The patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs is St. Honoré, or Honoratus, a sixth-century bishop of Amiens in northern France, whose feast is May 16. According to legend, when he was chosen bishop, his old nurse laughed that she would believe it when her baker’s peel grew leaves, and the wooden peel, stuck in the ground, blossomed into a mulberry tree. Bakers in France have honored him for over eight hundred years, and Paris’s famous Rue Saint-Honoré and the cream-filled Saint-Honoré cake both bear his name. Below are his story, other patron saints of bakers and baking, and prayers for bakers and before baking.
A short baker’s prayer, written for this page:
Lord Jesus, Bread of Life, bless my hands and my work today.
Let everything I bake be made with care and shared with love,
and let no one who comes to my table go away hungry.
St. Honoré, pray for us. Amen.
Who was St. Honoré?
Honoratus, called Honoré in French, was born in the sixth century in the region of Ponthieu, near Amiens, and became bishop of Amiens. Little is known about his life except that he was a humble and holy pastor who cared for his people. He died about 600.
The story of the baker’s peel is the most famous legend about him. When news came that Honoratus had been chosen bishop, his old nurse, who was baking bread at the time, said she would believe it only when the long-handled wooden peel she used to slide loaves into the oven grew leaves. She planted it in the ground, and it immediately sprouted and became a mulberry tree.
Long after his death, miracles were reported when his relics were carried in procession through Amiens, and devotion to him spread through France. In 1202 a Paris baker gave land for a chapel in his honor, which gave its name to the Rue Saint-Honoré. The bakers of Paris made him the patron of their guild, and for centuries they celebrated his feast on May 16.
The Saint-Honoré cake
The gâteau Saint-Honoré, a ring of puff pastry and choux puffs dipped in caramel and filled with cream, was created in Paris in the 1840s by the pastry chef Chiboust, whose shop was on the Rue Saint-Honoré, and named in honor of the patron of bakers. French bakeries still sell it on his feast day.
Other patron saints of bakers
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17), the young queen who carried bread to the poor; legend says the loaves in her cloak turned to roses. See St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
- St. Nicholas (December 6), patron of bakers in parts of Europe, where special cookies and breads are baked for his feast. See the St. Nicholas prayer.
- St. Lawrence (August 10), patron of cooks and chefs. See the St. Lawrence prayer.
- St. Martha (July 29), who served Jesus at Bethany, patron of cooks and homemakers. See the St. Martha prayer.
Prayers for bakers
Written for this page.
A baker’s morning prayer
Lord, while the world is still asleep, I begin my work.
Bless the flour, the water, the yeast and the fire,
keep me safe at the ovens, and give me patience and good humor.
May the bread I make today feed bodies and gladden hearts. Amen.
A prayer before baking at home
Father, bless what I am about to bake and the people who will share it.
Let our kitchen be a place of warmth, our table a place of peace,
and our hearts always grateful for our daily bread. Amen.
For those who have no bread
Lord, you fed the five thousand.
Through the prayers of St. Honoré, remember all who are hungry today,
and make us generous in sharing what we have. Amen.
The Bread of Life
Every loaf of bread is a reminder of Christ’s words (John 6:35):
And Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger: and he that believeth in me shall never thirst.
See the Our Father, with its prayer for “our daily bread,” and grace before meals.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of bakers?
St. Honoré (Honoratus) of Amiens, whose feast is May 16.
Who is the patron saint of baking?
St. Honoré is the patron of bakers, pastry chefs and confectioners. St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Nicholas are also honored by bakers.
Why is a cake named after St. Honoré?
The Saint-Honoré cake was created in the 1840s by a pastry chef on the Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, and named for the patron saint of bakers.
More patron saints
- Patron saints of sports and hobbies
- Patron saints of professions
- St. Lawrence prayer for cooks
- St. Martha prayer
- Sts. Crispin and Crispinian, patrons of shoemakers
- Unusual patron saints
Texts and sources
- John 6:35 (Douay-Rheims).