Editing Patron saint

{{Short description|Saint regarded as a heavenly advocate}}
{{For|the racehorse|Patron Saint (horse)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}

[[File:Evangelist-St.-Matthew-And-The-Angel.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|right|[[Matthew the Apostle|Saint Matthew the Apostle]], depicted with an angel, is the patron saint of [[Salerno]], Italy, bankers, and tax collectors.]]
[[File:Saint Honore Cake Shop Outlet01.jpg|thumb|right|A branch of [[Saint Honore Cake Shop]], a [[Hong Kong]] chain bakery. [[Honoratus of Amiens]] is the patron saint of bakers and confectioners.]]
A '''patron saint''', '''patroness saint''', '''patron hallow''' or '''heavenly protector''' is a [[saint]] who in [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]], [[Anglicanism]], [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] or [[Oriental Orthodoxy]] is regarded as the heavenly [[advocacy|advocate]] of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Slocum |first1=Robert Boak |last2=Armentrout|first2=Donald S.|title=Patronal Feast |encyclopedia=An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians |url={{google books|QNM8AwAAQBAJ|page=390|plainurl=yes}} |page=390 |year=2000 |publisher=Church Publishing, Inc. |location=New York |isbn=0-89869-211-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=patron saint|date=2006|encyclopedia=[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]]|edition=4th|isbn=0-618-70172-9|page=1290|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/americanheritage00edit_9/page/1290}}</ref>

The term may be applied to individuals to whom similar roles are ascribed in other [[religion]]s.

==In Christianity==
Saints often become the patrons of places where they were born or had been active. However, there were cases in [[Middle Ages|medieval Europe]] where a city which grew to prominence obtained for its cathedral the remains or some [[relic]]s of a famous saint who had lived and was buried elsewhere, thus making them the city's patron saint – such a practice conferred considerable prestige on the city concerned. In [[Latin America]] and the [[Philippines]], Spanish and Portuguese explorers often named a location for the saint on whose [[feast day|feast]] or commemoration day they first visited the place, with that saint naturally becoming the area's patron.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Occupations sometimes have a patron saint who had been connected somewhat with it, although some of the connections were tenuous. Lacking such a saint, an occupation would have a patron whose acts or miracles in some way recall the profession. For example, when the previously unknown occupation of [[photography]] appeared in the 19th century, [[Saint Veronica]] was made its patron, owing to how [[Veil of Veronica|her veil]] miraculously received the imprint of [[Jesus|Christ]]'s [[Holy Face of Jesus|face]] after she wiped off the blood and sweat.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=C.W.G. |author2=R.G. |title=St. Veronica (Vol. vi., p.199) |journal=[[Notes and Queries]] |volume=6 |issue=150 |date=11 September 1852 |location=London |page=252 |url=https://archive.org/stream/notesqueriesmedi06lond#page/252/mode/1up }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Archaeological Intelligence |journal=The Archaeological Journal |volume=7 |date=1850 |page=413 |doi=10.1080/00665983.1850.10850808 |url=https://archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo07brituoft#page/413/mode/1up }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Alban |last=Butler |editor-last=Doyle |editor-first=Peter |date=2000 |title=Lives of the Saints: July |edition=New full |publisher=Burns & Oates |location=Tunbridge Wells |isbn=0-86012-256-5 |oclc=877793679 |url={{google books|umn3JEADSTQC|plainurl=yes}} |chapter=St. Veronica (First Century) |chapter-url={{google books|umn3JEADSTQC|page=84|plainurl=yes}} |pages=84–86 |via=Google Books }}</ref>

The [[veneration]] or commemoration and recognition of patron saints or saints in general is found in [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] (including [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholicism]]), [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches|Oriental Orthodoxy]], and among some [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] and [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]].<ref name="Brandsrud2022">{{cite web |last1=Brandsrud |first1=Megan |title=Honor Advent through the saints |url=https://www.livinglutheran.org/2022/11/honor-advent-through-the-saints/ |publisher=[[Living Lutheran]] |access-date=29 December 2023 |language=English |date=30 November 2022}}</ref> According to the [[Catechism of the Catholic Church|Catholic catechism]] a [[Faithful (Catholicism)|person's]] patron saint, having already attained the [[beatific vision]], is able to intercede with God for their needs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gibson |first=Henry |date=1882 |title=Catechism Made Easy: Being a Familiar Explanation of the Catechism of Christian Doctrine (No. 2) |edition=2nd |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/catechismmadeea02chgoog |chapter=Twenty-Fifth Instruction |page=[https://archive.org/stream/catechismmadeea02chgoog#page/n332/mode/1up 310] |publisher=Burns and Oates |location=London |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/catechismmadeea02chgoog#page/n327/mode/1up |via=Internet Archive }}</ref> 
 
