I'm on the hunt for a St. Francis statue to go in the flower garden area. It has to be able to live up to a lot of requirements such as:
- Interesting/unique appearance
- Super sturdy (long zone 5a winters!)
- Tall
- Affordable
Whilst cruising the interwebs for such a gem I came across another saint that needs a home in our garden:
St. Fiacre (Excerpted from Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney)
St. Fiacre (also known as Fiachra; Fiachrach; Fiacrius; Fiaker and Fevre) was a hermit at Kilfiachra, Ireland. He left to go to France, and then lived as a solitary at Breuil, Brie, on land given him by St. Faro, bishop of Meaux. Fiacre built a hospice for travelers, attracted many disciples, was known for his charity and aid to the poor, and was consulted by many for his spiritual wisdom. His miracles of healing became legendary. He is the patron saint of gardeners and the cabdrivers of Paris, whose vehicles are called fiacres, since the first coach for hire in Paris was located near the Hotel Saint-Fiacre. He is mentioned in Roman Martyrology for this day.
Patron: Gardeners; herbalist; florists; potters; needlemakers; cab drivers; against hemorrhoids (VCA: really?! WOW!); against syphilis (VCA: aren't we all?); barrenness; box makers; fistula; hosiers; pewterers; taxi drivers; sterility; tile makers; against venereal disease (VCA: ibid).
Symbols: Spade and open book; rosary; birds; spade.
Often Portrayed as: man carrying a spade and a basket of vegetables beside him surrounded by pilgrims and blessing the sick.
The hunt is on!
