FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about More Patron Saint Trivia
Quiz about More Patron Saint Trivia

More Patron Saint Trivia Trivia Quiz


A follow up to my previous quiz. This one focuses on some lesser-known secondary patrons, as well as some unusual patronages (drug addicts, venereal disease sufferers, and TV). Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by jouen58. Estimated time: 7 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Religion Trivia
  6. »
  7. Christian People / Saints
  8. »
  9. Patron Saints

Author
jouen58
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
143,318
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
9 / 15
Plays
1423
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 15
1. This early Christian martyr is known by his full name as well as a "nickname". He shares his full name with an eminent Dutch scholar of the Renaissance. He shares his nickname with a cute fuzzy red monster from Sesame Street. He is the patron of sailors because, according to a medieval legend (let's hope it was only a legend!), he was tortured by having his entrails extracted using a windlass. A strange light that plays around the masts of ships before a storm is named after him. I'm giving his full name and his nickname. Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. Another early Christian martyr is the patron of actors and dancers. He is invoked against a spasmodic affliction which bears his name. Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. This Biblical saint, who was kept quite busy during his lifetime, is the patron of two of the world's largest countries: China and Canada. He is patron of Canada along with St. Anne, to whom he is related by marriage. Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. The traditional patron saint of lovers is, of course, Saint Valentine. Lovebirds, however, also have an angelic patron in this archangel, who "played Cupid" for Tobias and Sara. Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. The traditional primary patroness of musicians, composers, and singers has always been St. Cecilia, though her story is largely based on legend. However, this pope of the 6th century is also venerated as the patron of musicians, having given his name to an entire school of Church music. Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. St. Patrick's day is the traditional "Great day for the Irish". However, this female saint was once more widely venerated than Patrick. She was known as the "Virgin Mary of the Gael" and, unlike Patrick, was Irish by birth. Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Artists have traditionally prayed to St. Luke who, according to doubtful legend, painted the first Madonna and child (from life). More recently, however, this "angelic" artist, who was also a monk, has been been beatified and may soon be elevated to sainthood. Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. G'day mates! The principal patron saint of Australia and New Zealand is none other than the Virgin Mary herself. But under which of these titles is she venerated in the land down under? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. The Three Magi, or Wise Men, are among the patron saints of travelers.


Question 10 of 15
10. St. Denis, who was beheaded and is sometimes depicted holding his severed head in his hand, is one of the saints invoked to cure headaches. Those desiring a less drastic cure may wish to pray to this sixteenth century Spanish prioress and spiritual author, who was much admired by, among others, Gertrude Stein. Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. There is, believe it or not, a patron saint of drug addicts, who certainly need all the spiritual help they can get. Their patron is this twentieth century priest who died as the result of a lethal injection. Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. People suffering from venereal disease also have a patron saint in this Irish monk, who is also the patron of gardeners and taxi drivers (French taxis are named for him). Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. This Italian abbess and founder was bedridden one Christmas and could not attend the Christmas Matins. Miraculously, on the wall of her sickroom, she received a vision of the entire ceremony as if it were a television or movie screen. Because of this, she is the patroness of all who work for, or on television. Who is she? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. You might have thought this saint was the patron of doctors, since a fictional television hospital was named after him. Actually, he was a metalsmith by trade and is the patron of that profession, as well as of jewelers and bankers. Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. Which of these apostles is one of the patrons of Russia? (He is also patron of Greece and Scotland.) Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This early Christian martyr is known by his full name as well as a "nickname". He shares his full name with an eminent Dutch scholar of the Renaissance. He shares his nickname with a cute fuzzy red monster from Sesame Street. He is the patron of sailors because, according to a medieval legend (let's hope it was only a legend!), he was tortured by having his entrails extracted using a windlass. A strange light that plays around the masts of ships before a storm is named after him. I'm giving his full name and his nickname.

