St. Isidore

Feast Day May 15

Isidore the Farm Labourer, was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid. His feast day is celebrated on May 15. Isidore married Maria Torribia, known as Santa María de la Cabeza in Spain; Isidore and Maria had one son. 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. In thanksgiving Isidore and Maria then vowed sexual abstinence and lived in separate houses. Their son later died in his youth.

This stained glass window of St. Isidore is indicative of Polish farmers. Farmers would pray to St. Isidore for their crops, for rain to water their crops, and for the sun to help their crops grow so they would have a good harvest.

Isidore died on May 15, 1130 at his birthplace close to Madrid—although the only official source places his death in the year 1172.

There have been many stories of miracles attributed to Isidore; only two are contained here. In the morning before going to work, Isidore would usually attend Mass at one of the churches in Madrid. One day, his fellow farm workers 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 whilst an angel was doing the ploughing for him.

One snowy day, when going to the mill with corn to be ground, he passed a flock of wood-pigeons scratching vainly for food on the hard surface of the frosty ground. Taking pity on the poor animals, he poured half of his sack of precious corn upon the ground for the birds, despite the mocking of witnesses. When he reached the mill, however, the bag was full, and the corn, when it was ground, produced double the expected amount of flour.

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