Saintly Matters Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jill St. John

Born in 1940 as Lynn Arlyn Oppenheim, Jill St. John made her screen debut at the age of nine. After a series of supporting roles, in the 1960s she earned the reputation of a "sexy comedienne", starring in movies alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis. Her most successful role, however, was that of Tiffany Case, a diamond smuggler, in the 1971 movie "Diamonds Are Forever". St. John was the first American actress to play a "Bond girl", one of James Bond's many love interests.

After that, her on-screen appearances became more sporadic, and she concentrated mainly on her personal interests, such as cooking, which turned her into a culinary personality. In 1990 she married fellow actor Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood's widower, who became her fourth husband. Wagner and St John have occasionally starred together in movies, stage productions, and TV shows - notably the three-part miniseries "Around the World in 80 Days" (1989).

Susan St. James is mainly known for the 1980s TV series "Kate and Allie", and Laura San Giacomo for her roles in "Sex, Lies and Videotape" and "Pretty Woman". Eva Marie Saint won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "On the Waterfront", and also starred in "North by Northwest".

Answer: Cuba

Like Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, and Brazilian Candomblé, Santería (Spanish for "way of the saints") is an African diaspora religion based on the traditional religion of the Yoruba people of West Africa, whose beliefs are syncretized with Roman Catholicism and elements of Spiritism. All of these religions are polytheistic, though the various gods and goddesses are considered subservient to a higher creator deity, remote from human affairs. In Santería, the creator deity is named Olodumare, while the other deities - each of them also identified with a Catholic saint (hence the religion's name) - are called "oricha" (a word of Yoruba origin).

Santería has no central authority nor sacred texts; religious practices are very diverse, based on each practitioner's preferences. Most of Santería's adherents ("creyentes", meaning "believers") also practice other religions, generally Roman Catholicism. Altars to orichas are kept in homes, as well as in houses of worship ("casas"), run by priests ("santeros") or priestesses ("santeras"); offerings often include sacrificed animals, as well as flowers, fruit, and liquor. Members of a "casa" are required to go through a rite of initiation, which takes place over seven days. The religion's most important public ritual, called "toque de santo", involves summoning an oricha through drumming, dancing and singing, to enable the deity to possess one of the members of the congregation. Faith healing, divination and mediumship also play a relevant role in Santería.

Probably originating in the late 19th century, Santería is now practiced by at least 8% of Cuba's population, especially in urban areas, as well as by members of the Cuban diaspora in North America, Europe, and other parts of Latin America - in spite of opposition from the Catholic Church, and allegations of ties with organized crime.

The painting in the photo, by 19th-century French artist Frédéric Mialhe, depicts Afro-Cuban Carnival celebrations in Havana.

Answer: New Orleans

On 1 November 1966, the city of New Orleans in the US state of Louisiana was awarded a NFL (National Football League) franchise. Before the official announcement was made, a name for the team had already been chosen, inspired by the classic spiritual hymn "When the Saints Go Marching In", mostly known in the version recorded in 1938 by New Orleans native son Louis Armstrong. The announcement was delayed by a week in order to coincide with the Catholic feast of All Saints, celebrated on 1 November. In 1967, the team joined the League as an expansion team, though almost two decades passed before it earned some positive results. The Saints' first Super Bowl win came in 2009, when they defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV by 31-17.

The New Orleans Saints' colours are old gold, black and white, and their logo depicts a fleur-de-lis - the symbol of New Orleans and France's House of Bourbon, under whose rule the city was founded in 1718. They play their home games at Caesars Superdome, the stadium that housed thousands of homeless people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "When the Saints Go Marching In" is the team's fight song.

Answer: they have a longer-than-average lifespan

Similar in appearance to other large dog breeds from the Alpine region - such as the Bernese Mountain Dog - St. Bernards can reach a weight of over 80 kg (176 lb), and a height of 90 cm (35 in). They can be short- or long-haired, and their coat is red and white, or mahogany brindle and white, with black shading on the face and eyes. Unfortunately, like other very large breeds, these "gentle giants" rarely live longer than 10 years, being susceptible to various ailments such as bone cancer and heart disease.

The breed was named after the Great St. Bernard Hospice, located at the mountain pass of the same name, in the Pennine Alps on the Swiss-Italian border. The hospice was founded in the 11th century by St. Bernard of Menthon, a French cleric, to provide care and shelter to pilgrims who traveled to Rome from France and Germany. The dogs, first bred at the hospice in the late 17th century, were used to rescue travellers stranded in the mountains or buried by avalanches - even if the brandy barrels with which they are sometimes portrayed are mostly a myth. Though St. Bernards are still considered part of the working group, they are hardly used for mountain rescues anymore; however, some dogs are still kept at the Great St Bernard Hospice for reasons of tradition, and as a popular tourist attraction.

Answer: depression

A flowering plant native of Eurasia, though now widespread (also as an invasive species) in the temperate regions of the world, St. John's wort owes its common name to the period of its flowering - around the time when the Feast of St John the Baptist (24 June), which in the Northern Hemisphere coincides with the summer solstice, is celebrated. The herb, with its bright yellow flowers, was traditionally hung on doors to ward off evil spirits and keep away sickness from people and livestock.