Answer: St. Erasmus / St. Elmo

Erasmus (Elmo)was martyred under Diocletian around 303 A.D. Details of his actual life and martyrdom are scarce; the story related above is one of a number of colorful legends which grew up around early Christian martyrs in the early Middle Ages. The phenomenon known as "St. Elmo's Fire" is a type of luminescent electrical discharge seen around tall objects, such as ships masts (but also chimneys, church spires, and the wings of airplanes) shortly before an electrical storm. Since it gave sailors a warning of a coming storm, it was attributed to their patron saint.
2. Another early Christian martyr is the patron of actors and dancers. He is invoked against a spasmodic affliction which bears his name.

Answer: St. Vitus

Rheumatic or Sydenham's Chorea (St. Vitus' Dance) is a temporary, non-contagious disorder of the brain which occasionally afflicts children between 7 and 14. It affects the part of the brain which affects movement and can cause either involuntary spasms and jerking movements or momentary stroke-like paralysis.

It is treatable with penicillin and antibiotics. St. Vitus was martyred around the same time as St. Erasmus (see above) under Diocletian, whose son he is said to have healed of an affliction similar to Chorea.

Instead of being grateful, the emperor accused him of sorcery. According to yet another charming medieval legend, he was thrown into boiling oil, along with a rooster (this had a ritualistic purpose I'm not quite clear about). In 16th century Germany, it became customary to dance in front of St. Vitus' shrine on his feast day to insure a year's good health, hence his patronage of dancers.

He is also invoked against storms, lightning, wild beasts, and against oversleeping (apparently, his companion in martyrdom- the rooster- is supposed to wake you up. Seriously!).
3. This Biblical saint, who was kept quite busy during his lifetime, is the patron of two of the world's largest countries: China and Canada. He is patron of Canada along with St. Anne, to whom he is related by marriage.

Answer: St. Joseph

Joseph, you will recall, was always having his slumber interrupted by angels telling him to do this, go there, etc. He traveled with his pregnant wife to Bethlehem for the census, only to have to flee with her and their infant child to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod the Great. After Herod's death, the angel reappeared and told him he could return to Israel. I always find it wryly amusing that Joseph does not follow the angel's directive exactly, but settles the family in Nazareth, between Egypt and Israel, because Herod's son is ruling in his father's place. Joseph knew the realities of life better than any angel; the apple seldom falls far from the tree. This wise, selfless, and most hardworking of saints is patron of the Universal Church, the dying, carpenters, workers in general, and of several countries and localities, notably China, Canada, and Belgium.

Mary was the daughter of St Anne and her husband Joachim, according to tradition. Their names are not given in the Bible, but are in the apocryphal Book of James.
4. The traditional patron saint of lovers is, of course, Saint Valentine. Lovebirds, however, also have an angelic patron in this archangel, who "played Cupid" for Tobias and Sara.

Answer: St. Raphael

Raphael, whose name means "God heals", is venerated in both the Christian and Jewish traditions, as well as Islam (he is called Azrael in the Qu'ran). He is the angel who moves the healing waters of the pool of Bethesda and is depicted on the Bethesda Fountain in New York's Central Park.

His patronage of lovers comes from the book of Tobias in the Old Testament (Catholic version); he encouraged the young Tobias to take Sara as his wife, even though she was believed to be cursed by God because all seven of her previous husbands died. Raphael also encourages Sara's parents to approve and bless the marriage.
5. The traditional primary patroness of musicians, composers, and singers has always been St. Cecilia, though her story is largely based on legend. However, this pope of the 6th century is also venerated as the patron of musicians, having given his name to an entire school of Church music.

Answer: St. Gregory the Great

Gregory ascended to the throne of St. Peter in 590 A.D. as Gregory I. His papacy was notable for numerous reforms, the removal of corrupt and unworthy priests (would that he were around today!) the evangelization of England, unusual tolerance towards the Jewish race (Gregory condemned anti-Semetic violence and strongly disapproved of forced conversions), and the creation of the chant which bears his name. Though he may not have composed any chants or hymns himself, his influence on the liturgy was responsible for the creation of this universally admired school of music (for more info on Gregorian Chant, see the excellent quiz, not by me, in the "Christian Music" category).
6. St. Patrick's day is the traditional "Great day for the Irish". However, this female saint was once more widely venerated than Patrick. She was known as the "Virgin Mary of the Gael" and, unlike Patrick, was Irish by birth.

