At the midway point of the Elate Eight, the onslaught of saintly kitsch continues as Ives of Kermartin squares off against Arnulf of Metz. To get to the Elate Eight, Ives bested Jacapone da Todi and Dunstan, while Arnulf took out Vincent Saragossa and Egeria.
Yesterday Absalom Jones advanced to the faithful four, taking down Catherine Booth 55% to 45%.
Time to head to the voting booth!
Ives of Kermartin
St. Ives of Kermartin, St. Yves, St. Ivo, St. Yvo, St. Erwan, St. Iwan, St. Youenn, St. Eozenn, Yves Hélory.
Advocate of the Poor, Defender of Widows, Ideal of the Legal Profession, Patron Saint of Attorneys.
Ives is known by many names and honorary titles. Nonetheless, his dedication to the law and devotion to fairness while meshing with his faith are admired, heralded, and emulated. Remarkably, you’ll see tributes to Ives pop up in all sorts of places.
In the United States and throughout Europe to the Middle East, legal organizations are named in his honor. The Society of St. Yves is a Catholic human rights organization based in Jerusalem. St. Ives Chambers is a law partnership in London, and the Conférence Saint Yves, or the Association de la Saint Yves Lyonnais, is the Luxembourg Catholic Lawyers Association.
Schools named for him include St. Ivo Academy in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, and Saint Ivo's 
College in Belgium was founded 1483 (that’s more than 500 years ago!).
His image shines in stained glass windows and his face has graced canvasses by such great artists as Rogier van der Weyden, Lucas van Uden, Josse van der Baren, Jaques Jordaens, and Jacopo da Empoli. A church is named for him in Brittany, France, while an ornate wall hanging is featured in Waldkirch, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
A delightful Ives sculpture is located on the campus of Northwestern University in Chicago, while there is an impressive statue of him in Prague.
You can read about him in “Law, Justice and Mediation: The
Legend of St. Yves.”
France honored Ives in 1956 with a stamp.
You can view his relics, including his skull, in Treguier in France.
To keep Ives close to you, wear a shirt emblazoned with the school motto, frame and hang painting reprints, drink from a, Ives mug, or keep from losing your keys with a key chain featuring his visage.
Arnulf of Metz
Saint Arnulf of Metz (582-685) has inspired many over the centuries. And so whether it’s a signature IPA, an Imperial Stout, an OctoberFest Ale, or their magnificent Root Beer, pour yourself a glass of Saint Arnold’s into your “Bless me father for I have beered” pint glass and celebrate Saint Arnulf (Arnold) of Metz, patron saint of brewers.
Remembering the royal offspring that would come from Arnulf, we will make sure to dress appropriately for our celebration: put on a t-shirt bearing one of Arnulf’s great quotes: “From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.” If you’re feeling fancy and festive, you might even put on these amazing “beerings” with the image of the Saint on them.
At the end of the day, you may find yourself too worn out for the drive home – perhaps you even spent too much time following Arnulf’s advice: “Don’t drink the water, drink the beer.” Being a safe and good citizen, you call for an Uber. Who could expect that the Saint Arnold art car would take you safely back to your home? All eyes are on you as roll through the streets of Houston in this mobile masterpiece.
Coming home, you recall Arnulf’s hospitality to the poor travelers who came to Metz – the ways in which he gave warmth and shelter to them all. You wrap yourself in your blanket 
that is adorned with the Coat of Arms of Arnulf’s powerful descendant Charlemagne, and prepare to rest for the night.
[poll id="327"]
86 comments on “Ives of Kermartin vs. Arnulf of Metz”
Too many lawyer lovers in this round! I'm a beer guy. Boo.
You'll be happy to know there is a Beer's Law, which has to do with the absorbance of light in a liquid solution, originally wine, but applies to beer as well. You can have suds AND law!
