left Erasmus may have become the
patron saint of sailors because he is said to have continued preaching even after a thunderbolt struck the ground beside him. This prompted sailors, who were in danger from sudden storms and lightning, to claim his prayers. The electrical discharges at the mastheads of ships were read as a sign of his protection and came to be called "
Saint Elmo's Fire".
Pope Gregory the Great recorded in the 6th century that the relics of Erasmus were preserved in the cathedral of Formia. When the old
Formiae was razed by the
Saracens in 842, the cult of Erasmus was moved to
Gaeta. He is currently the patron of Gaeta,
Santeramo in Colle and
Formia. There is an altar to Erasmus in the north transept of
St. Peter's Basilica. A copy of
Nicolas Poussin's
Martyrdom of St Erasmus serves as the
altarpiece. The skull of St. Erasmus, venerated as a relic, is purported to be in
St. Peter's Church in Munich, Germany and some parts of his body are around in Europe. Besides his patronage of
mariners, Erasmus is invoked against
colic in children, abdominal pain, intestinal ailments and diseases, cramps and the pain of women in labour, as well as cattle pests. ==Gallery==