Mapping Europe's Patron Saints Quiz

St Peter's brother, and one of the original twelve Apostles, Saint Andrew is believed to have lived between 5 and 60/70 AD. In the "Church History" by Eusebius of Caesarea (4th century AD), it is stated that, after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, he left the Holy Land to preach in Scythia, the vast region lying between north of the Black and Caspian Seas; in a 12th-century chronicle there is also mention of the rivers Volga and Dnieper and the cities of Kiev and Novgorod. According to tradition, in 38 AD Andrew founded the see of Byzantium, which later became the Patriarchy of Constantinople. He was eventually martyred in the Greek city of Patras by being bound to an X-shaped cross. Most of his remains are buried in the crypt of the Cathedral of Amalfi, in southern Italy.

Because of this association with the regions around the Black Sea, Andrew became the patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. A magnificent church dedicated to the Apostle was erected in the 18th century in Kyiv on top of a steep hill, where the saint is said to have foretold the glorious future of the place as the cradle of East Slavic Christianity. Saint Andrew is also the patron of Scotland and Barbados, as well as the former country of Prussia. His feast day is celebrated by Western and Eastern churches on 30 November.

As the Scottish town of St Andrews is internationally known as the home of golf, Saint Andrew is also venerated as the patron saint of golfers.

Much of what is known about Saint Henry of Uppsala, the patron saint of Finland, is found in a hagiography written about 150 years after his death that contains more legend than fact. He was supposedly born in England around 1100. In 1153 he came to Sweden with Cardinal Nicholas Breakspear, the future Pope Adrian IV, where was appointed archbishop of Uppsala. Along with Eric the Saint, King of Sweden, Henry embarked on a crusade with the aim of Christianizing the pagan Finns. While the king returned to Sweden after the successful outcome of their mission, Henry remained in Finland, where he met a violent end at the hands of a convicted murderer. Henry's status as a saint and martyr was cemented by a number of miracles that occurred after his death.

Henry's absence from historical records - which has led some historians to believe that he was one of of a large number of completely fictional saints - did not do any damage to his cult, whose centre was the Gothic cathedral of Turku, Finland's former capital and oldest city, consecrated to the Blessed Virgin and Saint Henry in 1300. Saint Henry's feast day is celebrated by the Lutheran, Anglican and Catholic Churches on 19 January, the day before his death; in Finland it is also the name day of people that bear the saint's name, and known as Heikinpäivä (Henry's Day).

The only Catholic pilgrimage site in Finland lies on the small island of Kirkkokari in Lake Köyliö, where the saint - according to a folk legend that differs from the hagiographies - was murdered by the angry peasant Lalli. Finland's only Catholic cathedral, located in Helsinki and consecrated in 1904, is also dedicated to the saint.

According to a number of medieval sources - both in Latin and Norse - Olaf II Haraldsson (c. 995 - 1030) was born and raised as a pagan, but converted to Christianity in early adulthood. A well-known (though probably largely fictional) account of his life appears in Snorri Sturluson's "Heimskringla" (c.1230), a collection of sagas about Old Norse kings. In this account, Olaf was converted by Richard II, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror's grandfather), and baptized in the cathedral at Rouen. His canonization is due to his alleged role in the Christianization of Norway, where he seized power upon his return from Normandy. However, it seems very likely that he had very little to do with the process: the sincerity of his Christian beliefs has also been questioned by modern historians because of Olaf's many violent and brutal deeds.

In any case, Olaf II was beatified - barely a year after his death in battle - by Bishop Grimketel, and canonized in 1164 by Pope Alexander III. The historic Nidaros Cathedrai in Trondheim - the world's northernmost Gothic cathedral - was built over his burial site. After his canonization, Olaf became known as "Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae" (Norway's Eternal King); churches dedicated to him were built not only in Scandinavia, but also in England. Saint Olaf's feast is celebrated on 29 July; he is also the patron saint of the Faroe Islands and the Normans, who are descended from the Norse Vikings.

Like other large countries, Germany has more than one patron saint. However, Saint Boniface, the Apostle of the Germans, stands out for his role in the Christianization of the historical region known as Magna Germania, which encompassed large parts of present-day Germany.

Boniface was a Benedictine monk, born around 675 with the name of Winfrid in Devon, England. His first trip to the continent occurred in 716, when he set out on a missionary expedition in Frisia, a region on the North Sea now shared by the Netherlands and Germany. His second journey to the continent took him straight to Rome, where Pope Gregory II renamed him Boniface, and appointed him as bishop of Germania - which, at the time, had no church organization. Under the protection of the Frankish leaders, Boniface embarked on a campaign of destruction of Germanic pagan sites, and was eventually appointed Bishop of Mainz, on the river Rhine. In 742, Boniface and his disciple Sturm founded the abbey of Fulda, which became a major centre of learning.

