seven champions of christendom

The Seven Champions of Christendom is a moniker referring to St. George, the Apostle Andrew, St. Patrick, St. Denis, St. James Boanerges, St. Ambrose, and St. Anthony the Latter. They are patron-saints of, respectively, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal. The champions have been depicted in Christian art and folklore as heroic warriors, most notably in a 1596 book by Richard Johnson titled Famous Historie of the Seaven Champions of Christendom. The Apostle James is often portrayed, anachronistically, as fighting formidably against the Saracens, whilst St. George is usually thought of as a knightly dragon-slayer. The legend of St. Patrick casting all of the serpents out of Ireland is also quite famous. The stories of the Seven Champions were especially popular in the British Isles and Europe during the Dark Ages. Interestingly, four of the Seven Champions, St. Andrew, St. George, St. James, and St. Denis, passed away as martyrs.

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