St. Fiacre (fee-AH-kra) is most renowned as the patron saint of growing food and medicinal plants, sometimes more broadly referred to as simply gardening. He is often depicted as a man carrying a spade and a basket of vegetables beside him.

 

St. Fiacre was a quiet and humble man who devoted his life to God and loved all of God’s creation, especially the plants that sprung from the earth. He was raised in a monastery in Ireland in the early 600’s. In those days the monks were considered by many to be doctors of both body and soul. The monastery near Kilkenny helped teach Fiacre the ways of the land. He learned the joy of planting, harvesting and glorifying God by tending the plants He created.  Fiacre also learned the importance of being a good steward of the land he was blessed with and learned the art of healing using the many herbs grown at the monastery. Fiacre healed a great number of sick people and fed many of the hungry in the region with the fruits of the land.

 

Being a quiet man, Fiacre longed for solitude to pray and worship God. So in the year 628, he set out for France and was led to a town called Meaux where he was greeted by the Bishop Faro. Fortunately for Fiacre, the bishop was not only upright and holy, but was a generous man and gave Fiacre a piece of land to tend. Faro told Fiacre he had a “soft spot” for Irish monks because of the good things they had done for his family when he was a boy.

 

After clearing the land, he build a small hut to live in , a garden shrine to the Blessed Mother and a small hospice for travelers who might pass by. Fiacre also planted vegetable and herb gardens.  Inevitably, hunters and other travelers found their way to the land Fiacre had been entrusted with. Some of the travelers were ill and Fiacre used the herbs he grew to heal them. Some came to him hungry and were able to be fed with the abundant harvests  Fiacre was blessed with.

 

Word soon got out about the wonders God was working through Fiacre and he simply couldn’t minister to all the people who sought his aid. After fasting and praying, Fiacre went back to Bishop Faro and asked for more land.  The bishop told Fiacre he could have as much land as he could clear in a day. God worked a miracle through Fiacre. At God’s direction, Fiacre dragged his spade across the ground and God showed his divine powers by toppling trees, uprooting bushes and briars and the land was cleared.

 

Once again, word of the wonders God was working on Fiacre’s land spread throughout the countryside and people flocked to the humble hermitage. God continued to provide Fiacre with enough food to feed the hungry travelers that stopped by and used Fiacre’s hands and the herbs grown to heal many sick people.  God continued to perform healing miracles on Fiacre’s land for centuries after his death in 670.