After Boniface and his retinue were killed in 754 by a group of armed robbers in Frisia, his body was buried beneath the high altar of the abbey church of Fulda (now a cathedral). Saint Boniface's feast day is celebrated by the Catholic Church and other denominations on 5 June, the day of his death. Besides his shrine at Fulda and a famous statue of the saint on the grounds of Mainz Cathedral, a UK National Shrine is located in the Catholic church of Crediton in Devon, the saint's supposed birthplace. Various anniversaries of the saint's birth and death have been celebrated in Germany, England and the Netherlands since 1805.

Like Germany, France has a host of patron saints - including Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Louis IX, and Saint Denis of Paris regarded as the patron saint of the French people as well as the monarchy. He is believed to have lived in the 3rd century AD, and died some time between 250 and 270. In the earliest account of his life and death, dating from the early 7th century, it is told that he was sent from Italy to convert Gaul, and appointed bishop of Lutetia (now Paris). There, Denis and his companions, Eleutherius and Rusticus, managed to revive the city's Christian community. During one of the many persecutions that occurred in the 3rd century, the three were arrested and beheaded on the highest hill in the city - which afterwards became known as Montmartre, the Mount of Martyrs.

According to the famous 13th-century "Golden Legend", Denis picked up his head and walked several miles, preaching a sermon all the way. He only died when he reached the site where he would be buried, and where the Basilica of Saint-Denis - the historical burial site of French royals - was later built. The saint is usually portrayed in full bishop regalia, carrying his head in his hands. He is also one of the patron saints of Paris, along with Saint Geneviève, and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers - saints venerated against various diseases (in his case, quite fittingly, headaches). The feast of Saint Denis is celebrated on 9 October.

Known in the English-speaking world as the subject of the famous carol "Good King Wenceslas", Wenceslas I ("Václav" in Czech) was a Duke of Bohemia who lived in the 10th century. Born around 907, he became Duke in 921; when he reached his majority, he took various actions to strengthen Christianity within his state. He favoured the use of Latin rite, and founded a rotunda dedicated to Saint Vitus within Prague Castle, which later developed into the city's majestic cathedral. However, in 929 or 935 the young Duke fell victim to his brother Boleslav's ambition, and was assassinated during a religious celebration.

Saint Wenceslas' cult grew immediately after his untimely death: his humility and generosity towards the poor, on which the carol is based, are mentioned in the numerous biographies that were written after his death. The saint's relics are housed in a stunningly decorated 14th-century chapel in Prague's St Vitus Cathedral. His feast day on 28 September has been a public holiday in the Czech Republic since 2000, celebrating Statehood Day - as the saint has become a symbol of Czech national identity in one of the world's least religious countries. A statue of the saint on horseback towers over the square named after him - the site of many political demonstrations - is in Prague's New Town.

As one of the most beloved of Christian saints, Saint Nicholas of Myra needs little introduction. Though not much is known about his life besides mostly legendary accounts written centuries after his death, he is traditionally believed to have lived between 270 and 343 AD in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Like Saint Francis of Assisi, he was born in a wealthy family, and gave away all his belongings to the poor. In one of the most popular legends associated with the saint, he saved three poor girls from a life of prostitution by throwing purses full of gold coins into their house through an open window: from this episode comes the saint's association with gift-giving, and his later pop-culture transformation into Santa Claus.

Appointed bishop of Myra after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Nicholas became famous for his miracles. According to some accounts of his life, he was imprisoned during the persecution of Diocletian, but released by order of Constantine the Great. After his death at the age of 73, he was initially buried in Myra. However, in 1087 a group of Italian sailors stole most of his remains and took them to their home town of Bari, in Apulia - where they are buried in the Romanesque basilica dedicated to the saint. Saint Nicholas's feast is celebrated by the Catholic Church and many other Christian denominations on 6 December, the alleged day of his death. In Greece, he has been long associated with sailors and the sea, and is the patron saint of the Hellenic Navy as well as the nation of Greece itself.

Unlike some of the saints mentioned in this quiz, the life and deeds of Saint Francis of Assisi - one of the most iconic of all Christian saints - are quite well-documented. Born in 1181 as Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, he was nicknamed Francesco ("Frenchman") by his father, a wealthy merchant who had frequent business contacts with France. The story of how the young, carefree scion of a prosperous family left all of his wealth and privilege behind to embrace a life of poverty and hardship has been depicted countless times by some of the world's greatest artists. His example and his preaching attracted others, and in 1209 he founded the Order of the Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscan Order. In 1219 Francis also traveled to the Holy Land in the hope of converting the Sultan of Egypt, who received him graciously and allowed him to preach to his subjects. The saint is also credited for setting up the first Nativity scene, which since then has become a deeply-rooted Catholic tradition during the Christmas season.

Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1228, less than two years after his death on 3 October 1226. He is buried in a crypt under the lower level of the magnificent Basilica dedicated to him in his home town of Assisi, one of the world's greatest Catholic shrines. As he saw nature and all its creatures as a reflection of God, Saint Francis is also venerated as the patron saint of animals and the environment: on his feast day, celebrated on 4 October, churches all over the world hold ceremonies in which animals are blessed. He was declared patron of Italy by Pope Pius XII in 1939 along with Saint Catherine of Siena - who is also one of the six patron saints of the European Union.

