The caption on this photo: “Priests read prayers in honour of St.Haralampus, as believers gather around candles stuck to jars of honey, arranged in a cross shape, during Mass for the ‘sanctification of honey’ at the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Church in the town of Blagoevgrad, south of the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the feast of St. Haralampus, the Orthodox patron saint of bee-keepers, by performing a ritual for health and rich harvest.” (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
One of the wonderful aspects of living in the Information Age and having internet access is learning (nearly instantly) that is unbounded by geography or culture. I had never heard of St. Haralampus until today. Reading that he is the patron saint of bee-keepers led me to look further into his story and who else might be considered a patron saint of bees, bee-keeping, or bee-keepers.
If you’re interested here is some more information about the Saint (who apparently suffered a brutal martyrdom for his faith) and about patron saints of bees and bee-keepers:
- Saint Charalambos (on Wikipedia)
- Saint Haralampus (on Orthodox Wikipedia)
- Who is The Patron Saint of Bees?
- St Gobnait – the patron saint of bees and beekeeping
- St. Valentine: Patron saint of beekeepers
Hear what the Spirit is saying 