Patron Saints

In the words of Mike Wagstaffe, webmaster and eagle–eyed post–match question assessor of Stockport Quiz League, "'Who is the patron saint of...' style questions are probably best avoided as they nearly always have umpteen possible answers."

I probably wouldn't go as far as Mike, but I am with him in principle. I think you can probably get away with it in the case of countries and cities – these tend to have official nominees, or none at all – but you're on less solid ground if you ask about the patron saints of occupations, hobbyists etc. As an example, Mike lists no fewer than seventeen candidates for the title of patron saint of students, adding "No doubt there are more."

I think most of the ones listed here are fairly safe, but note that in many cases there is more than one possible answer if you want to look hard enough. I've stuck to the most obvious (best–known, or best–documented) answers – these, I think, are the ones to go for if asked questions on this topic.

Places

Europe

Pope Paul II declared six patron saints of Europe: the first three (all male) in 1980 and the second three (all female) in 1999.  They are:

	Benedict of Nursia		Cyril		Methodius
	Bridget of Sweden		Catherine of Sienna		Teresia Benedicta of the Cross

Countries

Bohemia, Czech Republic (and Prague)		Wenceslaus
France		Denis
Germany (born Crediton, Devon, c. 672; propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire)		Boniface
Greece		Andrew and Nicholas (jointly)
Hungary		Stephen
Portugal		George
Russia		Andrew and Nicholas
Spain		Iago

Regarded as the patron saint of England, from the reign of Henry II (1133–89), until 1348 when he was replaced by St. George

Edward the Confessor

Cities

Glasgow		Mungo (Kentigern)
Paris		Genevieve
Venice		Mark

Occupations (etc.)

Artists, physicians (doctors), brewers, butchers		Luke
The blind and partially sighted		Lucy
Bricklayers		Stephen
Childbirth, midwives, children, pregnant women, and priests defending the confidentiality of confession (according to Wikipedia ... )		Raymund Nonnatus
Children		Nicholas or Pancras
Cripples and lepers		Giles
Dance		Vitus
Fishermen		Peter
Funeral directors (undertakers)		Joseph of Arimathea
Goldsmiths		Dunstan
Housewives		Anne
Huntsmen		Hubert
Lost causes		Jude
Lost things (invoked to help find them)		Anthony (of Padua)
Mountaineers		Bernard
Music, singers, poets		Cecilia
Reformed drunkards and innkeepers		Martin
Policemen, grocers, paratroopers		Michael
Politicians, statesmen, lawyers		Thomas More
Radio		Gabriel
Sailors, merchants, archers (and children)		Nicholas
Schoolteachers		Cassian
Shoemakers		Crispin
Spinsters		Catherine
Tax collectors (he was one)		Matthew
Television		Clare
Thieves, merchants, pawnbrokers		Nicholas
Travellers		Christopher

© Haydn Thompson 2017–20