Tomorrow – 14th of May – is Saint Corona day. 

A big thanks to Mike still in partial lockdown in Milan, Italy for pointing this one out to me.

Saint Corona is not well known. But thanks to this recent “pandemic” of coronavirus her name is being talked about again. All we know is that she was a martyr killed for her christian faith, probably in the year 177 A.D. But nobody seems sure of where she lived.

What do we know?

She is mostly revered in Germany and Austria with a chapel dedicated to her in Sauerlach near Munich. There is an ancient relic of St. Corona that has been stored in a vault in Aachen cathedral. Now, with this virus thing going on, experts have taken it out to clean and conserve.

‘Corona’ of course is Latin for crown. The virus being named due to its crown-like structure. Her name is meant to symbolise being given the ‘crown of eternal life’ for her strength of faith.

It gets bloody!

Most of what we can find is the stuff of myth and legend. Like, at the age of sixteen,  being made to watch her husband being brutally killed. Her husband is Saint Victor. Tomorrow is more accurately known as St. Victor and St. Corona day.

Legend has it that Corona herself was killed in an even more gruesome manner. Tied between two palm trees that had been bent to the ground. When they were released she was torn apart. Horrible eh?

Money, Myth and Economy

Saint Corona was is associated with superstitions involving money, such as gambling and treasure hunting. ‘Coronae’ (or crowns) was a word given to coins in many countries. Some currencies in Scandinavia still use crowns.  It is sad that treasure hunters invoke this saint in an effort to find a haul. In March this year the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh suggested invoking her in order to  support the world economy which looks likely to collapse during the coronavirus “pandemic”.

There is an easier way, and one which will definitely save the economy of any country without the need for faith or divine intervention. Just get the people back to work. I and many others have been saying that all along…

How will you celebrate?

Like me probably not at all eh? Personally I will probably have a beer or two – which was the plan anyway. And because today is the beinganolddad anniversary (hardly worth celebrating eh?)

Is it just a coincidence that this saints day is coming when there is light at the end of the (virus) tunnel? We shall see…