December 17th. St. Lazarus of Bethany.

Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary, was raised from the dead by Jesus according to the account given in John 11. Later, he and his sisters are associated with the South of France. Tradition has it that they were cast adrift in a boat without oars and eventually arrived on the Mediterranean coast of France. There is a strong and widespread cult of all three in the South of France, centred around Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Carmargue and the pilgrimage sanctuary of La Sainte Baume.