Erasmus of Formia, also known as Saint Elmo, was a Christian saint and martyr. He is venerated as the patron saint of sailors and abdominal pain. Erasmus or Elmo is also one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, saintly figures of Christian religion who are venerated especially as intercessors.
St. Elmo by the Master of Meßkirch, c. 1530
A 15th-century fresco painting held to be the torturing and dismemberment of Erasmus, in the Maria Church in Båstad, Sweden
The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus by Poussin
Dieric Bouts, Martyrdom of St Erasmus, Sint Pieterskirk, Leuven, Belgium, c. 1464
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together by Catholics because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. This group of Nothelfer originated in the 14th century at first in the Rhineland, largely as a result of the epidemic that became known as the Black Death.
Figurines of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, Chapel on the Michaelsberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Painting of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
Basilika Vierzehnheiligen
The first panel of the Grünewald altarpiece