Sanctus Ivo, advocatus pauperum : češčenje zavetnika pravnikov v avstrijskih dednih deželah
Sanctus Ivo, advocatus pauperum : veneration of the patron saint of lawyers in the Austrian hereditary lands

slovenian

2025

volume 85, issue 1

Christianity   cultural history of Ljubljana   law   legal studies   litanies   panegyrics   saints   university

Univerza v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Saint Ivo (Yves) Hélory of Kermartin (1247–1303) is the best-known patron saint of lawyers in Europe. The Church remembers him primarily as the advocate of the poor (advocatus pauperum). Until the end of the 18th century, his veneration outside France remained limited to elite legal circles in university centres. In the Austrian hereditary lands, however, the cult of Saint Ivo was not limited to Vienna, but also spread to Ljubljana. In the first part of the article the author presents the life and work of the Breton saint. The second part focuses on the celebration of Saint Ivo’s feast day in the Austrian capital, with special emphasis on the Viennese litanies of Saint Ivo. The paper concludes with an overview of the veneration of Saint Ivo organized by the Ljubljana Law Society (Collegium iuridicum Labacense) and the Jesuit College, with special attention to the panegyrics printed in Ljubljana. They represent an important historical source for the study of legal culture and the perception of the social role of law and lawyers in the early 18th century.

17.02.2026