SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_isidore_le_laboureur.html
L'histoire de l'Église et la vie des Saints démontrent que la sainteté a fleuri, au cours des siècles, dans toutes les classes de la société et dans les milieux les plus divers, chez de tout jeunes enfants comme chez des adultes ou des vieillards. La sainteté est une carrière ouverte à tous, selon la parole de Jésus Lui-même: Soyez parfaits comme votre Père céleste est parfait. (Mt. 5, 48) Avec la grâce de Dieu, tout chrétien est donc destiné à la sainteté, car la volonté de Dieu est que vous soyez saints, (I Thess. 4, 3) enseigne saint Paul. Toutefois, il est bien évident que personne ne peut devenir saint malgré lui! "Un saint, a écrit saint Thomas d'Aquin, est une âme dans laquelle le Saint-Esprit a carte blanche," c'est-à-dire pleine liberté d'action. C'est une âme fidèle aux inspirations de la grâce, attentive à réaliser le bon plaisir de Dieu, à bien porter la croix à la suite du divin Maître.
Paysan (✝ 1130)
Lui et sa femme, Maria Toribia furent toute leur vie domestiques de ferme chez le seigneur Vergas dans la région de Madrid. Chaque dimanche, après la grand-messe dont il chantait la liturgie au lutrin, il passait sa journée en prière. Chaque jour il prenait sur son sommeil le temps d'aller à la messe avant de se rendre à son travail. Son maître voulut se rendre compte qu'il ne perdait pas ainsi des heures précieuses. Il vint un matin et, tandis qu'Isidore était en extase, il vit les bœufs continuant leur travail, comme s'ils étaient conduits par deux anges. C'est au roi Philippe III d'Espagne que l'on doit d'avoir un laboureur authentique dans le calendrier, car il avait été guéri par son intercession.
Le 12 mars 1622, le pape Grégoire XV canonisait simultanément saints Ignace de Loyola, sainte Thérèse d'Avila, saint François Xavier, saint Philippe Néri et... saint Isidore!
Il fait partie des Saints patrons des JMJ de Madrid.
À Madrid, vers 1130, saint Isidore, le laboureur. Avec son épouse, la bienheureuse Turibia, il travailla la terre avec ardeur et recueillit avec patience davantage les fruits du ciel que ceux de la terre, offrant le modèle d’un paysan chrétien très pieux.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1129/Isidore-le-Laboureur.html
.jpg)
St. Isidore the Labourer
His Life, as first written in 1265 by John, a deacon of the church of St. Andrew, at Madrid, and supplemented by him in 1275, is printed in Acta S.S., May, III, 515-23. It served as the basis for LOPE DE VEGA's religious poem San Isidro (1599). Acta SS., loc. cit., 512-559; BUTLER, Lives of the Saints, 10 May; BARING-GOUID, Lives of the saints, 10 May; TAMAYO Martyrologium Hispanicum, III (Lyons, 1655), 191-98; QUARTINO, Vita di, S. Isidoro agricola (Turin, 1882).
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Also known as
Isadore the Farmer
Isidore Bonden
Isidore of Madrid
Isidore the
Laborer
Isidro Labrador
Isidore the Worker
Profile
Pious farmer. Married to Saint Mary
de la Cabeza. Their son died young;
they became convinced it was the will of God that
they not have children,
and they lived together chastely the rest of their lives, doing good works.
Accused by fellow workers of shirking his duties by attending Mass each
day, taking time out for prayers,
etc. Isidore claimed he had no choice but to follow the highest Master. One
tale says that when his master came in the morning to chastise him for skipping
work for church, he found angels plowing
the fields in place of Isidore. Miracles and
cures reported at his grave, in which his body remains incorrupt.
Born
c.1070 at Madrid,
Castille (part of modern Spain)
15 May 1130 at Madrid, Spain of
natural causes
buried at
the Church of
San Isidro in Madrid
12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory
XV
United
States National Rural Life Conference
Digos, Philippines, diocese of
Malaybalay, Philippines, diocese of
Asturias,
Cebu, Philippines
Bukidnon,
Mindanao, Philippines
in Spain
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Additional Information
A
Garner of Saints, by Allen Banks Hinds, M.A.
