at prayer

St. Honoratus. Archbishop of Arles
St Honoratus

Feast Day 16 January: Algaida
c. 350 – 429 AD

Thought to be born of prosperous parents in Northern Gaul, he and his brother Venantius were converted to Christianity and, almost immediately, they set off to visit the holy places of Palestine. His brother died en-route and Honoratus returned to France. Seeking a life of solitude, he established himself on the Isle of Lérins in Provençe and was soon surrounded by like-minded monks. This was the beginning of the famous monastery at Lerins. It is said that St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland studied here in the fifth century. Nowadays, the island is known as Île Saint Honorat.

On the assassination of Patroclus, Archbishop of Arles, protesting vehemently and unwilling, he was appointed Archbishop. He re-established orthodoxy and eradicated the prevalent Arian and Manichaean heresies. He died three years later; in ill health from the austerities he practiced. His tomb is shown empty under the high altar of the church which bears his name at Arles; his body having been translated to Lerins in 1391.

His patronage is sought against drought, misfortune and for and against rain.

The second of three monasteries on the road up to the summit of Randa is known as the Sant Honorat Hermitage. Arnau Desbrull, a knight who became a hermit, lived here for 30 years. In 1394 the Bishop of Mallorca granted him permission to build a chapel to St Honorat. It was finished in 1397 and rebuilt in 1661.