Questions about St. Fiacre have prompted us to do a little reading and to share with you some of what we've learned about him.

The life of this 7th century monk is steeped in legend, but it is generally believed that he was born in Ireland, lived sometime between the years 600 and 670 and may have been known originally by the Irish name Fiachra. He was raised in the monastery where he enjoyed the planting and harvesting of crops and studied the healing properties of herbs. He had an appreciation for all of nature and an earnest desire to serve God. he led the life of a religious monk, feeding the hungry and healing the sick with herbs from his garden.

He was one of many Irish missionaries who traveled to France. The bishop of Meaux received him warmly and gave him a piece of land on which to set up his hermitage. It is here that the first miracle attributed to him occurred. So many local people, traveling monks and pilgrims came to him for assistance that his little garden couldn't provide for them all, so he asked the bishop for more land. The bishop said he could have as much land as he could dig in one day. According to legend, the next morning Fiacre had toppled trees, uprooted bushes, moved stones, dug trenches and miraculously cleared an immense area about the hermitage. Here he established his monastery, and as word of the miracle spread, people came to him for advice, food, healing and shelter.

After his death people continued to visit the monastery for centuries. Legend has it that in the 17th century, a thousand years after his death, his shrine was famous for the many miraculous cures. The carriages hired to take pilgrims from Hotel St. Fiacre to the shrine became know as "fiacres" and Fiacre became the patron saint of the cab drivers. His relics at Meaux are still believed to have healing powers and many people visit St. Fiacre's shrine even to this day.

Europeans have long recognized Fiacre as the patron saint of gardeners and celebrate August 30, his feast day, with special masses and pilgrimages. he is particularly honored for his work with the spade, which is his symbol in art and he is always shown with a spade in one hand. Many gardeners have a special place in their garden for a picture or statue of this saintly monk with the spade, St. Fiacre, patron saint of gardeners.