Peter
Saint Peter is the patron of fishermen for the most literal reason: he was a fisherman of Galilee whom Christ called from his nets, saying he would make him a fisher of men (Matthew 4:18-19). He is patron of the popes and of the whole Church because he is the rock on which Christ built her and the first to hold the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19) — those keys are why locksmiths claim him, and why his image is a great key. Clock and watch makers honor him because Christ foretold he would deny Him “before the cock crows” (Matthew 26:34): the crowing cock that called Peter to repentance became, in Christian art, a marker of the hours. As guardian of the keys of heaven, he is invoked at the gate of eternity itself.
Saint Peter, originally a fisherman named Simon, was chosen by Jesus as the leader of the apostles and the first Pope. Jesus gave him the name “Peter” (Rock) and said, “Upon this rock I will build my Church.” He was martyred in Rome under Emperor Nero, traditionally by crucifixion upside down at his own request.