Answer: St. Brigid

Born at Faughart near Dundalk, in Louth, Ireland, Brigid was supposedly the daughter of an Irish chieftain and his slave girl. She was baptised by St. Patrick and they became close friends. She took her vows and, eventually, became an abbess. Around 470, she opened a double monastery (comprising both male and female members!) at Kildare.

She also began a school of art there, which produced the illuminated "Book of Kildare" manuscripts, a forerunner of the famous "Book of Kells". She died in 525 and is buried at Downpatrick along with St. Patrick and St. Columba (all three are patrons of Ireland). St. Brigid's day, should you like to celebrate it, falls on February 1.
7. Artists have traditionally prayed to St. Luke who, according to doubtful legend, painted the first Madonna and child (from life). More recently, however, this "angelic" artist, who was also a monk, has been been beatified and may soon be elevated to sainthood.

Answer: Fra Angelico

Born Guido di Pietro in 1400, he was a friar of the Dominican order and was originally called Fra Giovanni. His more popular name derives, no doubt, from his skillful and inspired depiction of angels. Although the nineteenth-century writer John Ruskin described him as "Not an artist properly so-called but an inspired saint", he was in fact quite well-trained and professional. Most of his finest works (including an "Annunciation", a "Presentation in the Temple", and the "Noli Me Tangere" depicting Christ's appearance to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection) adorn the former convent of San Marco in Florence, which is now a museum dedicated to him. Angelico died in 1455 and is buried in the famous church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Assisi; long venerated as a saint, he was officially beatified in 1984.
8. G'day mates! The principal patron saint of Australia and New Zealand is none other than the Virgin Mary herself. But under which of these titles is she venerated in the land down under?

Answer: Our Lady, Help of Christians

The feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians was instituted by Pope Pius VII in 1815 in thanksgiving following his release from imprisonment in Savona on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte. Devotion to the cult spread after St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesians, dedicated the motherhouse of his congregation in Turin to Our Lady, Help of Christians.

Other patrons of Australia and New Zealand are St. Francis Xavier (who evangelized India, the East Indies, and Japan), St. Therese of Lisieux (who is generally patroness of missionaries; though she never left her community in France, she prayed with especial fervor for all missionaries), and the Blessed Mary Mackillop, a 19th century nun and teacher, born in Melbourne of Scottish parents, who founded Australia's first religious order, the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, in 1866.
9. The Three Magi, or Wise Men, are among the patron saints of travelers.

Answer: True

Indeed they are, as well they should be! These wandering astrologers, whose names and exact number are not specified in scripture, are traditionally known as Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior, and Balthasar. Tradition has it that they were of royal birth (possibly because of Psalm 72, which was believed to be a prophecy of the Magi: "The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute."), though this is doubtful.

Their feast is July 23; the feast of the Epiphany, commemorating their visit to the Christ child is on Jan.6 (the Roman Catholic church now celebrates this on the first Sunday after the New Year).

Other patrons of travelers include SS. Raphael, Nicholas, Anthony of Padua, and, of course, St. Christopher (who had been dropped by the church in the 1960's, as his story was more legend than fact).
10. St. Denis, who was beheaded and is sometimes depicted holding his severed head in his hand, is one of the saints invoked to cure headaches. Those desiring a less drastic cure may wish to pray to this sixteenth century Spanish prioress and spiritual author, who was much admired by, among others, Gertrude Stein.

Answer: St. Teresa of Avila

Teresa, who had the thankless task of reforming the Carmelite order in Spain, opened a number of convents under the strict rule of St. Joseph against tremendous opposition. She suffered from ill health throughout much of her life, including frequent headaches brought on, no doubt, by stress.

She was one of the greatest spiritual authors of her time, especially admired for her book on mysticism "The Interior Castle", and has been declared a Doctor of the Church. Gertrude Stein, in her libretto for the opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" (with music by Virgil Thompson), uses St Teresa as her leading female character.
11. There is, believe it or not, a patron saint of drug addicts, who certainly need all the spiritual help they can get. Their patron is this twentieth century priest who died as the result of a lethal injection.

