The True Cross is the name for physical remnants, which, according to Church tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome, traveled to the Holy Land in 326–28, where she discovered the hiding place of three crosses that were believed to be used at the crucifixion of Jesus and of two thieves, St. Dismas and Gestas, executed with him, and a miracle revealed which of the three was the True Cross. Fragments of the Cross were broken up, and the pieces were widely distributed; in 348, in one of his Catecheses, Cyril of Jerusalem remarked that the "whole earth is full of the relics of the Cross of Christ." Most of the very small relics of the True Cross in Europe came from Constantinople after the city was captured and sacked in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. They were carved up by the present bishops and divided with other very precious relics among the knights, who, after their return to the homeland, donated them to churches and monasteries.
According to tradition, the Veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary was worn by the Virgin as she stood at the foot of the Cross. It had been transferred in the early years of Christianity from Jerusalem to Constantinople when it was presented by the Byzantine Empress Irene to the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. In 876 his descendant Charles the Bald gave the relic to the cathedral at Chartres. The Veil is kept in a golden reliquary beside the high altar and has formed the focus of many traditions throughout the centuries. It was believed to have protected the faithful down through the centuries from many dangers and evils, including famine and war, outbreaks of the plague, and the worst ravishes of the French Revolution. The veil itself is more than six meters long and made of silk. Scientific studies have shown that it is of Syrian design, of fine quality, and can be traced to the first century. Every year on 15th August, the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, the Veil is processed through the town of Chartres.
Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus according to apocryphal Christian and Islamic tradition. She is a holy patron of Canada, carpenters; childless people; equestrians; grandparents; homemakers/housewives; lacemakers; lost articles; Fasnia (Tenerife); Mainar; Detroit; miners; mothers; moving house; old-clothes dealers; poverty; pregnancy; seamstresses; stablemen; sterility; mothers; and children.
Saint Joachim of Nazareth was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus, according to the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the apocryphal Gospel of James. He is a holy patron of fathers, grandfathers and the island of Poerto Rico and his feast day is July 26.
Saint John the Baptist known as the prophet Yahya in the Qur'an was a Jewish itinerant preacher in the early first century AD. John is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, and Mandaeism. He is called a prophet by all of these traditions and honored as a saint in many Christian traditions. He is a Patron saint of Jordan, Puerto Rico, Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, French Canada, Newfoundland, Cesena, Florence, Genoa, Monza, Perth (Scotland), Porto, San Juan, Turin, Xewkija, and many other places.
Saint Paul († AD 67), was an Apostle who taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world and is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age founding several churches in Asia Minor and Europe. The Roman Martyrology assigns 29 June as the feast day of both Apostles, Peter and Paul.
Saint Anthony of Padua († 1231), also known as Anthony of Lisbon, was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. Noted by his contemporaries for his powerful preaching, expert knowledge of scripture, and undying love and devotion to the poor and the sick, he was one of the most-quickly canonized saints in church history. He was canonized in 1232 by Pope Gregory IX and was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1946. He is the patron saint of Lisbon, lost items, lost people, lost souls, American Indians; amputees; animals; Brazil; elderly people; faith in the Blessed Sacrament; fishermen; harvests; horses; lower animals; mail; mariners; oppressed people; poor people; Portugal; pregnant women; shipwrecks; starvation; sterility; swineherds; travel hostesses; and travelers. His feast day is celebrated on June 13.
Saint Lawrence of Rome (Laurence in the Anglican Communion) († 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred during the persecution by Emperor Valerian in 258. St Lawrence is one of the most widely venerated saints of the Roman Catholic Church.He is a holy patron of Rome, Rotterdam (Netherlands), Huesca (Spain), San Lawrenz, Gozo and Birgu (Malta), Barangay San Lorenzo San Pablo (Philippines), Canada, Sri Lanka, comedians, librarians, students, miners, tanners, chefs, roasters, poor, and firefighters. His Feast day is celebrated on August 10.
Saint Benedict of Nursia (†547 AD) is a Christian saint venerated in the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. He is a patron saint of Europe and considered to be the founder of Western Christian monasticism. He founded twelve communities for monks and his main achievement is his "Rule of Saint Benedict", containing precepts for his monks combining unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness. He is a holy patron of Against poison, Against witchcraft, Agricultural workers, Covers, Civil engineers, Coppersmiths, Dying people, Erysipelas, Europe, Farmers, Fever, Gall stones, Heerdt (Germany), Heraldry and Officers of arms, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, Inflammatory diseases, Italian architects, Kidney disease, Monks, Nettle rash, Norcia, (Italy), People in religious orders, Schoolchildren and students, Servants who have broken their master's belongings, Speleologists, Spelunkers, and Temptations
Saint Vincent Ferrer, O.P., (†1419) was a Valencian Dominican friar, who gained acclaim as a missionary and a logician who was canonized by Pope Calixtus III in 1455. His feast day is celebrated on 5 April. He is a holy patron of builders, construction workers, plumbers, fishermen, and orphanages.
Saint Blaise, also known as Saint Blase, was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea in historical Armenia. According to the Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron combs, and beheaded. He is the patron saint of wool combers. In the Latin Church his feast falls on 3 February, in the Eastern Churches on 11 February. Patron of Animals, builders, choking, veterinarians, throats, infants, Maratea, Italy, Sicily, Dalmatia, Dubrovnik, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, Rubiera, stonecutters, carvers, and wool workers.
Saint Liborius of Le Mans (†397) was the second Bishop of Le Mans. He is the patron saint of the cathedral and archdiocese of Paderborn in Germany, invoked against calculi; against colic; against fever; and against gallstones. His feast day is commemorated on July 23.
Saint Apollonia (†249) was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius. According to church tradition, her torture included having all of her teeth violently pulled out or shattered. For this reason, she is popularly regarded as the patroness of dentistry and those suffering from toothache or other dental problems. She is venerated in Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy, and her feast day is celebrated on February 9.
Saint Francis of Paola, O.M. (Francesco di Paola)(†1507) was an Italian mendicant friar and the founder of the Roman Catholic Order of Minims. The two major movements in this order were humility and non-violence. The word "Minim" refers to living as the smallest or least, or embracing humility, simplicity, and plainness. The call to non-violence and absence of cruelty was expressed through veganism and not doing harm to any creature. He is a patron saint of vegetarians, boatmen, mariners, and naval officers.