Military saint: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Patron saints associated with the military}}

[[File:Damaskenos Michael - Four military saints - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|300px|''Four Military Saints'' by [[Michael Damaskinos]] (16th century, [[Benaki Museum]]), showing [[Saint George]] and [[Theodore of Amasea]] on the left, and [[Demetrius of Thessaloniki]] and [[Theodore Stratelates]] on the right, all on horseback, with angels holding wreaths over their heads, beneath [[Christ Pantocrator]].]]

{{about|the Christian concept| warrior saints in Sikhism|Sant Sipahi}}

The '''military saints''', '''warrior saints''' and '''soldier saints''' are [[patron saint]]s, [[martyr]]s and other [[saint]]s associated with the [[military]]. They were originally composed of the [[early Christian]]s who were soldiers in the [[Roman army]] during the [[persecution of Christians]], especially the [[Diocletianic Persecution]] of AD 303–313.

Most of the early Christian military saints were soldiers of the [[Roman Empire]] who had become Christian and, after refusing to participate in [[Imperial cult (Ancient Rome)|Imperial cult]] [[Votum#Public vota|rituals of loyalty]] to the [[Roman Emperor]], were subjected to corporal punishment including [[torture]] and [[martyr]]dom.

Veneration of these saints, most notably of [[Saint George]], was reinforced in the [[Latin Church]] during the time of the [[Crusades]]. The title of "[[athleta Christi|champion of Christ]]" (''athleta Christi'') was originally used for these saints, but in the [[late Middle Ages|late medieval period]] also conferred on contemporary rulers by the [[Pope]].

In [[Late Antiquity]], Christian writers of [[hagiography]], prominently including [[Sulpicius Severus]] in his account of the heroic, military life of [[Martin of Tours]], created a literary model that reflected the new spiritual, political, and social ideals of a post-Roman society.

In a study of Anglo-Saxon soldier saints (Damon 2003), J. E. Damon has demonstrated the persistence of Sulpicius's literary model in the transformation of the pious, peaceful saints and willing martyrs of late antique hagiography to the Christian heroes of the early Middle Ages, who appealed to the newly converted societies led by professional warriors and who exemplified accommodation with and eventually active participation in holy wars that were considered just.<ref>Damon, John Edward. ''Soldier Saints and Holy Warriors: Warfare and Sanctity in the Literature of Early England''. (Burlington (VT): Ashgate Publishing Company), 2003, {{ISBN|0-7546-0473-X}}</ref>

The Military Saints are characteristically depicted as soldiers in traditional Byzantine iconography from about the 10th century ([[Macedonian dynasty]]) and especially in [[Slavic Christianity]].<ref>"The 'warrior saints' or 'military saints' can be distinguished from the huge host of martyrs by the pictorial convention of cladding them in military attire." (Grotowski 2010:2)</ref>

While early icons show the saints in "classicizing" or anachronistic attire, icons from the 11th and especially the 12th centuries, painted in the new style of {{lang|grc|τύπων μιμήματα}} ("imitating nature"), are an important source of knowledge on medieval [[Byzantine military|Byzantine military equipment]].<ref>(Grotowski 2010:400)</ref>

==List==

(NB: some saints on the list remain unclassified as of 2021)

|[[File:Agathius-Acacius-Acacio-martyrdom.jpg|100px]]

|[[Agathius]] || <!--303-->[[Diocletian persecution|303]] ||[[Byzantium]]

| [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]

| [[Soldiers]]

|[[file:Adrien.jpg|100px]]

|306

|[[Nicomedia]]

|[[Catholic Church]], [[Coptic Orthodox Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]

|Soldiers, [[Royal guard]]

|[[St. Andrew the General|Andrew the General]]|| [[Maximian|300]]|| [[Taurus Mountains]]

|[[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]

|[[Army]], soldiers

|[[Demetrius of Thessaloniki]] || [[Galerius#Persecution of Christians|306]]||[[Thessaloniki]]

|[[Anglicanism]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

|Soldiers

|267

|[[Philippine Independent Church|Aglipayan]], [[Anglicanism]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

| [[Artillery]], [[combat engineer]], [[missile combat crew|missileers]] including those of the [[Strategic Rocket Forces]], the Missile and Artillery Forces, and the Air Defense Forces, [[Space Forces]] and the United States Army [[Field Artillery Branch (United States)|Field Artillery]] and [[Air Defense Artillery Branch (United States Army)|Air Defense Artillery Branches]]

|[[Pre-Congregation]]

|''unknown''

|[[Anglican Communion]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]

|Soldiers

|303

| [[Anglicanism]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

|[[File:SaintGereonoakpanel.jpg|100px|[[Saint Gereon]], by a 15th-century German artist]] || [[Gereon]] || [[Maximian|304]]

| [[Cologne]]

| [[Catholic Church]], [[Coptic Orthodox Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]

| [[Knights]]

|44

|[[Jerusalem]]

|[[Anglicanism]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

|Soldiers, knights, [[Military Archbishopric of Spain]]

|-

|1431

| [[Rouen]], [[Normandy]]

| [[Military personnel]], US [[Women's Army Corps]], [[WAVES]]

| [[File: John the warrior1.jpg|100px]]

| [[John the Warrior]]

|4th century

| Somewhere in Constantinople (modern Istanbul)

| [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]

| Soldiers

|1556

|[[Rome]], [[Papal States]]

| [[Anglican Communion]], [[Latin Church|Catholic]]

|Soldiers, [[Military Ordinariate of the Philippines]]

|[[Saint Maurice|Maurice]] || 287 || [[Agaunum]] in [[Alpes Poeninae et Graiae]]

|[[Catholic Church]], [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

|Alpine troops, [[Swiss Guard]]

| [[Martin of Tours]] ||397<ref>Martin is not a martyr, and not a classical military saint.

