Saint Corona

FEAST DAY MAY 14TH

Patron of Butchers, Lumberjacks, Treasure Hunters, Bovine Health

Invoked Against Pandemics, Epidemics, Plagues.

I am a 5th generation Spanish Colonial artist, a fact that was lost on me until I had my own children. When I became a mother, I wanted to give my children every opportunity, and learning about my culture and heritage took on a whole new meaning. I really appreciated the rarity of having a legacy that had been handed down from my Great-Great Grandfather to gift my children. Even an heirloom like jewelry or furniture or a simple dining tradition rarely continues past 3 generations.

I practice the art form of retablo painting, a very specific art form connected to the Northern New Mexico region involving natural materials and saint icon imagery. The first step is to research the story of the Saint. With thousands of Saints, I find great entertainment in researching some of the more obscure saints, like the Patron Saint of coffee houses and unattractive people, Saint Drogo; the Patron Saint of beer brewers, Saint Arnold; and the Patron Saint of motorcyclists and bears, Saint Columbanus, which my assistant nicknamed my “hipster saints.”

Each saint can have a list of items they carry patronage for including body parts, ailments, animals, and occupations. They can also have things they are invoked against, like the Bubonic Plague or blindness. Some patron saints are actually given patronage officially by declaration of the Pope and others might become affiliated with certain things organically, becoming associated with causes.

When the Coronavirus hit the shores of the United States, I wanted to create a piece to offer solace to those in fear and suffering. I was thrilled to discover a Saint Corona listed as the Patron Saint of Pandemics. But, as I read about her, I found conflicting information on whether she was actually Patron Saint of Pandemics, as early reports touted. I began to do some in-depth research and went down a rabbit hole so deep, I thought Q dug it.

To begin, we need her basic martyr story. Corona, at the tender age of 16, was newly wed to a Roman soldier and kept a secret Christian life. She was horrified as she watched another Roman Soldier named Victor tortured publicly for his beliefs. As they prodded out his eyes and he steadfastly held to his faith, she cried out from the crowd words of support for him, admitting her own Christianity, a guaranteed death sentence. She was captured on the spot. Her limbs were tied to two palm trees that had been pulled to the ground in great tension. The palms were released and she was ripped apart by the force of the trees. Victor was later sainted himself and shared her Feast Day. Both suffered death at the end of their torture. Corona carries the palm to signify her martyr’s death.

There was some understandable excitement in the media when rumors of a patron saint of pandemics named Saint Corona circulated. Unfortunately, at the lightning pace of the internet, the misinformation spread faster than one could verify the facts. All of the post-covid articles claiming Saint Corona’s affiliation with pandemics came out after the birth of Covid19 and most can be traced to one very convincing article that appeared to be written years ago, but upon closer review, although the article was old, the addition of the pandemic patronage was confirmed as added after Covid19 struck. It was disappointing to find that the story was just another bit of web fodder for Snopes. But, in tracing the stories myself, I learned a great deal about the saint and started to piece together a case that she actually may have some organic connection with pandemics, even if she was not formally ordained as such and perhaps the original article was incorporating some of the historical affiliation with pandemics.

First, Corona’s life overlaps with the date of the Antonine Plague. It started when she was just a baby and ended shortly after the time of her death. It was brought by Roman soldiers who had traveled through Mesopotamia, decimating the army and spreading as they traversed Europe. It would not be uncommon for the locals who witnessed her murder to view the adjacent plague as an act of revenge from the martyred saint, smiting her enemies (the Roman army). Just 70 years later, the Plague of Cyprian swept through the same area brought again by Roman soldiers and killing up to 5000 Romans per day. The area where her remains lay has been struck repeatedly with devastating plagues.

Then, during the 19th century, European pilgrim farmers turned to her for protection from disease of cattle. The United Kingdom could have used her intercession in 1996 during the Mad Cow Disease outbreak. Perhaps this history also gave her the association as patroness of butchers.

Between her early connections with the dates and locations of massive historical plagues, and a history of protecting those that invoked her name from disease, it is a natural union to associate her with epidemics and pandemics. Her remains are distributed respectfully throughout Europe. But, some lay in a chapel in Anzu, Italy, near the original epicenter of the European outbreak of Covid19. The locals have taken to pray for Saint Corona’s intercession in protecting and healing them during the time of the outbreak.

Whether or not the tales of Saint Corona’s ties to pandemics is historically accurate, there is no doubt she will now forever be connected to protection from pandemics. May she keep safe all that ask refuge under her mantle.