Patron Saints of Sailors, Part I

 

Who is the patron saint of sailors? it appears there are several.

First up - St. Francis of Paula. Francis was a hermit, but also the founder of the Franciscan Order of Minims.

How did a hermit end up being associated with sailors? Probably because of this:

"In 1464 Francis wanted to cross the Straits of Messina to reach Sicily, but a boatman refused to take him. Francis laid his cloak on the water, tied one end to his staff to make a sail, and sailed across with his companions. Franz Liszt wrote a piece of music inspired by the incident."