A Christian Saint Remembered by The Covid-19 Pandemic: St. Corona and Her Cult

Abstract

As in many fields, the coronavirus has had effects and consequences in the religious field. One of them is the birth of new goddesses and the updating and re-functioning of an old saint and her cult that can be seen in Hinduism and Christianity. Shortly after the pandemic outbreak, new goddesses, Corona Devi and Corona Mata, began to appear in India. Those who created the goddesses did not neglect to erect idols of these goddesses, in which they reflect some objects and depictions related to the coronavirus and pandemic, to build temples in their names, and even appoint priests to these temples. This Hinduist tradition, which has been maintained throughout history to protect itself against various pandemics such as smallpox, chickenpox, plague, and cholera, has also emerged in its own way in the coronavirus pandemic. The purpose of these idols, which, according to Hindus, who worshipped the goddesses mentioned above, consisted of the incarnation of the coronavirus, was to alleviate the effects of the virus. Therefore, these statues shaped as goddesses were nothing but idols representing the virus itself. On the other hand, those who worshipped her took refuge in the goddesses mentioned above, who represented the virus, from the evil of her, that is, the virus, according to their statements. While these interesting events, which could perhaps be counted as the first among the effects of the pandemic on a colorful religious tradition, were taking place in India, a similar development was seen in entirely different geography and religious climate simultaneously. In contrast to the newly born goddesses in this eastern corner of the world, which has a polytheistic religion like Hinduism; although no new goddesses appeared in the western corner, where the ambiguous monotheistic Christian religion was dominant, an old saint to whom divine powers were ascribed per the religion's theological structure was being remembered again. This development has become a current phenomenon, showing a modern reflection of the cult of saints, which has its roots in the religion concerned. Throughout their history, Christians, like Hindus, sought divine but tangible authorities that they could apply to protect themselves from pandemics or get rid of pandemics. They found these authorities in saints. Because when it comes to healing, there is a chain of traditions and practices as old as religion itself. Healing, which is considered within the scope of a unique ability believed to be inherited from Jesus Christ to the apostles and from them to the saints, has often been an expected result from religious practices, and especially miracles, rather than medical ones. Acting with this belief, Christians applied to some people who were previously declared saints during various pandemics, assuming that they were protected from the current pandemic, and expected healing or protection from them. This deep-rooted belief and practice have also manifested itself during the pandemic we live in, with a saint considered to have lived a long time ago and arousing interest due to being the namesake of the pandemic. This saint, St. Corona, although there are different details about her in various sources, is a female figure accepted to have lived in the second century AD. It is known that over time, different groups such as lumberjacks, butchers, grave diggers, treasure hunters, those who are in financial trouble or who want to have plenty of money, lottery, gambling, and betting players see her as a patron saint and a cult has formed around her name. With the Covid-19 pandemic, she came to the fore again because she bears the same name as the virus that caused the pandemic, and it was claimed that she was the patron saint of pandemics. However, the existence of such a protective function in history cannot be verified. St. Corona, if not in history, is now the patron saint of pandemics and especially the coronavirus pandemic. In this study, her process of becoming a patron saint from the pandemic will be followed through the data of digital media, and then her historical personality will be introduced.