-time Catholics who continue to venerate saints who are either still alive in down-time or, due to TheButterflyEffect, will never be born. When three radio techs petition the local cardinal for permission to found a holy order dedicated to St. Vidicon, he is less than amused.

* Patron saints were common subjects for artists throughout TheMiddleAges and TheRenaissance (as in the page image of the "[[http://madameevangelista.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/wilton_diptych.jpg Wilton Diptych]]," which shows SS. Edmund the Martyr, Edward the Confessor, and John the Baptist patronizing King Richard II of England). Often non-contemporaneous saints are shown associating in ''sacra conversazione'', each identified by holding or standing near his or her own special emblem, often the method of his or her martyrdom -- ''e.g.'', St. Catherine holding her wheel or St. Bartholomew holding his own ''[[NightmareFuel flayed skin]]''.

* Simon Templar in ''Film/TheSaint'' takes all of his aliases from the names of saints, including Martin De Porres, Bruno Hartenfaust, and Thomas More. He also references some of the things necessary for a person to be considered a saint (a few steps are left out, either as a result of carelessness or RuleOfDrama), and manages at least the "three miracles" part.

* The [[JohnColtrane Saint John Will-I-Am Coltrane]] African Orthodox Church in San Francisco has officially canonized the jazz great, and celebrates a three-hour mass based on his music every Sunday.

The process of being named a saint is canonization (or, in Orthodox Christianity, glorification), a long and complicated process. [[note]]Note that canonization does not ''make'' one a saint, as only God can do that. Canonization is merely the process by which the Church recognizes that a person has become a saint. Many saints may exist who have not been canonized. In fact, Orthodoxy defines a saint as ''anyone'' who was accepted by God into Heaven, but not all saints will be recognized by the living because not all saints will have miracles granted in their names by God.[[/note]] For more information, just look up the relevant keyword(s) on TheOtherWiki.

* ''Film/TheMiracleOfOurLadyOfFatima'' is about Mary's visitations in Portugal to Lucia Santos and her cousins, now Blessed Francisco and WaifProphet Jacinta Marto. When they are canonized they'll be the youngest saints other than some of the early Christian martyrs.

* A heavily fictionalized St. George is the hero of the first book of ''TheFaerieQueene''.

* In Creator/LarryNiven and JerryPournelle's ''Literature/TheMoteInGodsEye'', a statue of St. Barbara aboard a spaceship has carefully constructed fans so the candles will continue to burn right in freefall.

* The Saint of Killers from the comic ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}''

* In JohnCWright's ''[[Literature/ChroniclesOfChaos Orphans of Chaos]]'', Boggins informs Amelia, "I, for example, am employed directly by Saint Dymphna's School and College for Destitute Children." Which is to say, after the saint of the insane and emotionally disturbed. (See below.)

* In JimButcher's ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' story "Aftermath", Murphy prays to St. Jude before her attack.

* In MichaelFlynn's ''Literature/SpiralArm'' novel ''On The Razor's Edge'', the captive Mearana, a harper, invokes Cecelia, and then Jude -- music, and impossible causes.

