Saint Gregory of Ostia – Rioja Wine Patron (Sold)

St. Gregory of Ostia

ST. GREGORY OSTIENSE

(Saint Gregory of Ostia)

Gregory was a member of the Benedictine Order and eventually became the cardinal-bishop of the city of Ostia near Rome and the papacy’s official librarian. He is shown waving of a hoard of locusts (langosta).

He was sent as a Papal legate to the northern Spanish region of Navarra. When a plague of locusts wiped out the crops of the region, Gregory organized prayers and fasting to end the infestation. After five years in Spain, he died in Longrono, the center of the Rioja wine region.

In the Rioja region, priests traditionally carry priests carry a silver bust of the saint into the vineyards aeach spring to enlist his help in achieving a successful harvest.

Text on Print in Spanish:

“S Gregorio Cardenal y Obispo de Hostia
Avogado contra la Langosta Oruga y otros Insectos que destruyen los frutos de la Tierra”

Copperplate engraving on old handlaid chainlinked paper.

Dimensions: 28 X 19 cm

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