Crispin
Encyclopedia
Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the French Christian patron saints of cobblers
, tanners
, and leather
workers. Born to a noble Roman
family in the 3rd century AD, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, twin brothers, fled persecution for their faith, ending up in Soissons
, where they preached Christianity
to the Gauls
and made shoes by night.
Their success attracted the ire of Rictus Varus, the governor of Belgic Gaul, who had them torture
d and thrown into the river with millstone
s round their necks. Though they survived, they were beheaded
by the emperor c. 286.
An alternative account gives them as sons of a noble Romano-Briton family whose father had been killed having incurred the displeasure of the Roman emperor living at Canterbury. As they were approaching maturity their mother sent them to London to seek apprenticeship and to avoid coming to the attention of their father's killer. Travelling there, the brothers came across a shoe-maker's workshop in Faversham and decided to travel no further but to remain in Faversham where there is a plaque commemorating their association with the town. They are also commemmorated in the name of the ancient pub "Crispin and Crispianus" in Strood. It might be thought that a flaw in this account is its failure to explain how the brothers came to be martyred.
Saint Crispin is quite often associated with the Battle of Azincourt (english spelling Agincourt) as the battle was fought on Saint Crispin's day. Azincourt was seen as a justification to the atrocities underwent by the Battle of Soissons.
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
, tanners
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
, and leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
workers. Born to a noble Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
family in the 3rd century AD, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, twin brothers, fled persecution for their faith, ending up in Soissons
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
, where they preached Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to the Gauls
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
and made shoes by night.
Their success attracted the ire of Rictus Varus, the governor of Belgic Gaul, who had them torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d and thrown into the river with millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s round their necks. Though they survived, they were beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
by the emperor c. 286.
An alternative account gives them as sons of a noble Romano-Briton family whose father had been killed having incurred the displeasure of the Roman emperor living at Canterbury. As they were approaching maturity their mother sent them to London to seek apprenticeship and to avoid coming to the attention of their father's killer. Travelling there, the brothers came across a shoe-maker's workshop in Faversham and decided to travel no further but to remain in Faversham where there is a plaque commemorating their association with the town. They are also commemmorated in the name of the ancient pub "Crispin and Crispianus" in Strood. It might be thought that a flaw in this account is its failure to explain how the brothers came to be martyred.
Saint Crispin is quite often associated with the Battle of Azincourt (english spelling Agincourt) as the battle was fought on Saint Crispin's day. Azincourt was seen as a justification to the atrocities underwent by the Battle of Soissons.
See also
- St Crispin Street FairSt Crispin Street FairThe St Crispin Street Fair was an annual fun fair held in town centre streets of Northampton, England organised by the Northampton Borough Council.It took place from 1993 until 2004...
- St. Crispin's Day Speech
External links
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Sts. Crispin and Crispinian
- St Crispin and St Crispinian in Faversham, Kent
- Patron Saints of leather, bikers and People wearing leather