For some of the most commonly referenced Saints in fiction, see: UsefulNotes/PatronSaints.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Saint Jude's Children Research Hospital, who treats and hopes to find cures for things like cancer. Other common patrons for hospitals are Saint Luke (who according to [[Literature/TheBible St. Paul]] (''Colossians IV, xiv.'') was a physician) and Saint Mary under her title of "The Immaculate Conception" is also the Patron Saint of the United States.
* [[http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-barbara/ Saint Barbara]] is the patron saint of Heavy Artillery and Artillerymen (as well as fireworks, rockets, and other stuff involving gunpowder that go boom).
** And as such was celebrated in a poem by Creator/GKChesterton.
** The Russian Orthodox Church has, [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands by extension]], made her the patron saint of the [[UsefulNotes/FromRussiaWithNukes Strategic Rocket Forces]].
* St. Nicholas, in addition to children and repentant thieves, is also the patron saint of sailors. Russian navy, in particular, has a habit of naming ships and installations after St. Nicholas, which recently led to some chagrin as a new nuclear missile submarine was rumored to be named "St. Nicholas," at the idea of a ship capable of raining death in form of [=ICBMs=] around the world being named after the patron saint of children (there already was and still is a Russian attack submarine named St. Nicholas, in the Pacific Fleet, however).
** In the end, the nuclear missile submarine was eventually named after Prince Vladimir of Kiev, not St. Nicholas. Of course, Prince Vladimir is himself a saint, being responsible for Christianization of Eastern Slavic nations, and is a patron saint of Russia itself.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton Emperor Norton]] is the only real-life person considered to be a Discordian saint.
* St. Philip Neri is patron of the [[YanksWithTanks US Special Forces]].
* Lots of cities are named after saints: St. Paul, San Francisco, ''etc''.
** Saint Paul is interesting in that he gets ''two'' fairly-important cities named after him: the [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities capital of Minnesota]], and UsefulNotes/SaoPaulo (aka the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere).
* There are patron saints for, among others, Fireworks (St. Barbara) and Translators (St. Jerome).
* St. Sebastian, Patron Saint of snipers (well, archers) and plague victims. Also unofficial (for obvious reasons) patron of the gay community, as he is one of the few saints generally depicted in the (nearly) nude (unless, of course, one suspects an obscure "penetration" pun).
* St. Mark is the Patron Saint of Venice, and the Venetian BattleCry is "Vive San Marco".
* St. George is the Patron Saint of England, and the English BattleCry is "Saint George for Merry England!"
** In recent years, various people have called for St George to be replaced as Patron of England on the grounds that he had nothing to do with the place. The problem is that choosing a replacement will probably upset more people than it pleases - Saints Alban, Edward the Confessor [[note]](Edward the Confessor is also the Patron Saint of the British Royal Family)[[/note]], Edward the Martyr and Edmund the Martyr all have sizeable followings to name but a few, all having been recognised in some capacity as Patrons of England *prior* to St George. Just make things even more complicated, Roman Catholics and some Anglicans would argue that the Virgin Mary also has a stake - prior to the Reformation, Marian devotion was so strong in England that the country was referred to as the "Dowry of Mary".
** As St. George was originally a Greek-speaker from the Middle East (born in now-Israeli city of Lod), probably a Semite who would now be considered an Arab Christian, he has a large following in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, being the patron saint of such countries as Georgia, Greece, Ethiopia, Serbia, and Palestine, as well as the cities of Moscow and Beirut. George came to England via the returning Crusaders, especially Richard the Lionhearted.
** St George is not alone among British patron saints. The only one who was actually a ''native'' of the country they patronise was St David. St Patrick at least ''lived'' in Ireland, but Andrew the Apostle would never have ''heard'' of Scotland.
* St. Dionysus (Dennis, Denis) is the Patron Saint of France, and the French BattleCry is « Montjoie Saint Denis ! » ("Mountjoy" is a word of uncertain origin.)
* St. James (the Greater) is the Patron Saint of Spain, and the Spanish BattleCry is ''--¡Santiago, y cierra España!--'' ("Saint James, and close with them, Spain!")
** St. James the Greater is also the second Patron Saint of the United States, although nobody ever mentions it.
* [[AManForAllSeasons St. Thomas More]] was made the Patron Saint of lawyers and statesmen. If ''TheWestWing'' is ever remade and the President is still Catholic, there should be an icon of More in the Oval Office, don't you think?
* Bartholomew the Apostle, who - among other things - presides over mental and neurological disorders. [[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Bartholomew_Allen_II_%28New_Earth%29 There's got to be someone of that name]] [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny with a mental disorder...right?]]
** St. Dymphna is also considered a patron saint of mental and neurological disorders, seemingly just because the majority of healings reported at her shrine were that.
* There is a traditional grouping of saints invoked together as protectors against certain ills, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Holy_Helpers "Fourteen Holy Helpers"]] often honored together in one church or shrine: St. Agathius, St. Barbara, St. Blaise (on whose feast day Catholics used to have their throats blessed against disease), St. Catherine of Alexandria (she of the wheel, which was commemorated in the Catherine-wheel firework), St. Christopher, St. Cyriacus, St. Denis of France, St. Erasmus, St. Eustace, St. George, St. Giles, St. Margaret of Antioch (who was swallowed by a devil in the form of a dragon, made the sign of the Cross, burst out of its stomach, and became patroness of childbirth), St. Pantaleon, and St. Vitus (he of the dance, ''i.e.'', the disease choreia). Their most famous shrine, the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_the_Vierzehnheiligen Basilika Vierzehnheiligen]]'' near Bamberg (Bavaria, Germany), is a very well-known work of Baroque architecture by the famous Balthasar Neumann.
* One theory of the origin of the nautical legend of Davy Jones' Locker is that Davy Jones is actually a bowlderized version of Saint David of Wales, whom Welsh sailors would beseech for aid in times of danger. In this interpretation, Davy Jones is not punishing, but helping sailors, by keeping their souls safe in his Locker.
* Joseph of Cupertino (who had a reputation for levitating during Mass) is the Patron Saint of Spacers. Yes there is already a patron saint of spacers despite it being a rather new occupation. And any would-be SpaceOpera writers among the tropers can use him in your {{Mythopoeia}}.
* Thomas Aquinas is the Patron of Scholars, and Intellectuals. In other words he is the official geek saint. He is OneOfUs.
* The [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush US presidential election in 2000]] involved controversy over the vote count due to improperly punched pieces of ballots known as "chads." It was jokingly suggested that perhaps the appropriately named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_of_Mercia#Patronage St. Chad]] of Mercia could become the patron of disputed elections, since he humbly resigned a contentious appointment to a bishopric. (In reality, of course, there is no actual patron of elections, [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets which may explain a few things]]. However, Thomas More is the patron saint of politicians.)
* Saint Thomas (the doubting one) is patron saint of [[http://catholicsaints.info/saint-thomas-the-apostle/ architects, builders, and doubters.]] He's also considered the patron saint of forensic investigation and [[TheCoroner medical examiners]] because he didn't believe Jesus had returned from the dead until he examined His wounds.
* Ironically (or appropriately) enough, the Catholic Church does not have an official patron saint of sexually abused children. Unofficially, it's St. Mary [=McKillop=], the first Australian saint and founder of the Josephite Sisters, who repeatedly rebelled against church authority in directing her nuns. Reputedly she blew the whistle on a pedophile priest and was briefly excommunicated.
[[/folder]]

