Saints and Holy People

Find out about their lives and how they changed the world

Saint Peter Martinez (d. 1000)

Saint Peter Martinez (d. 1000)

Patron of animals, merchants, and ecology. He is also considered the patron saint against dying alone.

Feast day: September 10




Saint Peter Martinez was born in Galicia, Spain. He began his religious life as a Benedictine monk at the Monastery of Saint Mary of Monzonzo around 950. In 986, he was appointed the archbishop of Saint Martin of Antealares in Compostela. Peter played an important role in the Spanish Reconquista, which drove the Moors out of Spain. Saint Peter Martinez is also credited as one of the composers of the hymn Salve Regina.

(Image by Andreas Praefcke, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)