Book of Saints, by Father Lawrence
George Lovasik, S.V.D.
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Legends
of Saints and Birds, by Agnes Aubrey Hilton
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Roman
Martyrology, 1914 edition
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Sacred
and Legendary Art, by Anna Jameson
other sites in english
1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian
Catholic Truth Society
Saint
Isidore Parish, Stow, Massachusetts
images
video
sitios en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti in italiano
Readings
O God, Who
didst teach Adam the
simple art of tilling the soil, and Who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
didst reveal Thyself the husbandman of our souls, deign, we pray, through the
merits of Blessed Isidore, to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, we may,
with Christ our Lord, enjoy eternal happiness in heaven. Through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. – Prayer to Saint Isidore, Patron of Farmers;
from The Fold, August 1953
MLA Citation
“Saint Isidore the Farmer“. CatholicSaints.Info.
26 December 2020. Web. 15 May 2021.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-isidore-the-farmer/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-isidore-the-farmer/
.jpg)
Antonius-Kapelle in Bad Driburg-Neuenheerse
Born in Madrid, Spain, 1070; died there in 1130; canonized in 1622; feast day formerly on May 10 and March 22, and October 25 in the U.S.A. Saint Isidore's feast is celebrated in Madrid, Spain, with ringing church bells and streets decorated for a procession in his honor. The saint was poor into a peasant family and baptized Isidore in honor of the famous archbishop of Seville. His unreliable biography was written about 150 years after his death and many concern the miracles associated with his name.
Isidore was a day laborer, working on the farm of the wealthy John de Vergas at Torrelaguna just outside Madrid. He married a poor girl, Maria de la Cabeza (Torriba), and had a son who died while still a baby. Thereafter, the couple took a vow of continence to serve God. Isidore's life is a model of simple Christian charity and faith. He prayed while at work, and he visited many churches in Madrid and the area while on holidays. He shared what he had--even his meals--with the poor, often giving them the more liberal portions.
He was steady and hard-working, but a complaint was made against him to his employer that he arrived late to work because he attended early morning Mass each day. When charged with his offense, he did not deny it and explained to his employer: "Sir, it may be true that I am later at my work than some of the other laborers, but I do my utmost to make up for the few minutes snatched for prayer; I pray you compare my work with theirs, and if you find I have defrauded you in the least, gladly will I make amends by paying you out of my private store."
His employer said nothing, but remained suspicious, and, being determined to find out the truth, rose one morning at daybreak and concealed himself outside the church. In due course, Isidore appeared and entered the building, and afterwards, when the service was over, went to his work. Still following him, his employer saw him take the plough into a field, and was about to confront him when, in the pale, misty light of dawn, he saw, as he thought, a second plough drawn by white oxen moving up and down the furrows. Greatly astonished, he ran towards it, but even as he ran it disappeared and he saw only Isidore and his single-plough.
When he spoke to Isidore and enquired about the second plough he had seen, Isidore replied in surprise: "Sir, I work alone and know of none save God to whom I look for strength." Thus the story grew that so great was his sanctity that the angels helped him even in his plowing. It was characteristic of Isidore's whole life. He was a simple ploughman, his speech clear and direct, his conduct honest as the day, his faith pure and steadfast. He was a poor man, but gave away what he could, with a good and generous heart, and with such sympathy and goodwill that his gifts seemed doubly blessed. Indeed, he could never neglect doing a kindness to man or beast.
One snowy day, when going to the mill with corn to be ground which his wife had gleaned, 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.
In such simple tales we find reflected the spirit of Saint Isidore, who never ruled a diocese or was martyred for his faith, but who as truly served God in the fields and on the farm as those in higher places and who bore more famous names.
His saintly wife survived Isidore for several years. Forty years after his death, his body was transferred to a shrine, and his cultus grew as a result of miracles attributed to his intercession. He is said to have appeared in a vision to King Alphonsus of Castile in 1211, and to have shown him an unknown path, which he used to surprise and defeat the Moors. His canonization occurred at the insistence of King Philip III, who attributed his recovery from a serious illness to Isidore's intercession (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Gill, Tabor, White).
