There are more than 10,000 known saints in the Roman Catholic Church and most of the ones mentioned in Bellairs' work feature the sort of run-of-the-mill name you'd expect a saint in the Catholic tradition to have: Michael, Mary, Christopher, Anthony, and so on. On occasion there is a mention of a lesser known heroes or heroines of antiquity, such as Ursula, Catherine, and Agnes. Saint Maria Goretti is one of the few contemporary names mentioned, Bellairs having no doubt heard her story growing up in Catholic school.
But the saint that Bellairs wrote the most about was, of course, Saint Fidgeta, a 7-year-old girl from ancient Gaul whose twisting and convulsing is documented in the first chapter of his hagiographical spoof. The tiny saint's amazing life (albeit incredibly short) and times – and all other matters, such as her heavenly appearance in Pinsk and the medieval artists she inspired – are fully documented and presented in a loving matter.
A similar study is undertaken for the lesser-known Saint Floradora, an alleged victim of Mount Vererus' eruption. While her tale is first thought to be somewhat miraculous, Bellairs provide “evidence” of some of the "research" that proves to be the downfall of the "saint who ain't."
Most of the rest of Bellairs’ sanctified few are named in St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies, such as Adiposa, the well-built woman with a flair for caloric immolation; Dragonmira, the warrior nun of Bosnia and patroness of edged weapons; Goar, an involuntary martyr; Nymphadota; and Contraceptua Brown, a young girl Henry Millered to death who lives on in the Youthful Anti-Smut League that carries her name.
In the Catholic Church it's typical to refer to saints with an identifying phrase such as "bishop and confessor" or "virgin and martyr." Bowen says Anglicans include Charles I, King and Martyr in their list, "since he lost his head in defense of the Established Church among other things. Many local saints in all Catholic countries are based on mythical rather than historic figures, but 'King and Giant' is not something you would actually see on a real church."
