Still short of ideas so here's another saint for the collection!
St Vincent of Saragossa was born around Huesca in Spain, ordained by the Bishop of Saragossa and ordered to minister to the people in that part of Spain. At that time the governor Dacian was trying to stamp out Christianity and killed 18 believers in AD303 and ordered Vincent to be stretched on a rack, and laid on a grid iron of heated bars. Realising he couldn't break the will of Vincent he had him thrown in prison where Christians cared for him. But he had suffered too much and died, still praising Jesus, in AD 304.
Dacian's hatred of Vincent continued after his death when he ordered Vincent's body to be thrown in a bog. A raven protected the body of the saint and drove away any animal that came to attack the holy relics.
Now his day is only remembered in weather rhymes.
Remember on St Vincent's Day,
If the sun his beams display,
Be sure to mark his transient beam,
Which through the casement sheds a gleam; For 'tis a token bright and clear
of prosperous weather all the year
He became the patron saint of wine growers and drunkards - perhaps due to this old saying.
If Saint Vincent Day the sky is clear,
More wine than water will crown the year
(Information from A Calendar Of Saints by James Bentley, the internet and Chambers Book of Days)
Back Tomorrow
Sue
Dreadful things were done to believers - and still are.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, a bit less interesting ... I used to live on St Vincent's Street in Barrow in Furness. It was the first house I bought solely in my own name after my divorce. A lot of wine flowed there!
ReplyDeletePatron Saint of drunkards! As mentioned above, often Saints were martyed, or at the very least, badly treated.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I finally watched "The Plague" on Netflix (?) and it was the Christians persecuting and murdering pagans (Druids?). Millions died at the hands of Christians. I guess they forgot the command to "Do not kill." I still wonder about this one: Do not suffer a witch to live. It's the same thing, is it not?
ReplyDeleteThis is the first I have heard about St. Vincent. Thanks.
The sun is shining brilliantly today in Massachusetts, I shall think of St. V. and have a glass of wine with my chicken pie tonight.
ReplyDeleteMan will use any excuse to slaughter others, I'm afraid. If it isn't religion, they will covet his land. If it's not land, they will conjure up some insult to retaliate against. Humanity. The very word makes me shake my head. We humans are not all that humane.
ReplyDeleteInteresting about your saint. Are these catholic saints or do they belong to another faith?
The Saints seem to have all undergone horrendous torture while alive. Thank you for filling us all in on this Saint.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I'm not up on my saints but I can't say I've heard of this one. Thanks for the education!
ReplyDeleteWell Sue, I hope the final part of this one is right - we had a beautiful sunny day here - so I'll be keeping a weather out for all the wine coming my way........thanks for your interesting observations on things and people I've never heard of - thought provoking. Elaine
ReplyDelete