St. Fiacre
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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