Another tough decision between eminent and saintly personages. As a beer-lover, I would naturally go with St Arnulf. However, my late father was a lawyer (and a fellow hops fancier) who for decades was a regional director in Ontario of Legal Aid, a publicly funded organization that provides legal assistance to low-income people. He was, therefore, quite literally an advocate for the poor. So, in honour of Dad, my vote is for St Ives.
Today have I succumbed to St. Arnulf and beer, hospitality and levity. But friends, I love both of these guys, and actually St. Ives was first in my heart until I began to ponder the state of too many attorneys, whose practices could use more St. Ives and less me first. Just think of Sydney Powell. Now THERE is an attorney in need of St. Ives. But she is not the only one. So St. Arnulf got my vote today. Cheers!
When the going gets tough, the tough make it personal. Yesterday, confronted with a choice between two excellent candidates for the Golden Halo, I went with Absalom in honour of my son the Mason. Today, finding myself in the same cleft stick, I'm going with Ives, in honour of my BFF - a lawyer who brings her brains, heart, deep wells of compassion and her profound Christian faith to bear in every case she takes on.
Arnulf, for that car. It belongs in the Kitsch Hall of Fame.
I loved the kitsch for St. Arnulf, but my heart is with Ives today. This raises the quandary I always face in this round: Do I vote solely on the basis of the kitsch, or for the saint as I have come to know him or her up to this point? I was almost swayed by the car (way to go, David!), but I ended up voting for Ives on behalf of all the good-hearted lawyers in my family. And since looking after widows was one of the primary missions of the early church, Ives gets my vote, despite Arnulf’s superb kitsch.
Another great day of kitsch. The statue and the stamp won my vote to St Ives, but the car almost swayed me. Mustn't let my beer brewing husband see it, he might decide to remodel the family car!
One requires beer when dealing with lawyers.
Not St. Ives, but Charles Ives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLCToHOHVZA&t=23s
I too have the Sr. Bridget pint glass along with the Dietrich Bonhoeffer pint. An Arnulf would be a welcome addition to my collection.
In 2016, I got the Bonhoeffer coffee mug from the Lentorium, but skipped the pint glass. And, yes, an "Arnulf Pint" would be just the thing for your collection. However, it looks as though "Ives" gets this round. Maybe another year
I, on the other hand, did get the Bonhoeffer pint glass rather than the coffee mug, due to the acquisition of far too many coffee mugs that were distributed at conventions in my working days...there are a plethora of institutions of higher learning in New York State!
Wow! That's Charles Ives, all right, sung by an impressive choir. Beautifully done, excellently enunciated. Thank you for posting this, Mark.
That sounds s a challenging piece to sing! Kudos to the choir!
Raising a beer glass to two worthy saints who well-deserved the reception they received in Heaven. But today my vote goes to St. Ives and the law of compassion.
Ives hands down got my vote. The other lost me at beer (wicked brew!)
Thanks John Cabot. Just ordered my St. Ives mug....a gift for my attorney daughter. Also voted for her patron saint; hopefully I'll get another when he wins the golden halo.
I AM VOTING FOR ST. IVES.
I had to go with St. Ivo! My eldest son is a lawyer, and a graduate of Northwestern Law School, where St. Ives has a lovely statue. Every profession must have a patron saint1
A total miscarriage of Lent Madness Justice!
In honor of my favorite "Holier than thou" monastery ale at the Friar's Brewhouse in Bucksport, Maine, I have to go with Saint Arnulf.
More kind words for a lawyer! No contest here!
Beer wins over lawyers!
I didn't think these entries added much to the knowledge of either saint, so I went back to the original comments, and in the process discovered that Arnulf of Metz is my 41 x great grandfather! So of course I had to vote for him. Sorry he lost, but family.... you get it!
In the legal profession he is
Venerated by faithful and faithless alike.
Encouraging
Sharing
My daughter is a Philadelphia lawyer! How can I not vote for St. Ives?!
Skull for the win!
The Gray Household Couplet
If your life's in upheaval, an ale will not do;
Vote for Ives' justice and not Arnulf's brew