In art, Saint Isidore is portrayed as a peasant holding a sickle and a sheaf of corn. He might also be shown (1) with a sickle and staff, (2) as an angel ploughs for him, (3) giving a rosary to children by a well, mattock on his feet, water springing from the well, (4) striking water from dry earth with an angel plowing in the background (Roeder), (5) before a cross, or (6) with an angel and white oxen near him (White).
In Spanish art his emblems are a spade or a plough (Tabor). He is the patron of Madrid, Spain (Roeder), farmers and farm laborers, and the U.S. National Catholic Rural Conference (White).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0515.shtml
_Vitrail_05.jpg)
Baie 09: Saint-Isidore. Vitrail de l'église
Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Baguer-Morvan (35).
Peintres verriers ː Lecomte et Colin, 1881
St. Isidore the Farmer
When he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, St. Isidore entered the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, and worked faithfully on his estate outside the city for the rest of his life. He married a young woman as simple and upright as himself who also became a saint—Maria de la Cabeza. They had one son, who died as a child.
Isidore frequented Holy Mass every morning but often reported to work late. Late, though he was, his plowing was nevertheless accomplished by angels that resulted in three times more productivity. His coworkers and his boss witnessed such miraculous events and accorded Isidore with great respect.
All day long, as he walked behind the plow, he communed with God. Many marvelous happenings accompanied his lifelong work in the fields and continued long after his holy death. He was favored with celestial visions and, it is said, the angels sometimes helped him in his work in the fields.
He was known for his love of the poor, and there are accounts of Isidore’s supplying them miraculously with food. He had a great concern for the proper treatment of animals.
He died May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622 with Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known in Spain as “the five saints.” St. Isidore has become the patron of farmers and rural communities. In particular he is the patron of Madrid, Spain, and of the United States National Rural Life Conference.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/saint-isidore-the-farmer/
_Vierzehn-Nothelfer-Kapelle5969.JPG)
Bleiglasfenster in der Vierzehn-Nothelfer-Kapelle in
Engeln, einem Ortsteil von Kempenich
Miniature Lives of the Saints –
Saint Isidore of Madrid
Isidore was born of poor parents, at Madrid, in the
twelfth century, and gained his livelihood as a ploughman. He never learned to
read or write, but sanctified himself by his daily toil, according to the law
God gave Adam at the falL Most of his nights were spent in prayer, and his
first act in the morning was to attend Mass. His fellow servants accused him of
neglecting his work for this purpose. When his master went to the field to see
the truth, he found two angels working by the side of Isidore, to compensate
for the time he had given to God. He had no fear but of sin, and committed all
his cares to God with marvellous simplicity. Hearing in church that his ass was
in danger from a wolf, he answered, “God’s will be done,” and with perfect
composure continued his prayers to the end. When he reached the spot, his ass
was feeding in safety, and the wolf lay dead by its side. He constantly divided
his food with the poor. Once, when all had been given away, another poor man
appeared. Isidore begged his wife for God’s sake to find him some soup; and on
looking into the vessel she found it miraculously refilled. Isidore never had
but the one master, who learned by long experience his real worth, and made him
steward of his whole property. He died a.d. 1170, and is honoured as tie patron
Saint of Madrid.
Saint Isidore became a Saint because he preferred
prayer with God to conversation with men, and because he trusted rather the
Divine power and goodness than any human aid.
“The stability of our faith comes not from the
acuteness of our understanding, but from the simplicity of our adhesion to the
promises of God.” — Saint Augustine
One hot summer’s day, when the whole country was
parched and the rivers were dry, Isidore’s master came up to him in the field
where he was ploughing, and asked him where he could find some water to drink.
The Saint pointed to a neighbouring hill. His master went to the spot, but soon
returned, disappointed and enraged. Then Isidore took him to the same place,
which indeed showed no sign of a spring ; but the Saint made the sign of the
Cross on the dry ground, and, piercing the surface with his goad, there gushed
forth a miraculous fountain, which flows to this day, and is blessed with
healing virtue.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good, and inhabit the land,
and thou shalt be fed with its riches.” – Psalm 36:3
MLA Citation
Henry Sebastian Bowden. “Saint Isidore of
Madrid”. Miniature Lives of the Saints for Every
Day of the Year, 1877. CatholicSaints.Info.
