Patron Saint of Hangovers: St. Bibiana, Patron of Headaches and Hangovers, and a Prayer

The patron saint of hangovers is St. Bibiana (or Vivian), a young Roman virgin martyred in the fourth century under the emperor Julian the Apostate; according to tradition, a plant that grew on her grave was used to cure headaches, and so she is invoked against headaches, hangovers and epilepsy. For anyone who wants to drink less or to stop drinking, Catholics also turn to St. Monica, who as a girl fell into the habit of drinking wine and was cured of it, and to Venerable Matt Talbot, the Dublin laborer who overcame alcoholism through prayer. Below are their stories, Scripture and prayers, including a prayer for the morning after.

A short prayer for the morning after, written for this page:

St. Bibiana, patron of hangovers

According to the account of her passion, Bibiana was the daughter of Christian parents in Rome who were martyred under Julian the Apostate, the emperor who tried to restore paganism around 362–363. Her father Flavian was exiled and her mother Dafrosa beheaded. Bibiana and her sister Demetria were stripped of their goods; Demetria died before the judge, and Bibiana, who refused to deny Christ or to give up her virginity, was tied to a pillar and scourged to death with whips weighted with lead. Her body was left for the dogs, but they did not touch it, and a priest buried her secretly.

Around 467 Pope Simplicius built a church over her grave, Santa Bibiana, which still stands near the Termini station in Rome. A legend says that an herb grew near her grave that healed headaches and epilepsy; for this reason she became the patron of people with headaches, epilepsy and mental illness, and, with a smile, of those suffering from hangovers. Her feast day is December 2.

St. Monica and Venerable Matt Talbot

St. Augustine tells in his Confessions that his mother, Monica, as a girl was sent to draw wine for the household and began to sip it, a little more each day, until she was drinking whole cups. One day a servant girl, quarreling with her, called her a drunkard, and Monica, ashamed, gave up the habit at once. She is invoked by people who want to break a habit of drinking. See the St. Monica prayer.

Matt Talbot (1856–1925), a Dublin laborer, was an alcoholic from his early teens. At twenty-eight he took a pledge to stop drinking, went to Mass daily, prayed, did penance and never drank again for the remaining forty-one years of his life. He was declared Venerable in 1975 and is the patron of people struggling with alcoholism. See the Catholic prayer for addiction.

What Scripture says

Ephesians 5:18 (Douay-Rheims):

The Church does not condemn alcohol: Jesus changed water into wine at Cana, and wine becomes his Blood in the Mass. What Scripture condemns is drunkenness, which harms body and soul. Temperance, one of the cardinal virtues, helps us enjoy good things with moderation.

Prayers

Written for this page.

For a headache

To drink less

If drinking has become a problem, talk to a doctor or a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous, and to a priest. You are not alone.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of hangovers?

St. Bibiana, a fourth-century Roman martyr, also invoked for headaches and epilepsy.

When is St. Bibiana’s feast day?

December 2.

Who is the patron saint of alcoholics?

Venerable Matt Talbot is widely invoked by people struggling with alcoholism, and St. Monica by those who want to break a drinking habit.

More prayers

• Patron saint of beer
• Catholic prayer for addiction
• Patron saint of coffee
• Patron saints of healing
• Unusual patron saints
• Patron saints

Texts and sources

• Ephesians 5:18 (Douay-Rheims).
• St. Augustine, Confessions, Book IX.8, on St. Monica.