Patron Saints of Italian Cities Quiz

Answer: Saint Ambrose

Born as Aurelius Ambrosius in the city of Augusta Treverorum (now known as Trier, Germany), Saint Ambrose (Sant'Ambrogio) was appointed Bishop of Milan in 374 AD, during the conflict between the orthodox Christian church (the Nicene Church) and the Arians. Most of his tenure as a bishop was dedicated to refuting Arian theology (which maintained that Jesus Christ was a creature distinct from God), and resulted in serious friction between Ambrose and the imperial court.

He is considered one of the Latin Doctors of the Church, together with Saint Augustine, Saint Jerome and Saint Gregory the Great.

There are also a number of folk legends about Saint Ambrose - one of them associating him with bees, whose patron saint he also is. The Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio in Milan, where the saint is buried, is one of the city's oldest churches.

The annual season at Milan's famed Teatro alla Scala opens on December 7, Saint Ambrose's feast day.

Answer: Saint John the Baptist

According to the three synoptic Gospels, Saint John the Baptist (San Giovanni Battista) was the son of Zechariah and Elisabeth (a cousin of the Virgin Mary), born when both his parents were of advanced age. On the other hand, the Gospel of John there is no mention of his being a relative of Jesus Christ.

In many parts of Europe, his feast is associated with the summer solstice and the tradition of lighting bonfires during the shortest night of the year. Florence's stunning 11th century Baptistery, located opposite the city's Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

A traditional event that takes place on June 24 in Florence's Piazza Santa Croce is the final match of the "Calcio fiorentino" tournament, a violent contact sport that is more similar to rugby than modern-day soccer.

Answer: Saint Anthony of Padua

Born in Lisbon with the name Fernando Martins de Bulhões, Saint Anthony of Padua was a Franciscan friar who lived in the first half of the 13th century. A teacher and preacher against the Cathars and other heretic groups, he was active in various parts of Italy and France, but settled in Padua (not far from Venice) towards the end of his life, and died there on June 13, 1231.

He was canonized in the following year, and is now buried in the magnificent Basilica, crowned by eight domes, which was built in Padua between 1232 and 1310 to house his remains.

The church, commonly known as "Il Santo" (The Saint), is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Roman Catholics. Saint Anthony of Padua is often invoked for finding things that have been lost or stolen.

His feast is celebrated in Padua with a procession, in which the relic of the saint's chin is carried around the city streets.

Answer: Saint Lucy

Saint Lucy (Santa Lucia) of Siracusa was one of the many victims of emperor Diocletian's persecutions of Christians in the early years of the 4th century AD. According to two different sources, she was a young woman who, though betrothed to a wealthy young pagan, had secretly promised her virginity to God.

When the disappointed suitor denounced her to the authorities as a Christian, she was sentenced to death; however, various attempts to kill her failed, so they had to resort to cutting off her head. Though she is often represented holding a platter containing her eyes - which according to a legend she gouged out and gave to her suitor - Saint Lucy's connection with sight and light in general is related to her name (from the Latin "lux", light).

The saint is venerated not only in Catholic countries, but also in largely Lutheran Scandinavia (especially Sweden), as her feast falls a few days before the winter solstice, and she is seen as the bearer of light in the darkness of winter. In Syracuse (Siracusa), the feast of Saint Lucy takes place over a number of days in mid-December, and attracts a large number of faithful - many from foreign countries with large Italian populations.

However, the saint is buried in Venice, in the Santuario di Lucia.

Answer: Saint Januarius

As is often the case with early Christian saints, most of what we know about the life of Saint Januarius (San Gennaro) comes from later sources. According to some of them, he was born in the late 3rd century AD, and became Bishop of Naples at the age of 20. During the persecution of Diocletian, he was arrested and beheaded (allegedly after a number of attempts to dispatch him in more gruesome ways) around 305 AD.

It is said that, after his execution, some of his blood was preserved in two glass ampoules; the first reported instance of the melting of the saint's blood was in 1389.