Apart from Lutheranism and Anglicanism, it is, however, generally discouraged in other [[Protestantism|Protestant]] branches, such as [[Calvinism|Reformed Christianity]], where the practice is considered a form of [[idolatry]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Duke |editor1-first=A.C. |editor2-last=Lewis |editor2-first=Gillian |editor3-last=Pettegree |editor3-first=Andrew |date=1992 |title=Calvinism in Europe, 1540–1610: A Collection of Documents |isbn=0-7190-3552-X |oclc=429210690 |page=[https://archive.org/details/calvinismineurop00unse/page/53 53] |chapter=Managing a country parish: A country pastor's advice to his successor |publisher=Manchester University Press |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/calvinismineurop00unse/page/53 }}</ref>

===Catholicism===
A saint can be assigned as a patron by a venerable tradition, or chosen by election. The saint is considered a special intercessor with God and the proper advocate of a particular locality, occupation, etc., and merits a special form of religious observance. A term in some ways comparable is "titular", which is applicable only to a church or institution.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Patron Saints |last=Knight |first=Kevin |encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopedia |date=2020 |access-date=28 August 2021 |url= https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11562a.htm}}</ref>

== In Islam ==
Although Islam has no codified doctrine of patronage on the part of saints, it has nevertheless been an important part of both [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Shia Islam|Shia]] Islamic traditions that particularly important classical saints have served as the heavenly advocates for specific Muslim [[empire]]s, [[nation]]s, [[City|cities]], [[town]]s, and [[village]]s.<ref name=Lings>{{cite book |first=Martin |last=Lings |title=What is Sufism? |location=Lahore |publisher=Suhail Academy |date=2005 |orig-year=1983 |pages=119–120 etc. }}</ref> [[Martin Lings]] wrote: "There is scarcely a region in the empire of Islam which has not a Sufi for its Patron Saint."<ref name=Lings/>{{rp|119}} As the veneration accorded saints often develops purely organically in Islamic climates, in a manner different from Catholic and Eastern Orthodox [[Christianity]], "patron saints" are often recognized through popular acclaim rather than through official declaration.<ref name=Lings/> Traditionally, it has been understood that the patron saint of a particular place prays for that place's wellbeing and for the health and happiness of all who live therein.<ref name=Lings/>

However, the [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] and [[Salafi movement|Salafi]] movements have latterly attacked the veneration of saints (as patron or otherwise), which they claim are a form of idolatry or ''[[Shirk (Islam)|shirk]]''.<ref name=Lings/> More mainstream Sunni clerics have critiqued this argument since Wahhabism first emerged in the 18th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Commins |first=David |title=The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2009 |page=59|quote=Abd al-Latif, who would become the next supreme religious leader ... enumerated the harmful views that Ibn Jirjis openly espoused in Unayza: Supplicating the dead is not a form of worship but merely calling out to them, so it is permitted. Worship at graves is not idolatry unless the supplicant believes that buried saints have the power to determine the course of events. Whoever declares that there is no god but God and prays toward Mecca is a believer.}}</ref> 

== In Druze faith ==
{{multiple image
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| footer = Patron saints of the [[Druze]]:<ref name="Fukasawa 2017 310" /> [[Saint George]] (left) and Saint [[Elijah]] (right)
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[[Elijah]] and [[Jethro (biblical figure)|Jethro]] ([[Shuaib]]) are considered patron saints of the [[Druze people]].<ref name="Fukasawa 2017 310">{{cite book|title=Religious Interactions in Europe and the Mediterranean World: Coexistence and Dialogue from the 12th to the 20th Centuries|first=	Katsumi|last=Fukasawa|year=2017| isbn=9781351722179| page =310|publisher=Taylor & Francis|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder|first=Raphael |last=Israeli|year=2009| isbn=9783110852479| page =244|publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG|quote= Nabi Shu'eib, biblical Jethro, is the patron saint of the Druze.}}</ref> In the [[Old Testament]], Jethro was [[Moses]]' father-in-law, a [[Kenite]] shepherd and priest of [[Midian]].<ref name="Harris">[[Stephen L Harris|Harris, Stephen L.]], Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985.</ref> [[Muslim]] scholars and the [[Druze]] identify Jethro with the prophet Shuaib, also said to come from Midian.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mackey|first=Sandra|title=Mirror of the Arab World: Lebanon in Conflict|year=2009|isbn=978-0-3933-3374-9|page=28}}</ref> Shuaib or Jethro of Midian is considered an ancestor of the Druze who revere him as their spiritual founder and chief prophet.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East|year=2013 |isbn=9781135355616|publisher=Routledge|quote= }}</ref>

