Who is the Patron Saint of Milliners?

I have been looking at what would be the best day to have as International Hat Wearing Day. One place to start was the list of Patron Saints. In the Catholic Encyclopedia there are more Saints than days of the year. Many of them have multiple patronage for one reason or another. I found it difficult to research the reasons for this patronage. I suppose if I had a long time to research – say pay a personal visit to the Vatican, learn Latin and so on I would get to the bottom of it. It would be interesting but I do not have the time for this right at the moment. I was able to do some research, however.

Many Saints have claim to Patronage of Milliners (hat makers). Here is a list. I will end with my thoughts on the Saint who has come to have the greatest claim on the franchise of support to hat makers through a custom that has developed in France.

And the Nominees are…………….

Saint Barbara

Date December 4

Beheaded by her father C 235 AD

Saint Barbara seems to have more  of a military connection than a hat connection. She is listed as the patron saint of hat makers but a bunch of other people such as prisoners, architects, gunners and dying people. However, the military has adopted her and named her in many military honors. There seems to be only a loose connection to hat making here, except for military hats. A good person but a weak candidate to represent Hatters I think.

James THE Apostle

Date July 25

Died C 44 AD

Listed as patronizing hat makers as well as arthritis and rheumatic sufferers. I could find no hat anecdotes. A great man – one of the original 12 – but not a representative to stand out for hats.

Saint James the Lesser

Date May 4

Died in C 62 AD, stoned and beaten by clubs.

Since he was martyred by club beating he has become associated with professions using clubs or club like instruments in their work. There is an association with fullers (wool makers) – they have to do some beating. There is also an association with druggists who use an instrument , a pestle, to mix ingredients – like a club?

Although he is listed as a patron saint of hat makers it is only a loose connection through wool making. Again a good man, but….

Saint Severus of Avranches

Date February 1

Died 690 AD (Natural Causes)

He is listed as a patron of hat makers among other trades such as weavers and wool makers. Not really a strong connection.

Michael the Archangel

Date September 29 (or May 8 in some places)

(He was not born and did not die – an Angel)

A lot of people want a piece of him and there is a very long list (two pages) of patronage. It’s great to be in the good books of an Angel but I hope he does not take it the wrong way  for suggesting he is not our best candidate when it comes to hat makers.

Saint Clement of Ireland

Date November 23

Died C 818 AD (March 20)

According to legend when Clement was a monk and on a Pilgrimage he used some carded wool in his sandals. The friction matted the wool to produce an early form of felt. Hatters in Ireland and some other countries have celebrated Saint Clements as a Patron. He is therefore a good candidate. I read somewhere though that other monks laid claim to this discovery. It makes sense that it might have been common to slip wool in your sandals to prevent or alleviate rubbing. There seems to be doubt as to the provenance of this claim.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Date November 25

Died C 44 AD (Beheaded by the Emperor she refused to wed. Originally sentenced to die on the Wheel (Don’t read the link if you have a bad stomach – it may be distressing to some but I know there are curious people out there). It was  a cruel instrument of torture and execution. When the wheel broke after she touched it she was beheaded instead. Charming people eh – a punishment for promoting Christianity. Well I’m not nostalgic for the Middle Ages yuk.

Saint Catherine has frequently been associated with wheels. There is a firework called the Catherine Wheel named after her. There is a strong connection with hats through a tradition in France related to single women of 25 especially.

Here is a discussion of St Catherine’s Day from Fisheaters.com (a site covering Catholic traditions).

On St. Catherine’s Day, it is customary for unmarried women to pray for husbands, and to honor women who’ve reached 25 years of age but haven’t married — called “Catherinettes” in France. Catherinettes send postcards to each other, and friends of the Catherinettes make hats for them — traditionally using the colors yellow (faith) and green (wisdom), often outrageous — and crown them for the day. Pilgrimage is made to St. Catherine’s statue, and she is asked to intercede in finding husbands for the unmarried lest they “don St. Catherine’s bonnet” and become spinsters. The Catherinettes are supposed to wear the hat all day long, and they are usually feted with a meal among friends. Because of this hat-wearing custom, French milliners have big parades to show off their wares on this day.

The custom of hat parades has spilled over to New York.

It seems that St Catherine visited Joan of Arc (burned at the stake in1431). She has been especially revered in France and the Catherinette tradition has grown over the years.

You can find some more information on Milliner Polly Singer’s blog.

Saint Catherine is the best candidate to represent Milliners I believe. Does anybody else have any other information?

We can all certainly join the Catherinettes on November 25 and wear our green and yellow hats even if we are not Catholic, Single or 25years old!

Tagged as: Catherinettes, Catholic, Fisheaters, Patron Saints, Polly Singer, Saint Catherines