22nd January is the saint’s day for Vincent of Saragossa,
one of many victims of persecution under Emperor Diocletian at the beginning of
the fourth century.
Vincent had been ordained by the bishop of Saragossa (in
Spain) and was working in the region when the persecution began, the chief
perpetrator being the Roman governor Dacian. A number of local Christians were
killed and Vincent was arrested.
Dacian appears to have taken a distinct dislike to Vincent.
Whereas the bishop was banished, Vincent was put through a horrific series of
tortures in an attempt to make him reveal the whereabouts of the sacred books
that he was protecting.
Vincent was stretched out on a rack while his flesh was
hacked at with hooks. He was then “cooked” on a heated gridiron. However, he
would not give in or recant his faith.
Dacian gave up and ordered that Vincent be thrown into a
foul cell. Despite the attention of fellow Christians who tried to treat his
wounds, Vincent died.
Dacian was not finished with Vincent. He ordered that his
body be thrown into a bog where it would be fed on by wild animals. However,
the legend is that a raven protected the body and drove away any beast or bird
that tried to attack it.
No comments:
Post a Comment