Isidore the Laborer
Encyclopedia
- "San Isidro Labrador" redirects here. For the city in El Salvador, see San Isidro Labrador, Chalatenango.
Isidore the Laborer, also known as Isidore the Farmer, , (c. 1070 – 15 May 1130) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
day laborer known for his goodness toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s and of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and of La Ceiba
La Ceiba
La Ceiba is a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
.
Biography
Isidore was born to very poor parents in Madrid, about the year 1070. He was in the service of the wealthy Madrid landowner Juan de Vargas on a farm in the vicinity of Madrid. Juan de Vargas would later make him bailiffBailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
of his entire estate of Lower Caramanca.
Every morning before going to work, Isidore was accustomed to hearing a Mass at one of the churches in Madrid. One day his fellow-laborers complained to their master that Isidore was always late for work in the morning. Upon investigation, so runs the legend, the master found Isidore at prayer while an angel was doing the plowing for him.
On another occasion, his master saw an angel plowing on either side of him, so that Isidore's work was equal to that of three of his fellow-laborers. Isidore is also said to have brought back to life his master's deceased daughter, and to have caused a fountain of fresh water to burst from the dry earth in order to quench his master's thirst.
St. Isidore married Maria Torribia
María Torribia
Maria Torribia was a Spanish peasant woman who is believed to have married Saint Isidore. She herself was eventually beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, and is known in Spain as Santa María de la Cabeza .Torribia is believed to have been born in Uceda, in the Spanish province of Guadalajara...
, a canonized saint, who is known as Santa María de la Cabeza in Spain because her head (cabeza in Spanish) is often carried in procession, especially during droughts. Isidore and Maria had one son, who died in his youth. On one occasion their son fell into a deep well and, at the prayers of his parents, the water of the well is said to have risen miraculously to the level of the ground, bringing the child with it, alive and well. Isidore and Maria then vowed sexual abstinence and lived in separate houses.
Isidore died on May 15, 1130, at his birthplace close to Madrid.
When King Philip III of Spain
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
was cured of a deadly disease by touching the relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s of the saint, the king replaced the old reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
with a costly silver one.
Isidore was beatified in Rome on May 2, 1619, by Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V
-Theology:Paul met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend the heliocentric ideas of Copernicus. Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy...
. He was canonized nearly three years later by Pope Gregory XV
Pope Gregory XV
Pope Gregory XV , born Alessandro Ludovisi, was pope from 1621, succeeding Paul V on 9 February 1621...
, along with Saints Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...
, Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
, Teresa of Avila
Teresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
, and Philip Neri
Philip Neri
Saint Philip Romolo Neri , also known as Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest, noted for founding a society of secular priests called the "Congregation of the Oratory".-Early life:...
, on March 12, 1622.
San Ysidro, California and San Ysidro, New Mexico
San Ysidro, New Mexico
San Ysidro is a village in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 238 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area....
were named after him.
His master Juan de Vargas's house in Madrid is now a museum with temporary exhibitions on Madrilenian subjects, as well as on the life of the saint.
Feast day, Celebrations and festivals
Saint Isidore is widely venerated as the patron saintPatron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s and day laborers, as he had been one himself. In 1947, at the request of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, he was officially named patron of farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s, with a feast day on May 10 in all dioceses of the United States, with a proper Mass and Office.
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the year 1947, the feast day of Saint John Baptist de La Salle
Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle or John Baptist de La Salle was a priest, educational reformer, and founder of Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools...
is still celebrated on May 15, with the result that the celebration of his feast was assigned to March 22. With the reform of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints
Roman Catholic calendar of saints
The General Roman Calendar indicates the days of the year to which are assigned the liturgical celebrations of saints and of the mysteries of the Lord that are to be observed wherever the Roman Rite is used...
in 1969, St. Isidore's feast was restored to the May 15 date and celebrated as an Optional Memorial. In some places within the United States and Canada, his feast is celebrated on October 25, and in other locations and among Traditional Roman Catholics the March 22 date is retained.
Many towns venerate St. Isidore and his wife Saint Maria Torribia
María Torribia
Maria Torribia was a Spanish peasant woman who is believed to have married Saint Isidore. She herself was eventually beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, and is known in Spain as Santa María de la Cabeza .Torribia is believed to have been born in Uceda, in the Spanish province of Guadalajara...
with processions in which the fields are blessed.
Corrales, New Mexico USA
In Corrales, New MexicoCorrales, New Mexico
Corrales is a village in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 8,329 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. With proximity to the Rio Grande, the village was founded for agricultural purposes. The Rio Grande Bosque on the eastern...
the town celebrates San Ysidro Fest day on May 15. Matachina's dance through the street and fiesta is a big part in the city.
