Teresa of Ávila possibly due to her mystical visions. The Spanish nuns who established Carmel in France brought this devotion with them, and it became widespread in France. Indeed, one of Teresa's most famous disciples, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a French Carmelite, herself named for Teresa, took as her religious name Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. In the 1620s, Spain debated who should be the country's patron saint; the choices were either the current patron, Saint James Matamoros, or a pairing of him and the newly canonised Saint Teresa of Ávila. Teresa's promoters said Spain faced newer challenges,
Patron saints of places States 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