Answer: St. Maximilian Kolbe

Maximilian was sentenced to be starved to death at the concentration camp at Auschwitz, where he had offered himself in place of another prisoner who had a wife and family (when asked why he wanted to do this, he replied simply "I am a Catholic priest.").

His dignity and composure during the hellish three weeks he was in the bunker were an example to other inmates (and is, perhaps, meant to be an inspiration to addicts attempting to go "cold turkey"). After three weeks of starvation Kolbe, along with three others who were still alive, were killed by an injection of carbolic acid on August 14, 1941, the eve of the feast of the Assumption.
12. People suffering from venereal disease also have a patron saint in this Irish monk, who is also the patron of gardeners and taxi drivers (French taxis are named for him).

Answer: St. Fiacre

Fiacre was an Irish hermit of the 7th century who relocated to Breuil, France. He opened a hospice and became renowned for his charity to the poor, his healing of the sick, and his hospitality to travelers. The Hotel Saint-Fiacre in Paris was the location of the first hired coach service in that city (which evolved into the modern cab industry) hence the vehicles were called "fiacres"; French taxis are still called by this name.

His patronage of those suffering from venereal disease seems to have arisen from his general success as a healer.
13. This Italian abbess and founder was bedridden one Christmas and could not attend the Christmas Matins. Miraculously, on the wall of her sickroom, she received a vision of the entire ceremony as if it were a television or movie screen. Because of this, she is the patroness of all who work for, or on television. Who is she?

Answer: St. Clare of Assisi

Clare was a daughter of the wealthy and aristocratic Fiumi family of Assisi. In 1212, upon hearing a sermon by her fellow Assisian, St. Francis, she resolved to follow his example. She ran away from her home on Palm Sunday, received the habit from Francis, and entered the Benedictine convent of St. Paul near Bastia, since there was, as yet, no Franciscan convent for her to join.

Her fifteen year-old sister Agnes soon joined her. When her enraged father sent armed soldiers to drag them back home, Clare's prayers are said to have rendered the two girls so heavy that the soldiers could not lift them. Clare founded the order of the "Poor Clares", one of the most austere and strict of all religious orders (Isabel, in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure", is about to join this order when we first see her). Clare died in 1253; the story related above supposedly took place in the last years of her life and is described musically in Ottorino Respighi's "The Matins of St. Clare", one of four descriptive musical pieces comprising his suite "Church Windows".
14. You might have thought this saint was the patron of doctors, since a fictional television hospital was named after him. Actually, he was a metalsmith by trade and is the patron of that profession, as well as of jewelers and bankers.

Answer: St. Eligius

Eligius was born near Limoges in 588 and was apprenticed to a metallurgist. He became quite skillful and was appointed Master of the Mint for King Clotaire I in Paris. His success brought him considerable wealth; he became a philanthropist and eventually took religious orders.

He became bishop of Noyon and went on several diplomatic and evangelical missions. Overcoming great opposition, he evangelized Flanders and parts of the Netherlands. He seems to have been one of the most well-loved people of his time.

The 1980's television series "St. Elsewhere" concerned the staff and activities at the fictional "St. Eligius" hospital (he appeared in a fantasy sequence in one episode).
15. Which of these apostles is one of the patrons of Russia? (He is also patron of Greece and Scotland.)

Answer: St. Andrew

Ironically, in view of Russia's history with regard to France, Turkey, and the Jews, Russia has a French patroness (St. Therese of Lisieux), a Turkish-born patron (St. Nicholas of Myra), and a Jewish-born patron (St. Andrew who, according to legend, evangelized Russia, Greece, and Scotland before his crucifixion on an X-shaped cross.). Oh yes, it also has a Russian-born one (St. Vladimir of Kiev, who converted to Christianity in 989 and led the subsequent Christianization of Russia).
Source: Author jouen58

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor thejazzkickazz before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
4/18/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us