Though associated with the historic Italian city near Venice where he died and is buried, Saint Anthony of Padua was born in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal, with the name of Fernando Martins de Bulhões. He became a priest at the age of 18, and eventually joined the Franciscan order, which had been founded only a few years earlier. He made his way to Italy after a trip to Morocco that greatly affected his health, and in Bologna met Francis of Assisi, who appointed him as a teacher for his friars. The last few years of Anthony's life were dedicated to preaching and teaching, and - according to various hagiographies - performing miracles. In 1231 he died in Padua, where he had been appointed Provincial superior of the Franciscan order, and was canonized the following year by Pope Gregory XI. In the same year, construction of the imposing basilica dedicated to him - one of the major pilgrimage sites in Italy - was begun.

Saint Anthony's cult spread beyond the borders of Europe - which explains his veneration among the indigenous populations of the Americas and in parts of Asia and Africa. He is also venerated as the patron saint for the recovery of lost things, people and souls, while in Portugal, Spain and Brazil he is associated with marriage. In these countries, weddings are traditionally celebrated on the saint's feast day, 13 June. Usually depicted holding the Infant Jesus in his arms, he was declared patron saint of Portugal in 1934.

One of Jesus' original twelve Apostles, James the Great is also known as James son of Zebedee - to distinguish him from James son of Alphaeus, or James the Lesser. It is said in the Gospels that he was a cousin of Jesus, as his mother Salome was a sister of Mary, and the brother of John the Evangelist; the two brothers, who often accompanied Jesus and Peter, were nicknamed "Boanerges", meaning "sons of thunder". This epithet has been interpreted as a reference to James's fiery temper, which - as stated in Acts - caused him to be the first of the Twelve to be martyred. The place in Jerusalem where he is believed to have been beheaded around 44 AD, by order of King Herod Agrippa, is now a chapel within the 12th-century Armenian Apostolic Cathedral of Saint James.

James the Great's connection with Spain dates from a 12th-century legend, according to which the saint preached the Gospel in the Iberian Peninsula (then called Hispania). After his death, his body was carried there by his followers, and buried in the city that bears his name - Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain. The saint's shrine in the city's magnificent cathedral is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in all the Christian world, reached by a network of routes known as Camino de Santiago (St James's Way). Saint James the Great's feast is celebrated by Western Christianity on 25 July, which is also the national day of the autonomous Spanish region of Galicia, where Santiago de Compostela is located. His patronage of Spain is associated to his traditional role as helper in the fight against the invading Moors; he is also the patron saint of Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Saint John (Ivan) of Rila, also known as the Wondermaker, was the first Bulgarian hermit, revered as a saint while he was still alive. He was born around 876 AD in the First Bulgarian Empire, and was originally a herder, who became a monk at the age of 25, and subsequently left the monastery to take up the life of a hermit in a cave in the Rila Mountains of southwestern Bulgaria. There he is said to have performed many miracles; legends about him report that birds and other animals came to him without fear. In one of his hagiographies, it is told how Tsar Peter I himself went to the saint's cave to seek spiritual advice: the saint, however, refused to meet him, and rejected his rich gifts. Saint John of Rila died on 18 August 946 - one of two days (the other being 19 October) on which he is commemorated in Bulgaria.

Not far from the cave where Saint John lived lies Rila Monastery, Bulgaria's most important monastery complex, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Traditionally believed to have been founded by the saint (though the current building dates from the 19th century) the monastery is a major pilgrimage site for Orthodox Christians, as well as a powerful symbol of national identity for all Bulgarians. The saint's remains have been buried at Rila Monastery since 1469.

In spite of his popularity as patron saint of countries, cities and various categories of people, Saint George is one of the many saints whose historical actuality has often been questioned. He is traditionally believed to have been from Cappadocia (in present-day Turkey), and a member of the Praetorian Guard for Emperor Diocletian - during whose persecution, in the late 3rd century AD, he was martyred for his Christian beliefs. In fact, the main targets of that persecution of Diocletian were members of the Roman army who had embraced Christianity. On the other hand, the well-known story of Saint George's fight against the dragon - depicted by countless artists through the centuries - is not found in any of his early hagiographies, but was first mentioned in an 11th-century source. Such was Saint George's popularity in the Middle Ages that he also appears in a number of Muslim texts as a sort of prophetic figure.

One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (often invoked against the diseases of domestic animals), and strongly associated with the military, Saint George is known to most as the patron saint of England. However, he is also revered as the national saint of Georgia, Ethiopia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the latter country, Saint George has been venerated as a patron saint since the Middle Ages, and Saint George's Day ("Đurđevdan"), celebrated on 23 April (the day of his death), is an important feast day in all the countries formerly part of Yugoslavia. Saint George is also the patron saint of four autonomous communities of Spain (Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands), and a large number of cities in Europe and elsewhere.