23 February 2015. Web. 15 May 2021. <https://catholicsaints.info/miniature-lives-of-the-saints-saint-isidore-of-madrid/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/miniature-lives-of-the-saints-saint-isidore-of-madrid/
San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidor von Madrid);
Schule von Potosí, Bolivien, wahrscheinlich 19. Jh.; Öl auf Leinwand;
Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin
San Isidro Labrador (Saint Isidore the Laborer),
school of Potosí, Bolivia, probably 19th century; Oil on canvas; Ethnological
Museum, Berlin, Germany
Legends
of Saints and Birds – Saint Isidore
In the twelfth century there lived in Spain a peasant
called Isidore. He spent his days ploughing his master’s fields, watching his
master’s crops, having no thought but that of doing his duty faithfully. But
the Church, following the example of our Blessed Lord, her Founder, who chose
to be born in lowly state, has ever liked to show honour to those simple souls
who, having no riches nor possessions, no rank nor title, yet are called to be
Saints. So it is that Isidore the peasant was chosen to be patron of a royal
city the capital of Spain. And as each fifteenth of May comes round, in Madrid
they hold a festival, keeping the Feast Day of the peasant Saint. Now, Isidore
was but a day labourer, going forth to his work until the evening, work which
he did well and diligently. Yet slanderous tongues sought to make mischief by
saying that Isidore came late to his work, never telling how he worked longer
and more diligently than his fellows.
Therefore his master inquired of him wherefore he came
not early to work as did his fellow labourers.
“Sir,” said Isidore, “truly I am at my work later than
some of the others; but I do my best to make up for the few minutes spent in
prayer. If my work seemeth unfavourable to thee, or thou thinkest I have
defrauded thee in any matter, I pray thee say so, for gladly will I repay thee
from my private store.”
Then, knowing that Isidore worked well, that he rose
early to go into Madrid to hear Mass, which might make him later at his work,
his master said naught. But one day he rose early and went into the fields to
watch Isidore. He saw Isidore trudging to church so soon as the dawn appeared, and
marked his return. He was later than his fellows, wherefore his master was
angry and went to tell him so. Isidore was ploughing, his little son running at
the heads of the oxen; but in the same field, ploughing another furrow, was a
second plough. The master stood amazed: this plough was drawn by snow-white
oxen, while for ploughman was a radiant angel. Up and down went this heavenly
plough, cutting clean furrows. But as the master approached the vision faded
from his sight.
“Isidore,” he called, “who ploughs the field with
thee?”
“No one, sir,” said Isidore, amazed; “I work alone,
and know of none save God to whom I look for strength.”
Therefore the master said no more, but returned home
pondering the matter deeply.
Isidore was a kind-hearted man; he loved the patient
oxen who pulled his plough, and the ass who carried the corn to be ground at
the mill. Holy beasts, he called them, for was not our Lord born in a stable,
the home of the oxen and asses? and did not an ass bear Him on that Palm
Sunday? And oft-times looking upon the Cross which the ass has on its back,
“Happy beast,” he would say, “on whom God has traced the symbol of Redemption,
for, because one of thy kind bore thy Saviour, all of thee are blessed.”
It is told how one day Isidore and his little son were
going to the mill. They had the ass with them, carrying a sack of corn,
gleanings from the fields which Isidore’s wife had made. It was winter time;
snow covered the ground and sparkled on the tree boughs, and it was difficult
for beast and bird to find food. As they went along the birds hovered near, as
though they knew that in that sack was a store of food. Presently some pigeons
came flying, vainly searching for food.
So Isidore told the boy to stop the ass, and making a
hole in the sack he took out some handfuls of wheat for the hungry birds.
“They need it as much as we do,” said he; then he and
the boy went on their journey, leaving the feathered folk eating happily. At
the age of forty Isidore died: he was buried in the cemetery of Saint Andre.
All who knew him loved him greatly, for he was a true and faithful servant of
God, who had laboured earnestly to serve his heavenly Master.
– taken from Legends
of Saints and Birds by Agnes Aubrey Hilton
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/legends-of-saints-and-birds-saint-isidore/
Saint Isidore of Madrid and Saint Mary of La Cabeza.
Engraving by D.H.V. Ugarte, 1768.
