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St. Genesius of Rome -

St. Genesius of Rome was an actor who was hired by the pagan Emperor to perform in a play that made fun of Christianity. God spoke to Genesius in the middle of the play and he converted to Christianity right there on the stage.

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St. Genesius of Rome -

Emperor Diocletian had him tortured but he refused to renounce his new faith, so he was eventually beheaded. Despite the grim ending to his story, he’s the patron saint of actors, performers, and comedies.

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St. Julian the Hospitaller -

The story of St. Julian contains many of the elements of a traditional saintly life: he opened a hostel for travelers and dedicated his life to helping the sick and needy. However, these good deeds only occurred after he committed a horrendous murder.

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St. Julian the Hospitaller -

Julian was born into a noble family, but learned early on that he had been cursed and was fated to kill his own parents. He tried to escape his fate by running away and starting a new life. He married a wealthy woman and earned a knighthood from the King. However, his parents continued searching for him for many years. They finally discovered his location and arrived at his castle.

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St. Julian the Hospitaller -

Julian was out hunting but his wife welcomed them and invited them to spend the night in the master bedroom. When he returned home after dark and found a man and woman in his bed, he assumed it was his wife with another man and killed them both, accidentally fulfilling the prophecy. He devoted his life to helping others to repent for his sins.

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St. Giles -

St. Giles was a Christian hermit who lived in the wilderness in France during the 7th century. It’s said that he nourished himself solely on the milk of a female deer. He became the patron saint of breastfeeding as a result.

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St. Barbara -

St. Barbara was the daughter of a wealthy pagan who turned against her when she converted to Christianity. He decided to have her tortured and cut her head off himself. However, as he was walking home afterward, he was suddenly struck by lightning and killed.

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St. Barbara -

His sudden death was considered an act of God, as well as proof that the Christian God could strike men down with lightning bolts just as well as Zeus! When Barbara became a saint, she was associated with many forms of sudden death and explosion, and eventually wound up as the patron saint of fireworks.

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St. Isidore of Seville -

St. Isidore was born in Spain in 569, the son of a prominent Hispano-Roman family. He had access to the best education at the time, but struggled in school. He turned to God for help and was granted incredible genius. Isidore became one of the great minds of his time and is considered one of the earliest Christian philosophers.

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St. Isidore of Seville -

Isidore wrote a dictionary, an encyclopedia, and a complete history of the Germanic Goths. He was the patron saint of schoolchildren up until 2003, when it was decided that he should also be the patron saint of the internet due to his vast knowledge.

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St. Bernardino -

St. Bernardino of Siena was an Italian priest during the 15th century who was famed for his charisma and enthusiastic preaching. As such, he became the patron saint of advertising and public speaking. Unfortunately, he was popular for preaching against Judaism and homosexuality.

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St. Erasmus -

St. Erasmus was a devoted bishop at a time when Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire. He was captured towards the end of the 3rd century but was said to be freed by an angel. He fled to Turkey to continue spreading the word of God, but was captured by the Romans again.

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St. Erasmus -

Emperor Maximian was so outraged by Erasmus’ persistence that he had him brutally tortured. After that, he had him shoved into a barrel full of spikes and rolled down a hill. Somehow, Erasmus managed to survive this ordeal. Finally, his stomach was cut open and his intestines were wound around a winch. He became the patron saint of stomach ailments, colic, and appendicitis because of this last form of torture.

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St. Drogo -

Drogo was a Flemish pilgrim who suffered from an affliction that made his appearance scary to the local townspeople. He was named the patron saint of the physically unattractive, as well as coffeehouses. His connection to coffeehouses is unknown…

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St. Rita -

St. Rita was a pious child who desperately wanted to become a nun. Despite her protests, her parents forced her to marry at the age of 12. Her husband’s family was involved in a bitter feud, which resulted in his murder and the death of their two sons. Due to her lifetime of sorrow and disappointment, Rita is the patron saint of the impossible.

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St. Gummarus -

St. Gummarus lived in Belgium in the 8th century and was married to a local noblewoman. She was incredibly difficult to live with and abusive towards Gummarus, and all of his attempts to repair the relationship failed.

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St. Gummarus -

They eventually separated and Gummarus devoted his life to the church, creating an abbey in the town of Lier. He became the patron saint of difficult marriages.

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St. Adjutor -

Adjutor is a French saint who is said to have survived an incident in the sea in a miraculous fashion. One version of the story is that he escaped his captors during the First Crusade and swam all the way to France.

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St. Adjutor -

Another version is that he was traveling by boat when a whirlpool appeared. Adjutor was able to calm the whirlpool and keep the boat safe. As such, he was named the patron saint of swimmers and victims of drowning.

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St. Balthasar -

St. Balthasar is the patron saint of playing card manufacturers, which is already an odd one, but it came about because of a misunderstanding. Balthasar was one of the Wise Men, or Magi, who came from different parts of the world to visit the newborn Jesus.

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St. Balthasar -

Romani street entertainers who performed card tricks were extremely popular at the time, but Europeans mistakenly believed that they came from Egypt (this is why they were referred to as Gypsies). As Balthasar came from Egypt, he mistakenly was associated with these card experts and became the patron saint of playing card manufacturers.

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St. Cyprian of Antioch -

St. Cyprian started out as a pagan occultist who dabbled in black magic. He fell in love with a beautiful Christian girl called Justina and decided to seduce her by summoning demons to help him.

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St. Cyprian of Antioch -

His plan was foiled when Justina made the sign of the cross, stopping the attack. This banished the demons and even freed Cyprian from his dark ties. He became a priest and both he and Justina were eventually executed for their dedication to Christianity. St. Cyprian is now the saint that people call on when they need protection from black magic or the occult.

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St. Médard of Picardy - St. Médard of Picardy became the patron saint for protection against bad weather after a miraculous incident that occurred while he was an infant. He was stuck outside during a terrible storm but it’s said that an eagle flew above him to protect him from the rain.

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St. Médard of Picardy - St. Médard’s Day is on June 8 every year. According to folklore, the weather that occurs on June 8 will continue for the following 40 days.

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St. Lidwina - St. Lidwina suffered a lifelong injuring after falling while ice-skating at the age of 15. She was canonized for her life of piety and her grave became a pilgrimage site. She’s the patron saint of ice skaters!

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St. Columbanus -

St. Columbanus spent his life roaming around Europe during the 6th and 7th centuries. His love of the open road was associated with a more modern form of transport, and he became the patron saint of motorcyclists.

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St. Januarius -

St. Januarius was the Bishop of Naples during the 3rd century. A miraculous vile of his blood was saved after his death. Despite having dried out over the centuries, it is said to turn to liquid again on three days each year: September 19, December 16, and the Saturday before the first Sunday in May.

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St. Januarius -

Thanks to his magical blood, St. Januarius is the patron saint of blood banks!

Sources: (Cracked) (Mental Floss) (Wow Museum)

See also: Bizarre religions and their strange beliefs

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