We celebrate St. Urban, the patron saint of winegrowers

Today, May 25th, we celebrate the feast of St. Urban. The patron saint of winemakers, wine and vinedressers, but also of coopers. St. Urban was a Gallo-Roman Roman Catholic priest, the sixth bishop of one of the most important episcopal sees of Gaul in the northeastern region of Burgundy. He lived from 300 to 375.

He was very fond of wine. Miracles are attributed to him, which is why winemakers chose him as their patron saint. This function is often incorrectly attributed to the holy Pope Urban I, whose feast day is celebrated on May 25. Persecuted by pagans, St. Urban is said to have hidden behind a vine bush and thus saved himself from them. That is why he is often depicted with grapes or a branch of vine in his hand.

Winegrowers try to gain the support of St. Urban through prayers to protect their vineyards. Statues of St. Urban can also be found in Slovakia at the entrances to vineyards. His feast day is associated with myths about rain, storms and harvest. Bright sunshine on Urban means an abundance of good wine. If the weather is good on Urban, the grape harvest will be blessed. When Urban laughs, the grapes cry (juicy grapes).