10 Bizarre Patron Saints

By: George

There are about 11,000 saints recognized by the Catholic Church¹, and each one of them are a patron saint of something. No matter where or who you are, there is a patron saint for you somewhere. There are patrons of towns, occupations, groups of people, animals, and of course, unattractive people. I’ll explain this later, but for now let’s see what other bizarre patron saints there are.

1. Saint Arnold - Patron Saint of Beer

   St. Arnold was an abbott who brewed beer. He is recognized as the patron saint of beer because he encouraged the locals to drink beer instead of water for “health reasons”. In reality, St Arnold was probably correct because the water carried pathogens that made people ill.

   

2. Saint Barbara - Fireworks

   Saint Barbara’s father was killed by lightning, so now she is the patron saint against anything that explodes. ²

3. Saint Adrian of Nicodemia - Arms Dealers

   Saint Adrian was a pagan officer who tortured and persecuted Christians. He later converted and suffered a painful persecution³. He was named as the patron saint of arms dealers because of his past as a pagan officer.

4. Saint Claire of Assisi - Television

   Saint Claire of Assisi is recognized as the patron saint of television. This is because she was to sick to go to Mass one Christmas Eve and she had vision and heard noises of the Mass in her bed⁴. Even though she lived almost 800 years ago, she is named the patron saint of television.

   

5. Saint Isidore - Internet

   This 12th century saint was named patron of the internet in 1997 by Pope John Paul II. He was named this because of his “encyclopedic knowledge”⁵ of things.

6. Saint Denis - Headaches

   The idea of having a patron saint is not bizarre at all. The bizarre part is the story behind why St Denis is the patron saint of headaches. St Denis was known for his ability to preach. The Romans beheaded St Denis because of this. After he was beheaded, he picked up his head and started preaching for a few miles.

   

7. Saint Drogo - Unattractive People

   Yep, you read that right. Saint Drogo is the patron saint of unattractive people. He was named this because, while on a pilgrimage, he caught a disease that caused him to form bodily deformities. When he came home to his village, the people built him a hut to stay in so that they would not see him. He stayed in there for forty years⁶.

   

8. Saint Bibiana - Curing Hangovers⁷

   Saint Bibiana is a martyr who died in the fourth century. She is considered the patron saint of curing hangovers because the herbs that grew around her burial could apparently heal headaches and hangovers.

9. Saint Cyprian - Against Occultists

   Saint Cyprian is recognized as the patron saint against occultists because, before his conversion he was a Satanist himself. If you ever find someone you know who is mixed with the wrong people then you know who you should ask for help.

10. Saint Giles - Breastfeeding

    Tradition says he only nourished himself through the milk of a female deer⁸ and that is why he is the patron saint of breastfeeding.

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    Thank you for reading my article! I am doing a free, two book giveaway! If you would like to enter, just give the article a like. The winner will be announced July 1st. The two books are: Why I am Catholic⁹ and Return¹⁰. These are two great books to help you defend and learn more about the Church. God Bless!

1. https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/how-many-canonized-saints-are-there/

2. https://stbarbarachurchnc.org/barbara#:~:text=Her%20association%20with%20the%20lightning,the%20patron%20saint%20of%20mathematicians.&text=The%20History%20of%20our%20Church,dedicated%20their%20lives%20to%20God.

3. https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/7325/#:~:text=Saint%20Adrian%20is%20the%20patron,butchers%2C%20guards%2C%20and%20soldiers.

4. https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/7325/#:~:text=Saint%20Adrian%20is%20the%20patron,butchers%2C%20guards%2C%20and%20soldiers.

5. https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au/event/st-isidore-patron-saint-of-the-internet/

6. https://restlesspilgrim.net/blog/2011/05/21/unattractive-people/

7. https://spyscape.com/article/9-of-the-most-bizarre-patron-saints-spyscape

8. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501136/15-unusual-patron-saints

9. https://www.amazon.com/Why-Catholic-You-Should-Too/dp/1594717672

10. https://www.amazon.com/Return-Draw-Your-Child-Church/dp/1943243743/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HP4hsrfvTaBJvHi_8AaYzA.SXZFCAtJnXDL2QSuHR6x0-QzTZDuPTOkj3ymNc_Fgpg&qid=1718226888&sr=1-1