Born in Huesca, Spain; died January 22, 304. Vincent was educated and ordained a deacon by Bishop Saint Valerius of Saragossa with the commission to preach (White). (Gill confusingly says: "As a young priest he served Valerius, Bishop of Saragossa, and after a time became his archdeacon." Is it possible that at the time a presbyter could become a deacon? Deacons did have more power at the time because the faculties necessary for most sacraments had not yet been delegated to the presbyters; deacons held the purse- strings.)
The ancient legend, but not an eyewitness account, relates that the governor Dacian was doing his utmost to stamp out Christianity in his domain. He killed 18 believers in Saragossa in 303. It was during these persecutions under Emperor Diocletian, that Vincent, the bishop, and the priests were arrested, led away in chains, and imprisoned in Valencia. Because Valerius suffered from a speech impediment, Vincent acted as his spokesman and, on behalf of them all, boldly declared their allegiance to Christ. Saint Valerius was exiled and later may have died as a martyr.
Vincent underwent terrible tortures; he had resisted turning over his church's sacred books, and sacrificing to false gods. He was stretched upon a rack, torn with metal hooks, and laid upon a frame of sharp iron bars heated from beneath by fire. When even this diabolic cruelty failed to break his will, he was thrown into a dungeon the floor of which was strewn with broken crockery that added to the agony of his already lacerated body.
Vincent declared that God sent the angels of heaven to comfort him. His cell, he said, was illuminated with a heavenly light, and might have been filled with roses (the gift of scent), so sweet was its fragrance. He sang hymns as he suffered, so that even the jailer was astounded. As he looked into the cell of the tormented saint and saw him upon his broken knees, suffering agony yet singing praises to God, he was overcome by wonder, and confessed in that hour his conversion.
On hearing this, the Roman governor was infuriated, but finding all his efforts to unnerve his victim were useless, gave orders for the torture to stop--perhaps to win Vincent by clemency or to prevent him from becoming a martyr.
For a time Vincent had some relief. The faithful were permitted to gaze upon his broken body, probably in the hope that they would abandon their faith. Instead, they came in troops, kissed the open sores, and carried away as relics cloths dipped in his blood. The gentle hands of Christian women tended his wounds. But he did not survive long and died of his injuries in prison in 304 or 305.
When he died, the anger of the authorities was renewed and followed him to his grave. His body was thrown into a bog as prey to the wild birds and beasts, but it was strangely preserved it is said by the protection of a raven. When any wild beast or bird tried to attack the mortal remains of the saint, the raven drove them away. Thwarted, Dacian had Vincent's body tied to a stone and cast into the sea. But in the night it was washed ashore, and again loving hands gave it reverent care and secret burial. Relics were claimed by Valencia, Saragossa, Lisbon (the Augustinian monastery), Paris, and Le Mans.
He was the protomartyr of Spain. There can be no doubt of Vincent martyrdom; however, there is plenty of room for speculation on the manner of his death. Prudentius devoted a poem to his praise and embroidered acts of his martyrdom have been preserved. The fame of Saint Vincent spread very rapidly and far, as Saint Augustine testifies, in a sermon, that his cultus extended to every part of the Roman Empire and everywhere the name of Jesus was known.
Several churches in England were dedicated to his honor in the Middle Ages. Vincent is listed in the Old English Martyrology and many pre-Conquest calendars. Abingdon, which acquired many of his relics in the 12th century, graded his feast at the highest level to include an octave (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Butler, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill, White).
Pictured as a deacon with a raven, sometimes on a millstone. On occasion he is shown (1) holding iron hook; (2) with a gridiron with spikes (not to be confused with Saint Lawrence); (3) torn with hooks, burned with torches; or (4) his corpse protected by eagles or ravens (Roeder). Click here to see a 14th- century French illumination.
He is the patron of bakers, roof-makers, sailors, schoolgirls, vine-dressers, vintners (Roeder), tile-makers, and roofers (Encyclopedia). The patron of vine-dressers and vintners may be due to the belief that he protects the fields against the frost that often occurs on or near his feast-day in Burgundy (Farmer).
Born: unknown 