Category: Arts & Communications
St. Luke the Evangelist, traditionally said to have painted the first icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is recognized as patron of artists and painters. This ancient tradition made him patron of artists' guilds throughout medieval Europe. His feast day is October 18.
Fra Angelico (Blessed Giovanni da Fiesole), the Dominican friar and painter of the 15th century, was proposed by Pope John Paul II as patron of artists and has been beatified, though no formal declaration has been made designating him a universal patron.
Formally proclaimed patronage — sourced from canonized saints in the Roman Calendar.
Saint Luke is invoked as patron of artists. Saint Luke is named three times in the New Testament: as the beloved physician (Colossians 4:14), as Saint Paul's fellow worker (Philemon 24), and again as Paul's companion in his last imprisonment (2 Timothy 4:11). Patristic tradition, attested by the Anti-Marcionite Prologue (c. Sources: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080123.html.
Saint Luke is the primary patron saint of artists. Their feast day is October 18.
A patron saint is a holy man or woman canonized by the Church whose life and heavenly intercession are considered especially powerful for particular needs, groups, or situations. Catholics ask patron saints to intercede — to pray to God on their behalf — drawing on the doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
To ask for a patron saint's intercession, Catholics typically pray directly to the saint, saying something like: "Luke, pray for us." You may also light a candle, attend Mass on their feast day, or make a novena — nine days of consecutive prayer — asking for their help before a particular need.