The event, witnessed by thousands of faithful, takes place three times a year: September 19, December 16, and the Saturday before the first Sunday of May. The ampoules are held in a bank vault, while the saint's remains lie in a crypt beneath the main altar of Naples Cathedral.

The Feast of San Gennaro is also celebrated in New York's Little Italy, and is featured in Francis Ford Coppola's 1990 film "The Godfather III".

Answer: Saint George

Most people know Saint George as the patron saint of England. However, the dragon-slaying warrior saint is also venerated as the patron of a large number of Italian cities and towns, including the four provincial capitals mentioned in the question. Most of the biographical information we have about Saint George comes from a probably apocryphal account known as "Passio sancti Georgii" (The Passion of Saint George). According to this source, he was a Roman officer from Cappadocia who was martyred during the persecutions of Diocletian.

The dragon legend, on the other hand, dates from the 13th-century "Legenda Aurea", a popular collection of hagiographies that inspired the work of many distinguished medieval artists. Ferrara is located in the Emilia-Romagna region, Ragusa in Sicily, Campobasso in Molise, and Reggio Calabria (obviously) in Calabria.

Answer: Saint Apollinaris

A native of Syria, Saint Apollinaris (Sant'Apollinare) was the first bishop of Ravenna, the city near the Adriatic Sea that became the capital of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. According to some sources, he was martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Vespasian in the 1st century AD.

The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe was erected in the 6th century on the site of Apollinaris' martyrdom, outside the city; the saint's relics, however, are preserved in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, also built in the 6th century, but located within Ravenna's walls. Both churches are famous for their magnificent mosaics. Saint Apollinaris has been credited with many miracles, and is invoked against gout, epilepsy and venereal diseases.

Answer: Saint Justus

The story of Saint Justus of Trieste (San Giusto), documented in a number of medieval texts, is similar to that of many other martyrs. He was a citizen of Trieste, in northeastern Italy, known for his works and charities on behalf of the poor. During the reign of emperor Diocletian, he was denounced to the authorities for his Christian faith, put on trial, and sentenced to being drowned.

His body is buried in the city's medieval cathedral, dedicated to the saint and located on a hill overlooking the city. Though his martyrdom is reported to have occurred on November 2 (All Souls' Day) 303 AD, in Trieste Saint Justus' feast is celebrated on the following day.

Answer: Saint Agatha

The story of Saint Agatha's martyrdom, which occurred around 251 AD, during the persecution of emperor Decius, is documented in a number of medieval texts. Like Saint Lucy (who was allegedly devoted to her), she is said to have been a young woman who spurned a pagan suitor, was denounced as a Christian and subsequently imprisoned and tortured.

As one of the tortures she was submitted to involved her breasts, she is venerated as the patron saint of wet nurses and breast cancer patients. Saved from death by burning by an earthquake, she was healed of her wounds by St Peter in the prison where she later died. Most of Saint Agatha's remains are held in Catania's majestic Baroque cathedral, dedicated to her.

The saint's feast is lavishly celebrated on February 3-5; throughout history, she is said to have stopped a number of eruptions of Mount Etna (which towers above the city), two plague epidemics, and a Moorish invasion.

Answer: Saint Nicholas

Not much is known about the real Saint Nicholas (San Nicola), the bishop of Myra who, in many parts of Western Europe, has become synonymous with gift-giving, and given rise to the popular character of Santa Claus. Most of the stories related about him depict him as a miracle worker, both during his life and after his death.

His connection with gifts comes from a story of the saint having rescued three poor girls from prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through their windows for three consecutive nights, so that their father would have enough to pay a dowry for each of them.

In the late 11th century, part of Saint Nicholas's remains were taken from his original burial place in Myra (in present-day Turkey) by a group of sailors from Bari, now the capital of the southeastern Italian region of Apulia (Puglia).

The relics, now held in Bari's medieval cathedral (dedicated to Saint Nicholas), are said to produce a perfumed liquid known as "myrrh" or "manna" - which is why the saint is considered the patron of perfumers as well as sailors, fishermen, prostitutes and unmarried girls.