St. Vincent of Saragossa (died about 304) was a deacon of the Church of Saragossa, in Spain, who preached for his bishop, Valerius, and who, during the persecution of Diocletian, endured the rack, the gridiron and a dungeon strewn with broken pottery with such joy and courage that his jailer was converted. He is the most famous martyr of Spain, praised by St. Augustine and the poet Prudentius, and he is the patron of winemakers and of the city of Lisbon. His feast day is January 22 (January 23 in the United States). Below are his story, the prayer of his feast and prayers to St. Vincent.
A short prayer to St. Vincent, written for this page:
St. Vincent, deacon and martyr, you served the Church with your voice and gave your life for Christ with joy.
Pray for deacons and preachers, for all who suffer for their faith,
and for winemakers and all who work the land. Amen.
Who was St. Vincent of Saragossa?
Vincent was a young deacon of Saragossa (Zaragoza), in northeastern Spain. Because his bishop, Valerius, had difficulty speaking, Vincent preached in his place. When the persecution of Diocletian reached Spain, the governor Dacian had both arrested and taken to Valencia. Valerius was sent into exile, but Vincent, who answered for both of them boldly, was tortured with extraordinary cruelty: stretched on the rack, torn with iron hooks and roasted on a gridiron. Thrown into a dark dungeon floored with broken pottery, he sang hymns, and according to the account of his passion, the cell was filled with light and his jailer was converted. He died around 304. Tradition says his body, thrown out to the beasts, was guarded by a raven, and later carried to what is now Cape St. Vincent in Portugal; in the twelfth century his relics were taken to Lisbon, whose coat of arms still shows a ship with two ravens.
St. Paul’s words describe his courage (2 Corinthians 4:8–10, Douay-Rheims):
In all things we suffer tribulation, but are not distressed; we are straitened, but are not destitute;
We suffer persecution, but are not forsaken; we are cast down, but we perish not:
Always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies.
The prayer of his feast from the 1916 daily missal, when he was honored together with the Persian martyr St. Anastasius:
Attend, O Lord, to our prayers, that, since we know we are guilty through our own fault, we may be delivered through the intercession of thy blessed Martyrs Vincent and Anastasius. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
What is St. Vincent the patron saint of?
- Winemakers and vintners, especially in France and Spain
- Lisbon, Portugal, and the diocese of Valencia
- Deacons
Feast day
The optional memorial of St. Vincent, deacon and martyr, is January 22. In the United States it is kept on January 23, because January 22 is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.
Frequently asked questions
Why is St. Vincent the patron of winemakers?
His feast falls in January, when the vines are pruned, and in French his name, Vincent, was popularly linked with vin, “wine”; winegrowers in Burgundy and elsewhere still celebrate the “Saint-Vincent” each year.
Where are St. Vincent’s relics?
Tradition places them in Lisbon, Portugal, since the twelfth century.
When is his feast day?
January 22 (January 23 in the United States).
More saints
- St. Lawrence prayer
- St. Stephen prayer
- Patron saint of beer
- St. Sebastian prayer
- St. Augustine prayer
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- 2 Corinthians 4:8–10 (Douay-Rheims).
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), Sts. Vincent and Anastasius (January 22), Collect, public domain (archive.org).