The patron saint of rabbits and hares is St. Melangell (Monacella), a seventh-century hermit of Wales who, according to her legend, hid a hare that was being hunted under the folds of her cloak, so that the prince’s hounds fled and would not touch it. The prince was so moved that he gave her the valley as a sanctuary, and hares came to be called “Melangell’s lambs.” Her shrine at Pennant Melangell, in the Berwyn Mountains, is still a place of pilgrimage. St. Francis of Assisi, patron of all animals, is also invoked for pet rabbits. Below are her story, Scripture and prayers for pet rabbits.
A short prayer for a pet rabbit, written for this page:
St. Melangell, you sheltered a frightened hare and showed God’s care for the smallest creatures.
Pray for my rabbit, (name): keep it healthy, safe and content,
and help me to care for it with patience and love. Amen.
Who was St. Melangell?
According to the tradition preserved in a later Latin life, Melangell was the daughter of a king in Ireland who wanted her to marry a nobleman. Having vowed to give her life to God, she fled across the sea to Wales and lived alone as a hermit in a remote valley at the head of the Tanat river, in Powys.
One day, around the year 604, Brochwel Ysgithrog, prince of Powys, was hunting in the valley when his hounds chased a hare into a thicket. There he found a young woman at prayer, with the hare hiding under her robe and looking boldly at the dogs. The hounds drew back howling, and the huntsman’s horn stuck to his lips. Moved by her holiness, Brochwel gave her the land as a perpetual place of refuge. She lived there for many years and gathered a community of women around her.
Her twelfth-century Romanesque shrine, carefully restored, stands in the little church of Pennant Melangell, which is still visited by pilgrims seeking peace and healing. Her feast day is May 27.
Other saints for rabbits and pets
- St. Francis of Assisi, patron of animals, who called all creatures his brothers and sisters. According to St. Bonaventure, when a little hare caught in a trap was brought to him, he set it free, and it kept running back into his lap. See the feast of St. Francis.
- St. Anthony the Abbot, patron of domestic animals, whose feast on January 17 is a traditional day for the blessing of animals. See St. Anthony the Abbot.
- St. Eligius, patron of veterinarians. See the patron saint of veterinarians.
Scripture: God cares for the smallest creatures
Luke 12:6–7 (Douay-Rheims):
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.
Prayers for rabbits
Written for this page.
For a sick rabbit
Lord, not one sparrow is forgotten before you.
Look with kindness on my rabbit, (name), who is sick.
Guide the vet, ease its suffering, and give me peace. St. Melangell, pray for us. Amen.
When a rabbit dies
Lord, thank you for the joy that (name) brought to our home.
Comfort us in our sadness,
and help us to remember with gratitude the gift of your creatures. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of rabbits?
St. Melangell, the Welsh hermit who protected a hunted hare.
When is St. Melangell’s feast day?
May 27.
Who is the patron saint of animals?
St. Francis of Assisi. See the patron saint of animals.
More prayers
- Patron saint of animals
- Patron saint of Wales
- Feast of St. Francis
- Patron saint of veterinarians
- Patron saint of nature
- Patron saints
Texts and sources
- Luke 12:6–7 (Douay-Rheims).