St. Fiacre (d. 670) was raised in an Irish monastery and
became known for his holiness, which caused others to flock to him. Desiring
solitude, he left for France. He established a hermitage and asked for
land to grow a garden and healing herbs, a science which he studied in the
monastery. The local bishop gave him as much land as he could entrench, so Fiacre
walked around the perimeter of a plot of land, dragging his shovel behind him.
The land was miraculously cleared and the soil entrenched wherever the spade
touched.
He lived a life of great mortification in prayer, fasting,
keeping vigils, and the manual labor of the garden. Disciples gathered around
him and soon formed a monastery.
St. Fiacre built an oratory in honor of the Virgin Mary, a
hospice in which he received strangers, and a cell to live in.
His fame for performing miracles became widespread, and his
garden in San-Fiacre in France became a place of pilgrimage for
centuries for those seeking healing. He was especially effective against
a tumor once called le fic de S. Fiacre and which
we now call hemorrhoids.
St. Fiacre is best known as the patron of gardeners and
florists.
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