Rich in phytochemicals, St John's wort has been used for centuries in folk medicine as a remedy for various ailments, including the treatment of wounds, and is still cultivated for commercial use. In recent times, one of these phytochemicals, hyperforin, has been proven effective as a treatment for depression, with fewer adverse effects than pharmaceutical antidepressants. However, the use of St. John's wort as a dietary supplement can cause allergies, and interfere with the effects of various prescription drugs - including other antidepressants, as well as some oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, and immunosuppressants. In large quantities, St. John's wort is also poisonous to horses and other livestock, causing severe skin irritation, restlessness, and loss of appetite.

Answer: hagiography

From the Greek for "holy writing", the word "hagiography" originally referred to the biography of a saint or church leader; a more recent, rather pejorative meaning denotes an idealized or flattering biography, though not necessarily of a religious figure. Early hagiographies focused on the lives and miracles of saints canonized by the Catholic Church and various Eastern Christian churches, and often contained valuable information on local history and traditions. While many medieval hagiographies were written either in Latin or Greek, some of them employed local vernaculars, providing some of the earliest examples of literature in various languages of Europe, Asia and Africa. Hagiographies also exist in other religions than Christianity, notably Islam and Hinduism.

"Iconography" refers to the study of the images and symbols used in art; "tomography" is a type of imaging by sections that uses a penetrating wave (as in Computer Tomography, or CT scan); "orography" is the branch of physical geography that deals with mountains.

Answer: St. Edward

Named after St. Edward the Confessor, the last king of Wessex (1003-1066), St Edward's Crown has been used for the coronation of English and British monarchs since the 13th century. The earliest version of the crown - considered a holy relic, and thus never worn by monarchs at any time after the official coronation - was kept at St. Edward's shrine in Westminster Abbey, but was probably sold or melted during the English Civil War. The current version of the crown, made for Charles II's coronation in 1661, is a stunning artifact of solid, 22-carat gold, studded with 444 precious and semi-precious stones, and weighing 2.23 kg (4.9 lb); though crafted in the Baroque style of that era, it resembles the original medieval crown.

St Edward's Crown was used twice more in the 17th century to crown James II in 1685, and William III in 1689, then over 200 years passed before its use was resumed in 1911 for the coronation of George V. A stylized image of the crown, adopted by Elizabeth II to replace the Tudor Crown, is used as a heraldic emblem of the United Kingdom, appearing in a wide range of insignia to represent royal authority. The crown is the centrepiece of the collection of royal ceremonial objects known as the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. In 1671, it was briefly stolen by the notorious Colonel Thomas Blood, who used a mallet to flatten it in order to make it easier to hide under his clothing.

Though St. George is the patron saint of England, there is no St. George's Crown. The Crown of St Stephen is also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary, while the Crown of St Wenceslas was used for the coronation of the kings of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic).

Answer: Tuscany

As its name ("holy wine" in Italian) implies, Vin Santo was originally produced for use during the Catholic Mass - though there are a number of intriguing theories concerning its name. This strong (at least 15% alcohol level), amber-coloured wine is made from white grapes that are left to dry indoors on straw mats or hanging racks; after fermentation, it is aged in oak barrels for at least three years. Like sherry, it can be very dry as well as semi-sweet (called "amabile" or "abboccato" in Italian) or very sweet, but is always considered a dessert wine. In Tuscany, where it is produced throughout the region (including the famed Chianti area), Vin Santo is traditionally served at the end of a meal with the twice-baked ("biscotti"), crunchy almond cookies known as "cantuccini" ("little corners"), which are dunked into the wine.

Latium is the only region among the wrong answers that is also in central Italy, directly south of Tuscany. Piedmont is in northwestern Italy, and Sicily - the largest Mediterranean island - is the southernmost part of the boot. All these regions are also renowned for their wines.

Answer: Paul Simon

Released in October 1990, "The Rhythm of the Saints" is Paul Simon's eight solo album, inspired - like its predecessor "Graceland" (1986) - by world music, in particular Afro-Brazilian music. The album was recorded by Simon with the participation of a huge list of guest musicians, many of them from Africa and Brazil. The lead single from the album, "The Obvious Child", features Olodum, a drumming collective from Salvador (the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia), where the video for the song was filmed. The "saints" in the title is a reference to "Candomblé", the syncretic Afro-Brazilian religion widely practiced in Salvador.

"The Rhythm of the Saints" was one of Paul Simon's most commercially successful solo works, and in 1992 was nominated for two Grammy Awards. Many of the album's songs were performed live in Central Park on 15 August 1991; a recording of the concert (which was free, and attended by a very large crowd) was released in November of the same year with the title "Paul Simon's Concert in the Park".

In the 1960s, Paul Simon was one half of the iconic duo Simon & Garfunkel, known for their contribution to the soundtrack of the Academy Award-winning movie "The Graduate" (1967). Though born in New Jersey, Simon grew up in New York, and has long been associated with the city - hence the photo of the Manhattan skyline.

Answer: Santa Fe

Santa Fe (Spanish for "holy faith") is the capital of the southwestern US state of New Mexico. Founded in 1610 by Spanish colonial governor Pedro de Peralta, it was originally named "La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís" ("The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi") - which remains its official name to this day. Renowned for its thriving art scene, distinctive cuisine, and landmarks such as the adobe structure known as the Palace of the Governors (built shortly after the city's foundation), Santa Fe lies in the northern part of the Rio Grande Valley, at an elevation of 2,194 m (7,199 ft) - the highest of all US state capitals, as well as the oldest. Its metropolitan area, home to over 150,000 people, is part of the Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas combined statistical area of north-central New Mexico.

The three wrong answers are all California cities, named after female Catholic saints, which - like Santa Fe - have Spanish or Mexican roots.