Saint Podcast

This bonus episode for Patreon supporters and Spotify/Anchor subscribers is about a saint whose holy day is also a secular holiday, a day in which couples around the world buy each other flowers, chocolates, and other tokens of love. Facebook statistics suggest something else is brewing beneath the romantic dinners, something darker. The two weeks immediately before and after the feast day record the highest changes in relationship status from DATING to SINGLE. The irony perhaps makes sense because the original hagiography of this Ancient Roman martyr has nothing to do with romantic love. This is the story of Saint Valentine the Ersatz Patron of Love.

This is a special episode created in collaboration with the York Art Gallery. It’s inspired by an exhibition curated by Dr Joost Joustra called Sin, organised by the National Gallery, London with York Museums Trust. The exhibition explores the theme of sin through a collection of artworks spanning a Medieval depiction of demons consuming the soul of a sinner to old masters paintings of saints and other divine figures – and a provocative contemporary sculpture that confronts the assumptions we make about sin and sinners. This is It’s a Sin, a special Saint Podcast episode that explores the history of sin.

In Part I of our Saint Francis Mystics episode, Francis turned his back on youthful pursuits of status and glory. In Part II, his movement and message gain momentum. Their success, however, heralds the end of a golden age. As the number of Francis' followers swell, conflict with the Papacy in Rome seems inevitable. Join Francis as he meets Pope Innocent III. Then journey with him to the East to meet a powerful sultan fighting against a crusader army. Explore Francis' relationships with women and his unusual approach to gender. We'll examine Francis' well-known love of nature and his famously anti-materialist messages that are perhaps more relevant today than ever.

Episode four in the Mystics series is about a saint who was born in the year 1181. He was a middle-class party boy who aspired to the upper-class sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle of an aristocrat until a chance encounter with a leper changed him. His love for nature is commonly referenced, as are the bloody stigmata he bore on his body. The saint we know today, however, bears superficial resemblance to the man pieced together from historical evidence.  This is Part I of the story of Saint Francis of Assisi the Wayward Stigmatic.

Halloween is upon us! The day was originally a Christian holy day, heavily influenced by ancient pre-Christian traditions, known as All Hallows Eve. This All Hallows Eve, we’re going to explore a bloody phenomenon that has afflicted – or perhaps blessed – the faithful for centuries. The phenomenon manifests as open wounds corresponding to Christ’s crucifixion. Over the last 700 years, the marks have appeared on the bodies of dozens of believers all over the world from saints to accountants. They've baffled medical professionals, scandalised communities, fortified devotees, and inspired Gothy artists since the 13th century.  Join us for a Saint Podcast Halloween exploration of stigmata and the bloody wounds of the Crucifixion.

Episode three in the Mystics series is about one of the most influential figures in Medieval Europe, She was a 12th-century author composer, theologian, author, naturalist, visionary, and exorcist. She began life as an oblate, a child who was donated irrevocably to the church by her wealthy parents, sealed up in a cell for life. How she emerged to become one of the most sought after advisors to bishops, kings, and popes is incredible, especially so given the stringent restrictions that greatly narrowed the possibilities open for women. Her tale is one of amazing triumph - and also one of heartbreak over the departure of her beloved nun, Richardis. This is the story of Saint Hildegard of Bingen the Mystical Polymath.

In celebration of Pride Month is a special episode inspired by an exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery entitled, Derek Jarman Protest! – a major retrospective of the work created by one of the most influential figures in 20th-century British culture. This episode features artist Jez Dolan and curator Fiona Corridan from the Manchester Art Gallery. It explores the adoption by the queer community of one of the most popular saints in history - and Derek Jarman’s role in shaping the modern image and story of the Roman warrior, Medieval plague saint, and gay icon: Saint Sebastian.

The second episode in Saint Podcast's Mystics series is about a 13th-century Dominican friar and inquisitor. His rulings against Cathar heretics made him many enemies, including a cabal of nobles in Milan who sent an assassin to kill him. Although not strictly speaking a mystic, many miracles are attributed to this saint. He’s a divine healer of sickness. He’s brought the dead back to life. He controls the weather. And it’s said that he cast out numerous demons from the bodies of the possessed.  This is the story of Saint Peter of Verona the Exorcist – and a history of exorcism in the Catholic Church.

The first Mystics episode is about a saint called the Father of Monks. He’s one of the first Desert Fathers, hermits who lived solitary lives in the harsh deserts of Egypt. Throughout his life he was attacked and tempted by the Devil in the guises of a beautiful woman, unimaginable riches, terrifying demons, and a centaur. He’s the patron saint of butchers, gravediggers, animals, skin diseases, and Rome. This is the story of Saint Anthony of Egypt the Mystic in the Desert.

Saint Podcast season 2 is all about mystics, saints who had transcendental experiences with the divine. Over ten episodes we'll meet the founder of a religious order who suffered from stigmata, the bloody wounds of Christ's crucifixion. We'll explore the legend of a nun who had fits of ecstatic joy - and could levitate. And we'll learn about saints who battled demons and fought the Devil through exorcisms. Tune in for the introduction to this season and the story of the mystical sufferings of the controversial priest and stigmatic, Padre Pio.