patron saint vs defender

patron saint and defender both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
patron saint	Yes	No	No	No
defender	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, defender is a hypernym of patron saint; that is, defender is a word with a broader meaning than patron saint:

patron saint: a saint who is considered to be a defender of some group or nation
defender: a person who cares for persons or property

Other hypernyms of patron saint include guardian, protector, shielder, saint.

patron saint (noun)	defender (noun)
a saint who is considered to be a defender of some group or nation	a person who cares for persons or property
	a fighter who holds out against attack