Patrona?

Yes patron is the same word in English and Spanish, but in Spanish the substantive need the letter " A " at the end for female person.

Patrona = respectful form to call the owner of the plantation in the past time.


Patron Santiago = ( gentleman ) settler of Santiago city.

Patrona de la Altagracia = This is the Virgin that represent the Dominican catholic church.

JJ.

bachata said:

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Patrona de la Altagracia = This is the Virgin that represent the Dominican catholic church. JJ.

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Actually, La Virgen de la Altagracia (aka Tatica) is not the patron saint of the DR, she's the Protector (La Protectora). The patron saint is La Virgen de Las Mercedes.

It also could mean Patron Saint, protector, boss, or someone who is your guardian.

Representative catholic church virgin of the DR is " La vigen de la Altagracia " but she also is " patrona " of Higuey church ( La basilica ).
Virgen de las Mercedes is " patrona " of La vega church ( Sato cerro ) where she appeared during the last bottle batwing Spaniards and Indians.

JJ.

bachata said:

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Virgen de las Mercedes is " patrona " of La vega church ( Sato cerro ) where she appeared during the last bottle batwing Spaniards and Indians. JJ.

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Batwing?, I've seen batwings depicted on Satan, but never on Our Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Again, La Virgen de la Altagracia is officially the Protectoress ("La Protectora") of the DR, while La Virgen de Las Mercedes is officially the Patroness ("La Patrona) of the DR.

Batwing?

I am sure Bachata meant "'between' Spaniards and Indians", and was not referring to any depiction of the virgins or demons.

Anyway, I will leave the debate about virgins to others, but I am interested in the titles 'patron' and 'patrona'. Are they earned titles, or are they simply attached to a name as a sign of respect? Is there a certain age that is associated with the title, or is used when addressing a respected person of any age?

Yes I made a mistake. I was trying to say ?between?.

The word ?Patron? primarily means ?Boss?(Jefe)

Other uses:
A-Sales people frequently use it when they are trying to sell merchandise to the store owners or maybe the public in general (I was a salesperson for 15 years)
B- It is used by sons & daughters when they refer to their moms (patrona) or dads(patron)

It is a way of showing respect & also trying to look good (caer en gracia) in the eyes of that person.

It has no age, you may use it to address anyone. However ?Don? or ?Do?a? is more often used to address older people, it shows respect.

JJ.