Spain
In MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, his birth city, which he is the Patron Saint of, a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
is celebrated surrounding the St. Isidore hermitage, in the district of Carabanchel
Carabanchel
Carabanchel is a district in the south western suburbs of Madrid, Spain.-Overview:The area was the scene of fierce fighting during the Spanish Civil War -especially in November 1936, during the Battle of Madrid, when Nationalist troops tried to fight their way into the area. Unacustomed to street...
, every May, 15. Also a major city party
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
is celebrated in the city during this week.
In La Orotava (Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
), the greatest porno honor Isidore and Maria. The "Dance of Magos" (mago Spanish for "magician", but also used for "farmer" in Guanche
Canarian Spanish
Canarian Spanish is a variant of standard Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands by the Canarian people, and in the southeastern section of Louisiana in Isleño communities that emigrated to the Americas as early as the 18th century...
), the "Blessing of the cattle", and finally the Romería, or pilgrimage, are all celebrated to honor both patrons of this important city of the Canaries
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
Celebrations honoring both saints are also held elsewhere on the islands. For years, the Alicantine locality of Castalla has been celebrating the Fair of San Isidro, where numerous companies display their products in a playful and festive atmosphere. A medieval swap meet
Swap meet
Swap meet can mean:*Swap meet, a type of flea market*Swap Meet , a song by Nirvana*Swap Meet, a pricing game on the Price is Right game show*Swap Meet , an episode of the television program CSI...
and mechanical attractions are especially popular.
A large celebration is held in Estepona, (near Marbella) in Andalucia, where locals celebrate the day by drinking a mix of brandy and a popular energy drink - which is named in his honour. This has led to St. Isidore often being termed as the patron saint of krunk (because of the name of this combination drink in the US).
The Romeria festival in Almogia, a pueblo blanco in the campo north of Malaga (about halfway between Malaga and Antequera) in Andalucia, celebrates San Isidro, its patron saint, on the middle weekend of May with a fiesta carnival. Floats from the surrounding farming communities, accompanied by traditionally dressed ladies in 'flamenco' dresses and caballeros on dancing horses, sing and dance from Almogia to the Romeria ground a few kilometres north of the village and the festival includes music, traditional horse races, a bar for horses as well as their riders, and much parading of costume and finery. The best-dressed float is awarded a prize.
Chile
May 15 is San Isidro Day in Cuz-Cuz, about five kilometers from the city of Illapel, Choapa province, in the Coquimbo region of Chile. If the day falls on a Monday, the following Sunday is celebrated. Celebrations begin at noon with a Mass, followed by a procession and Chilean dances.Peru
Philippines
Throughout the Philippine archipelago, several feast are celebrated and offered to St. Isidore. Among them are:- The Sabugan ng Biyaya Festival (also known as simply Sabugan Festival) of the town of Agdangan, a small town in Quezon, is a thanksgiving event for the blessings that the town received, and to honor St. Isidore The Laborer.
- The Nabas Bariw Festival is celebrated to commemorate the feast day of St. Isidore the Farmer, the patron saint of NabasNabas, AklanThe Municipality of Nabas is a 4th class municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. It is located before the town of Malay and Buruanga Peninsula at the northwest tip of Panay Island...
, a municipality of AklanAklanAklan is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas. Its capital is Kalibo. It is located at the northwest portion of Panay Island, bordering Antique Province to the southwest, and Capiz Province to the east...
province in the VisayasVisayasThe Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
. It is celebrated annually from 12 – 15 May. This celebration showcases the town's hat, mat and other bariwPandanus spiralisPandanus spiralis is shrub or small tree up to 10 metres in height native to northern Australia. It is found growing in the wild in northern West Bengal and Sikkim regions of India...
products as well as the town's unique tourism sites and natural attractions.
- Also, May 15 celebrates the fiesta of San Isidro de Labrador in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Talavera is a first class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, one of the top producers of agricultural goods in the country. Its principal crops are rice, corn, and onions. The province is often referred to as the “Rice Granary of the Philippines". The feast begins a few days before the feast day and is celebrated with a week of festivities, including daily novenas, Masses, processions, entertainment events and a fair (or perya). The fiesta is held on the actual day.
- The colorful Lucban San Isidro Pahiyas Festival is also held in honor of Saints Isidore and Maria dela Cabeza every May 15 in Lucban, Quezon. It is in thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest.
- Carabaos kneel before the church of San Isidro Labrador during the Town Fiesta of Pulilan, Bulacan.
- San Isidro Labrador is also the parish saint of the town of Mogpog, MarinduqueMarinduqueIn 1945, combined American and Philippine Commonwealth troops attacked from the Japanese Troops liberated to the Battle of Marinduque in the Second World War.-Archaeology:...
. During his feast day, the town people celebrates the Kangga Festival, which highlights FilipinoPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
farmerFarmerA farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s' customs and traditions, as well as a thanksgivingThanksgivingThanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
ritualRitualA ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
for a bountiful harvest and the prosperity the town has achieved throughout the years.