Vincent of Saragossa
The protomartyr of Spain, St. Vincent was born at Huesca and became deacon to Bishop Valerius, who had a speech impediment. He blessed Vincent to preach on his behalf. When the persecutions ordered by Diocletian began in Spain, the two were among the first arrested. Questioned by the governor, Dacianus, at Valencia, both refused to renounce their faith and to sacrifice to the gods. Valerius was exiled, and Vincent was tortured. He was martyred in 304. The details of his death have been embellished over the centuries. His memory was first celebrated in a poem by Prudentius, which Augustine used as the basis of a sermon about Vincent.
Karen Rae Keck
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