* The ''Speaker for the Dead'' branch of OrsonScottCard's [[Literature/EndersGame Enderverse]] includes the Order of the Children of the Mind of Christ (married but celibate monks who run schools on most Catholic colonies). It was founded by St. Angelo of Moctezuma (who in traditional Church logic would therefore be the Order's patron saint), an eccentric monk whose death Andrew had spoken [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 2000 years]] before the events of ''Speaker for the Dead''.

** The Russian Orthodox Church has, [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands by extension]], made her the patron saint of the [[FromRussiaWithNukes Strategic Rocket Forces]].

Note that Catholics and Orthodox vehemently deny offering "worship" (''latria'') to the saints; what the saints receive is ''doulia'' or "honor" -- or, in the case of the Queen of the Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary, ''hyperdoulia'' or "extreme honor". One does not pray '''to''' the saints, but rather asks them to pray '''for''' you. Roman Catholic theology calls this ''intercession:'' Being the Boss of Heaven, only the [[{{God}}Big G]] has the power to grant prayer requests, but one can ask a saint in heaven to lend his assistance in expediting the process. Apparently, Heaven still has a lot to work on fixing red tape within the celestial bureaucracy.

Note that Catholics and Orthodox vehemently deny offering "worship" (''latria'') to the saints; what the saints receive is ''doulia'' or "honor" -- or, in the case of the Queen of the Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary, ''hyperdoulia'' or "extreme honor". One does not pray '''to''' the saints, but rather asks them to pray '''for''' you.