August 30 Saint of the Day Profile
August 30 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Fiacre
Profile:
Brother of Saint Syra of Troyes. Raised in an Irish monastery, which
in the 7th century were great repositories of learning, including the
use of healing herbs, a skill studied by Fiacre. His knowledge and
holiness caused followers to flock to him, which destroyed the holy
isolation he sought.
Fleeing to France, he established a hermitage in a cave near a
spring, and was given land for his hermitage by Saint Faro of Meaux, who
was bishop at the time. Fiacre asked for land for a garden for food and
healing herbs. The bishop said Fiacre could have as much land as he
could entrench in one day. The next morning Fiacre walked around the
perimeter of the land he wanted, dragged his spade behind him. Wherever
the spade touched, trees were toppled, bushes uprooted, and the soil was
entrenched. A local woman heard of this, and claimed sorcery was
involved, but the bishop decided it was a miracle. This garden,
miraculously obtained, became a place of pilgrimage for centuries for
those seeking healing.
Fiacre had the gift of healing by laying on his hands; blindness,
polypus, and fevers are mentioned by the old records as being cured by
his touch; he was especially effective against a type of tumour or
fistula later known as "le fic de S. Fiacre".
Fiacre's connection to cab drivers is because the Hotel de Saint
Fiacre in Paris, France rented carriages. People who had no idea who
Fiacre was referred to the cabs as Fiacre cabs, and eventually just as
fiacres. Those who drove them assumed Fiacre as their patron.
Died
• 18 August 670 of natural causes
• his relics have been distributed to several churches and cathedrals across Europe
Patronage
• against barrenness or sterility
• against fistula
• against haemorrhoids or piles
• against venereal disease
• box makers
• cab or taxi drivers
• costermongers
• florists
• gardeners
• hosiers
• pewterers
• tile makers
Representation
• shovel
• spade
• man carrying a spade and a basket of vegetables beside him, surrounded by pilgrims and blessing the sick.
Blog post courtesy:
http://catholicsaints.info/saint-fiacre/
