Saint Alexius, the patron saint of the Alexian Brothers, is best known as the patron saint of beggars, the homeless and pilgrims. But there are places where he is venerated as a saint who protects against earthquakes and storms. One of these is the German town of Rastatt, where earthquakes struck in 1723 and 1728. Afterwards, a statue of St Alexius was erected in the market square in the centre of the town to protect it from further disasters.