St. Isidore the Farmer
by Fr. Richard Butler
Saints are known
for the lives they lived and also for the devotion fostered in the years that
followed their life on earth. When we think of Isidore we are brought back ten
centuries (1070 – 1130) to a farm in Spain, a simple life, Isidore and his wife
achieving sanctity through basic family values.
The years that
followed saw a steady and growing devotion as generation after generation came
to the spiritual journey strengthened by his example. Yet it would be five
centuries, (1662) before he would be canonized. And then another five centuries
to our own day.
The last century
saw particular devotion to him as the dignity of the farmer and his/her role in
the world community grew. Here in America Isidore became the patron of the
National Rural Life Conference. And here in Stow with the founding of the new
parish mid-1900s Isidore was chosen as patron.
In 1992, the
parish received a gift of a relic of St. Isidore. See the bulletin announcement
here.
Life of St.
Isidore and St. Maria de la Cabeza
Isidore was born in Madrid, Spain, 1070; died there in 1130; canonized in 1622.
The saint was born
into a peasant family. He was baptized Isidore in honor of the famous
archbishop of Seville. His unreliable biography was written about 150 years
after his death. Much of it deals with miracles associated with his name.
Isidore was a day
laborer, working on the farm of the wealthy John de Vergas at Torrelaguna just
outside Madrid. He married a poor girl, Maria Torribia. They had a son who died while still a baby. The
couple took a vow of continence to serve God. Isidore's life is a model of
simple Christian charity and faith. He prayed while at work, and he visited the
many churches in Madrid and the area while on holidays. He shared what he had,
even his meals, with the poor. He often gave them the more than he had for
himself.
He was steady and
hard-working, but a complaint was made against him to his employer that he
arrived late to work because he attended early morning Mass each day. When
charged with his offense, he did not deny it and explained to his employer:
"Sir, it may be true that I am later at my work than some of the other
laborers, but I do my utmost to make up for the few minutes snatched for
prayer; I pray you compare my work with theirs, and if you find I have
defrauded you in the least, gladly will I make amends by paying you out of my
private store."
His employer said
nothing, but remained suspicious, and, being determined to find out the truth,
rose one morning at daybreak and concealed himself outside the church. In due
course, Isidore appeared and entered the building, and afterwards, when the service
was over, went to his work. Still following him, his employer saw him take the
plough into a field, and was about to confront him when, in the pale, misty
light of dawn, he saw, as he thought, a second plough drawn by white oxen
moving up and down the furrows. Greatly astonished, he ran towards it, but even
as he ran it disappeared and he saw only Isidore and his single-plow.
In such simple
tales we find reflected the spirit of Saint Isidore, who never ruled a diocese
or was martyred for his faith, but who as truly served God in the fields and on
the farm as those in higher places and who bore more famous names.
When he spoke to
Isidore and enquired about the second plough he had seen, Isidore replied in
surprise: "Sir, I work alone and know of none save God to whom I look for
strength." Thus the story grew that so great was his sanctity that the
angels helped him even in his plowing. It was characteristic of Isidore's
entire life. He was a simple plowman. His speech was clear and direct. His
conduct was honest, and his faith pure and steadfast. He was a poor man, but
gave away what he could, with a good and generous heart, and with such sympathy
and good will that his gifts seemed doubly blessed. He could not neglect doing
a kindness to man or beast.
One snowy day,
when going to the mill with corn to be ground which his wife had gleaned, 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.
His saintly wife
survived Isidore for several years. Forty years after his death, his body was
transferred to a shrine, and his cultus grew as a result of miracles attributed
to his intercession. He is said to have appeared in a vision to King Alphonsus
of Castile in 1211, and to have shown him an unknown path, which he used to
surprise and defeat the Moors. His canonization occurred at the insistence of
King Philip III, who attributed his recovery from a serious illness to
Isidore's intercession. He was canonized with four very notable Spanish saints.
The group, known as "the five saints", included St. Ignatius of
Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis Xavier, St. Phillip Neri, and St.
Isidore.
In art, Saint
Isidore is portrayed as a peasant holding a sickle and a sheaf of corn. He
might also be shown (1) with a sickle and staff, (2) as an angel plows for him,
(3) giving a rosary to children by a well, mattock on his feet, water springing
from the well, (4) striking water from dry earth with an angel plowing in the
background, (5) before a cross, or (6) with an angel and white oxen near him.