|[[Candes-Saint-Martin]], [[Gaul]]

|[[Latin Church|Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2019/11/11/103285-saint-martin-the-merciful-bishop-of-tours|title=Saint Martin the Merciful Bishop of Tours|website=Orthodox Church in America}}</ref>

|US Army Quartermaster Corps, infantrymen,

|[[File:Byzantine icon St-Mercurius 1295.jpg|100px]]

|[[St. Mercurius|Mercurius]]||250||[[Kayseri|Caesarea]] in [[Cappadocia]]

|[[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

| [[Anglicanism]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

| Military; paratroopers; policemen.

|1226<ref>approved by [[Pope Honorius III]]</REF>

| [[Latin Church|Catholic]]

| Spanish Navy<ref>Endorsed by [[Cristóbal Colón, 14th Duke of Veragua]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.portalcultura.mde.es/actividades/aniversarios/Conmemoraciones/Patronos_Patronas/VirgendelCarmen/|title=Portal Cultura de Defensa|website=Ministerio de Defensa}}</ref>

|-

| [[File:Pope St. John XXIII portrait (unframed).jpg|100px]]

| [[Pope John XXIII]]

|

|

| [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]

| [[Italian Army]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2017/09/06/vaticaninsider/ita/news/san-giovanni-xxiii-sar-patrono-dellesercito-LCfCqLz5bD5RtxZiJXEDvL/pagina.html|title=San Giovanni XXIII sarà patrono dell'Esercito|newspaper=La Stampa|date=6 September 2017|author=Marco Roncalli|access-date=7 September 2017}}</ref>

|288

|Italy

|[[Philippine Independent Church|Aglipayan]], [[Anglicanism]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

|Soldiers, infantrymen, archers

|-

|[[File:Sergius and Bacchus (Menologion of Basil II).jpg|100px]]

|[[Sergius and Bacchus]] ||[[Galerius#Persecution of Christians|306]]|| [[Resafa]] and [[Barbalissos]] in [[Mesopotamia (Roman province)|Mesopotamia]]

|[[Assyrian Church of the East]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Coptic Orthodox Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]

|[[Army]], soldiers

|-

|[[File:Theodore Tyro.jpg|100px]]

|[[Theodore of Amasea]] ||306|| Amasea [[Amasya]] in [[Pontus (region)#Roman province|Helenopontus]]

|[[Catholic Church]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]

|Soldiers

|-

|[[Typasius]] ||304||[[Tigava]], [[Mauretania Caesariensis]]

|[[File:Vardan Mamikonyan 3.jpeg|100px]]

|[[Vardan Mamikonian]]

|451

|[[Avarayr Plain]], [[Vaspurakan]], [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Armenia]]

|[[Armenian Apostolic Church]], [[Armenian Catholic Church]], [[Armenian Evangelical Church]]

|[[File:Varus, and with him six monk-martyrs (Menologion of Basil II).jpg|100px]]

|[[Saint Varus|Varus]]||307|| [[Alexandria]]

|[[List of Coptic saints|Coptic Churches]]

|[[File:Museo del Duomo - Milan - St Victor - Milanese sculptor (last decade of 15th century).jpg|100px]]

|[[Victor Maurus]] || 303 || [[Milan]]

|[[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Lutheranism]]

* [[Michael (archangel)|Michael the Archangel]]: protector of the [[Romanian Armed Forces|Romanian Army]], and, as the patron saint of [[Michael the Brave]] and as the symbol of the [[Romania during World War I|Romanian victory in the Great War]], the protector of the unity of all [[Romanians]].

* [[Saint George]]: patron of the [[Romanian Land Forces]]

* [[Elijah|Saint Elijah]]: patron of the [[Romanian Air Force|Romanian Air Forces]]

* [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]]: patron of the [[Romanian Naval Forces]]

*[[Michael the Archangel]]: military; paratroopers; policemen (including MVD Police and the Military Police), heavenly guardian of the Russian lands.

*[[Saint Barbara|Barbara]]: [[missile combat crew|missile servicemen]] including those of the [[Strategic Missile Forces]], the [[Missile Forces and Artillery]] and the Air Defence Forces of the Ground Forces, Air Defence of the Air Force, [[Russian Space Forces]] and [[Russian Aerospace Defence Force]]

*Saint [[Alexander Nevskiy]]: soldiers protecting Russian lands, [[National Guard of Russia]], Spetsnaz.

*[[Saint George]]: soldiers and all people protecting the nation, and patron saint of the city of Moscow. Also co-patron of cavalry and Tank Troops.

*Saints Boris and Gleb, holy Orthodox princes of Russia: soldiers.

*Saint [[John the Warrior]]: soldiers.

*Prince Vladimir: Patron saint of the National Guard of Russia

*[[Saint Andrew]]: [[Russian Navy]] (principal patron)

*Saint [[Seraphim of Sarov]]: nuclear warhead specialists (12th GUMO)

[[Category:Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian]]