The name of the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) football club is closely linked to a beloved saint of the Catholic Church.
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PSG or Paris Saint Germain, where stars such as the Argentine Lionel Messi, the Brazilian Neymar Jr., the Spanish Sergio Ramos have played; and where the Frenchmen Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembelé now shine, was born on August 12, 1970 after the merger of the Paris Football Club and the Stade Saint-Germain.
Originally it represented not only Paris but the town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye was founded in 1020 when King Robert the Pious founded a convent on the site of the current Saint-Germain Church.
The name of the club, which is now owned by a Qatari foundation, is then related to Saint Germain of Paris.
Who was Saint Germanus of Paris?
Saint Germanus of Paris was born in the year 496 in France. As a child he was abandoned by his parents and a relative of his, the priest Scapilion, took care of him.
Germán was abbot of the monastery of San Sinforiano, where he fostered the spirit of poverty among the monks.
It is said that his detachment from material things was such that it became uncomfortable for the monks most attached to them. It is also said that he once had to face a group of monks who rebelled against his authority, fearing that Saint Germán would give away his things.
He became Bishop of Paris in 555, a position in which he would serve until his death in 576. He is remembered for his great love for those most in need, which is why he was called “The Father of the Poor” and for his role in the pacification of France.
Saint Germain is credited with the conversion of King Childebert I to the Catholic faith, whom he asked to put order in the customs of his subjects. He lived in times when the nobility was decadent and very few were in solidarity with the poorest.
After a life of austerity and penance, Saint Germanus died at almost 80 years old, on May 28, 576.
Many venerate him as the patron saint of Paris. He is buried in the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Saint German of the Meadows) in the French capital.
The Catholic Church celebrates its feast every May 28.
This article was originally published in 2022. It has been updated for republication.
Walter Sánchez Silva
I have been a husband since 2008. My wife and I have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before he was born. Since I joined ACI Prensa in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Cologne, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and of Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the Family synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Synodality, in 2023. I closely follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers persecution from the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as current ecclesiastical events in the region.