Local Saint

In medieval times it was good to have a local saint. Some places had very significant saints, others had a group of lesser well-known saints. Why was it important to have one, or two? Great importance was placed on the benefits of being near to the bones of a known saint. It was believed that if you could hold the bones of a saint, they would help to heal you. There were also “saintly tours” available, where many saints bones could be touched. These were called “pilgrimages”. They were well-known and popular and there were routes that were common. The Salisbury Saint was Saint Osmund. He was the Bishop at Old Sarum who completed the building of the first Cathedral. Strangely enough, his canonisation as a saint took over two hundred years to go through. To have a local saint meant that folk would arrive in the City. They would purchase objects and icons and a Pilgrim Badge to show where they had been. A saint was good for business!