Saint Honoratus of Amiens (Honoré, sometimes Honorius) (d. 16 January ca. 600) was the seventh

bishop of Amiens The Roman Catholic Diocese of Amiens (Latin: ''Dioecesis Ambianensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Amiens'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Somme, of which the city of Ami ...

. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

is May 16. ( Honoratus of Lérins (c. 350 – 429) was

Archbishop of Arles The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal see in the city of Arles, in southern France.Port-le-Grand (

Ponthieu Ponthieu (, ) was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France.Dunbabin.France in the Making. Ch.4. The Principalities 888-987 Its chief town is Abbeville. History Ponthieu play ...

) near Amiens to a noble family. Noting his pious inclinations, his family entrusted his education to his predecessor in the bishopric of Amiens, Saint Beatus (Beat). Honoratus resisted being elected bishop of Amiens, believing himself unworthy of this honour. During his bishopric, he discovered the

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

Victoricus, Fuscian, and Gentian Victoricus (or Victorice, Victoric), Fuscian (or Fulcian, Fulcien, Fuscien) and Gentian (or Gentien) (died circa 287–303) were three Christian martyrs later venerated as Roman Catholic saints. Their feast day falls on 11 December. Hagiography ...

, which had remained hidden for 300 years.

Legend

The ''Vie de Saint-Honoré'' was composed towards the end of the 11th century by a canon of Amiens from ancient manuscripts and local legends. According to hagiographic tradition, a ray of light of divine origin descended upon his head upon his election as bishop. There also appeared holy oil of unknown origin on his forehead. When it was known in his hometown that he had been proclaimed bishop, his nursemaid, who was baking bread for the family, refused to believe that Honoratus had been elevated to such a position. She remarked that she would believe the news only if the peel she had been using to bake bread put down roots and turned itself into a tree. When the peel was placed into the ground, it was transformed into a

mulberry tree ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

that gave flowers and fruit. This miraculous tree was still being shown in the sixteenth century.

Veneration

His devotion was widespread in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

following reports of numerous

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

s when his body was exhumed in 1060. After his death, his

were invoked against

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

and floods to ensure a good wheat harvest. Bishop Guy, son of

Enguerrand I, Count of Ponthieu Enguerrand I was the son of Hugh I of Ponthieu and Gisela, daughter of Hugh Capet. Marriages and children With his first wife Adelaide, daughter of Arnulf, Count of Holland, they had: * Hugh II His second wife has been identified as the wife of ...

, ordered that a procession be held, in which an

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...

holding Honoratus' relics were carried around the walls of the city. In 1202, a baker named Renold Theriens (Renaud Cherins) donated to the city of Paris some land to build a chapel in honor of the saint. The chapel became one of the richest in Paris, and gave its name to

Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré The Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré () is a street located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Relatively narrow and nondescript, especially in comparison to the nearby Avenue des Champs-Élysées, it is cited as being one of the most luxu ...

. In 1240, during construction of the cathedral of Amiens, the relics of Honoratus were carried through the surrounding countryside in a quest for funds. A statue of Honoratus stands in the southern portal of

Amiens Cathedral , image = 0 Amiens - Cathédrale Notre-Dame (1).JPG , imagesize = 200px , img capt = Amiens Cathedral , pushpin map = France , pushpin label position = below , coordinates = , country ...

Patronage

Saint Honoré is the patron of a

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...

establishment at

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

, which was founded in 1306. He is the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs.Marabini, Liana. "Saint Honoratus, patron of bakers and pastry chefs", ''The Daily Compass'', April 6, 2021
/ref> In 1400, the bakers of Paris established their

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

in the church of Saint Honoratus, celebrating his feast on 16 May and spreading his cult. In 1659,

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

ordered that every baker observe the feast of Saint Honoratus, and give donations in honor of the saint and for the benefit of the community."Honorato de Amiens, Santo", Catholic.net
/ref> The

St. Honoré Cake The St. Honoré cake, usually known by its French name gâteau St-Honoré, and also sometimes called St. Honoratus cake, is a pastry dessert named for the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, Saint Honoré or Honoratus (d. 600 AD), B ...

is named for him.Prichep, Deena. "Thank The Patron Saint Of Bakers For This Cake Today", ''The Salt'', NPR, May 16. 2012
/ref>

Legacy

Paris France Rue Saint Honore - panoramio

It is from him that a well-known church (Saint Honore) and thoroughfare in Paris, take their name.

Notes

References

External links

Saint of the Day, May 16: Honoratus of Amiens

San Honorato

Ὁ Ἅγιος Ὀνωράτος Ἐπίσκοπος Ἀμιένης
ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ. {{DEFAULTSORT:Honoratus Of Amiens Bishops of Amiens 6th-century Frankish bishops 6th-century Frankish saints