Druze identify Elijah as "al-[[Khidr]]".<ref name="Swayd 2015 77">{{cite book |title=Historical Dictionary of the Druzes |first=Samy |last= Swayd |year= 2015 |isbn= 9781442246171 |page = 77 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |quote=since Elijah was central to Druzism, one may safely argue that the settlement of Druzes on Mount Carmel had partly to do with Elijahʼs story and devotion. Druzes, like some Christians, believe that Elijah came back as John the Baptist}}</ref> Druze, like some [[Christians]], believe that the Prophet Elijah came back as [[John the Baptist|Saint John the Baptist]],<ref name="Swayd 2015 77" /><ref name="Bennett 2010 77">{{cite book|title=Cannabis and the Soma Solution| first=Chris|last= Bennett|year= 2010| isbn= 9781936296323| page = 77|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|quote=transmigration of the soul is a Druze tenet, and Druze believe that El Khidr and John the Baptist are one and the same. (Gibbs, 2008) The mythology of Khizr is thought to go back even further than the time of John the Baptist or Elija}}</ref> since they believe in [[reincarnation]] and the transmigration of the soul, Druze believe that El Khidr and Saint John the Baptist are one and the same; along with [[Saint George]].<ref name="Bennett 2010 77"/>

Due to the [[Christianity and Druze|Christian influence on the Druze faith]], two [[Christian saints]] become the Druze's favorite venerated figures: Saint George and Saint Elijah.<ref name="Beaurepaire">{{cite book|title=Religious Interactions in Europe and the Mediterranean World: Coexistence and Dialogue from the 12th to the 20th Centuries|first=Pierre-Yves|last=Beaurepaire|year=2017|isbn=9781351722179|pages=310–314|publisher=Taylor & Francis}}</ref> Thus, in all the villages inhabited by Druzes and Christians in central [[Mount Lebanon]] a Christian church or Druze maqam is dedicated to either one of them.<ref name="Beaurepaire"/> According to scholar Ray Jabre Mouawad the Druzes appreciated the two saints for their bravery: [[Saint George and the Dragon|Saint George because he confronted the dragon]] and the Prophet Elijah because he competed with the pagan priests of [[Baal]] and won over them.<ref name="Beaurepaire"/> In both cases the explanations provided by Christians is that Druzes were attracted to [[Military saint|warrior saints]] that resemble their own militarized society.<ref name="Beaurepaire"/>

== In Eastern religions ==
In [[Hinduism]], certain sects may devote themselves to the veneration of a saint, such as the [[Balmikism|Balmiki sect]] that reveres [[Valmiki]].<ref name="Kananaikil1983">{{cite book |last1=Kananaikil |first1=Jose |title=Scheduled Castes and the Struggle Against Inequality: Strategies to Empower the Marginalised |date=1983 |publisher=Indian Social Institute |page=17 |language=en}}</ref>

[[Buddhism]] also includes the idea of protector deities, which are called "Dharma protectors" ([[Dharmapala]]).

== See also ==
{{Portal|Saints}}
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
* [[Calendar of saints]]
* [[Dedication of churches]]
* [[City God (China)]]
* [[Guardian angel]]
* [[List of blesseds]]
* [[List of saints]]
* [[Patron saints of ailments, illness, and dangers]]
* [[List of patron saints by occupation and activity|Patron saints of occupations and activities]]
* [[Patron saints of places]]
* [[Patron saints of ethnic groups]]
* [[Military saints]]
* [[Saint symbolism]]
* [[Tutelary deity]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.catholic.org/saints/patron.php Catholic Online: Patron Saints]
*{{CathEncy|wstitle=Patron Saints|author=Henry Parkinson}}
*{{Cite Americana|short=1|wstitle=Patron Saint}}

{{Saints|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Patron saints| ]]