History of the Catholic Church in Spain who was active in many different modes of religion, including organizing convents and new congregations, and developing the theology of the Counter Reformation in Spain that permanently minimized the Protestant influence there. In the 1620s Spain debated who should be the nation's patron saint- the current patron Saint James Matamoros (Saint James the Moor-slayer) or a combination of him and the newly canonized Saint Teresa of Ávila. Teresa's promoters said Spain faced new challenges, especially the threat of Protestantism, and the declining society at home and needed a modern patron saint who understood these problems and could lead the Spanish
Patron saints of places Patron saints of places The idea of assigning a patron saint to a certain locality harks back to the ancient tutelary deities. This is a list of patron saints of places by nation, region, and town/city. If a place is not listed here, it may be listed in "Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary". Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Canada Colombia Croatia Cuba Czech Republic Denmark Ecuador Egypt France Germany Greece Haiti Hungary India Ireland Italy Lebanon Lithuania Malta Mexico Montenegro The Netherlands Norway Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United