Saint Podcast

Episode six is about a saint whose name means little bear. She’s a British saint, a princess from Britannia, the name of the British Isles when England and Wales were part of the Roman Empire. Her legend is based around a pilgrimage that included an entourage of 11,000 virgins as well as an additional 15,000 hangers on...

Episode 3 of Saint Podcast's Martyrs series is about Saint Margaret. She's one of the most popular saints globally, despite having been declared fictional by the Catholic Church in the 5th century. Nevertheless, her legend as a vanquisher of dragons has made her a perennial favourite. Tune in to hear the story of this gender-bending saint, known as Saint Marina/Marino to Eastern Christians - and find out what Saint Margaret has in common with Sleeping Beauty, Aphrodite, and margaritas.

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...

Episode eight in Saint Podcast's Martyrs season is about a saint who was a monstrous giant, standing over 12 feet/3.5 metres tall! He’s the patron saint of athletics, travellers, journeys and transportation in general, epilepsy, the city of Havana in Cuba, and of bachelors. His legend inspired a fashion craze in the late 1950s, and he's famously known for carrying an unbelievably heavy child across a wide river who turns out to be Jesus in disguise...

Episode 4 is about Saint Barbara, a maiden who was locked in a tower by her father - and one of the many legendary inspirations behind the fairytale Rapunzel. She's the patron saint of firefighters, Lebanon, lightning, mathematicians, and numerous military artillery units. Find out why Saint Barbara is the patron of explosions. Discover the pre-holiday festivals celebrated in her honour...

Episode seven is about an Egyptian queen. She’s noted for being the brightest mind of her generation and is therefore the patron saint of scholars, students, lawyers, educators, librarians, philosophers, and theologians. This saint’s icon is a spiked wheel, the implement of torture her tormentor, the Roman Emperor, attempted - unsuccessfully - to inflict upon her...

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...

Episode five of Saint Podcast's Martyrs series is about Saint Lawrence, the son of wealthy Christians living in the Roman province Hispania, modern day Spain. He's an extremely popular saint whose story is relatively unknown yet it intersects with one of the most well-known legends in the world: the legend of the Holy Grail. He was famously roasted alive, and quipped to his executioners, 'Turn me over. I'm done on this side,' making him the patron saint of comedians...

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...

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...