Maria died c. 1175
and was beatified in 1697. She became a hermit like St. Isidore; Maria, too,
performed miracles and merited after her death the name of Santa Maria de la
Cabeza, meaning Head, because her head, conserved in a reliquary and carried in
procession, has often brought down rain from heaven for the afflicted
countryside. Her remains are honored by all of Spain by pilgrimages and
processions at Torrelaguna, where they were transferred in 1615.
Hüttau ( Salzburg / Austria ). Parish church: Saint
Isidore the Labourer on a ceremonial standard.
Hüttau ( Salzburg / Österreich ). Pfarrkirche: St.
Isidor von Madrid auf einer Prozessionsfahne.
Autore: Gianpiero Pettiti
File:Preitenegg Pfarrkirche Heiliger Martin Leinwandbild Heiliger Isidorus
Isidoro non ha spada né cavallo. Orfano del padre fin da piccolo, va poi a lavorare la terra sotto padrone, nelle campagne intorno a Madrid. A causa della guerra, cerca rifugio e lavoro più verso nord, a Torrelaguna. E vi trova anche moglie: Maria Toribia, contadina come lui.
Isidoro è un credente schietto. Partecipa ogni giorno alla Messa mattutina, e durante la giornata lo si vede spesso appartato in preghiera. Questo gli tira addosso le accuse di altri salariati: ha poca voglia di lavorare, perde tempo, sfrutta le nostre fatiche. È già accaduto agli inizi, nelle campagne di Madrid; poi continua a Torrelaguna, e più tardi a Madrid ancora, quando lui vi ritorna alla fine dei combattimenti. A queste accuse Isidoro non si ribella, ma neppure si piega. Il padrone è preoccupato, non si fida di lui? E allora sorvegli, controlli, verifichi i risultati del suo lavoro... E questo fa appunto il padrone, scoprendo che Isidoro ha sì perso tempo inginocchiandosi ogni tanto a pregare, ma che alla sera aveva mietuto la stessa quantità di grano degli altri. E così al tempo dell’aratura: tanta orazione pure lì, ma a fine giornata tutta la sua parte di terra era dissodata.
Juan de Vargas si chiama questo proprietario, che dapprima tiene d’occhio Isidoro con diffidenza; ma alla fine, toccata con mano la sua onestà, arriva a dire che quei risultati non si spiegano solo con la capacità di lavoro; ci sono anche degli interventi soprannaturali: avvengono miracoli, insomma, sulle sue terre.
E altri diffondono via via la voce: in tempo di mietitura, il grano raccolto da Isidoro veniva prodigiosamente moltiplicato. Durante l’aratura, mentre lui pregava in ginocchio, gli angeli lavoravano al posto suo con l’aratro e con i buoi. Così il bracciante malvisto diventa l’uomo di fiducia del padrone, porta a casa più soldi e li divide tra i poveri. Né lui né sua moglie cambiano vita: è intorno a loro e grazie a loro che la povera gente incomincia a vivere un po’meglio. Nel tempo delle epiche gesta di tanti conquistatori, le imprese di Isidoro sono queste, fino alla morte.
A volte certi suoi atti fanno pensare a Francesco d’Assisi. Per esempio, quando d’inverno si preoccupa per gli uccelli affamati: e per loro, andando al mulino con un sacco di grano, ne sparge i chicchi a grandi manciate sulla neve; ma quando arriva al mulino, il sacco è di nuovo prodigiosamente pieno.
Lavorare, pregare, donare: le sue gesta sono tutte qui, e dopo la morte lo rendono famoso come Alfonso il Bravo e come il Cid. Nel 1170 il suo corpo viene deposto nella chiesa madrilena di Sant’Andrea, e col tempo la sua fama si divulga in Spagna, nelle colonie spagnole d’America e in alcune regioni del Nord europa. Nel 1622, Isidoro l’Agricoltore viene canonizzato da Gregorio XV (con Ignazio di Loyola e Francesco Saverio). Nel 1697 papa Innocenzo XII proclama beata sua moglie Maria Toribia. Le reliquie di sant’Isidoro si trovano ora nella cattedrale di Madrid.
Autore: Domenico Agasso
