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The Story of St. Blaise of Sebastea (Circa 280 AD – 316 AD)

Historical Record of St. Blaise

Most of what is celebrated about St. Blaise is legendary, but there are some historically verifiable facts about him. Blaise was born around 280 AD in the city of Sebastea in the district of Cappadocia. Sebastea is now known as the city of Sivas in Turkey.[i] He was born to wealthy and noble parents who raised and educated him as a Christian. It is believed that he was a physician. He was nominated by the local clergy to become the Bishop of Sebastea due to his exemplary Christian way of life.[ii] In the year 313, toward the end of Blaise’s life, The Roman Emperors Constanine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire and ended persecution of Christians.[iii] Licinius later renewed the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Roman Empire. St. Blaise was captured and put to death during Licinius’s persecution around the year 316 AD.

The Legend of St. Blaise

The legend of St. Blaise is much more colorful and captivating than what we know to be historically verifiable. St. Blaise’s dedication to healing as a physician sometimes expressed itself miraculously and was not reserved to humans; he was known to have been a healer of wild animals. St. Blaise spent a good bit of time in the wilderness, and it was said that wild animals would gather around him, many of them seeking healing. He walked among them without fear and healed those that were sick or wounded.

Blaise once even saved a domesticated animal from a wild animal’s attack.[iv] A woman came to the saint complaining that a wolf had stolen her pig. Blaise prayed with the woman, and their combined prayer, along with Blaise commanding the wolf to bring the pig home, compelled the wolf to return the pig unharmed. This story inspired many artists to include a wolf and a pig in depictions of St. Blaise. His love and concern for animals, especially wild animals, led him to be named as the patron saint of wild animals.

Another more famous miracle also involved a woman pleading for help. This time it was a mother whose young son was choking on a fish bone. It is said that she brought her concern to Blaise as he was on his way to prison for practicing his Christian faith. Again, Blaise prayed, and the boy was miraculously healed. This miracle inspired the Church to assign ailments of the throat to Blaise’s patronage.

St. Blaise fled the persecutions of Licinius and hid in a cave in the wilderness where he practiced the spirituality of a hermit. There, wild animals gathered regularly for their healings. Hunters spotted the animals gathered at the cave and Blaise was discovered and captured. It is said that the woman whose pig was returned to her brought the saint candles so he could read the Bible in his dark prison cell.[v] Notably, Blaise is the patron saint of candle makers, and Christians up to the present-day use candles in the ceremonial blessing of throats each year on the feast of St. Blaise (February 3^rd).

The Roman governor of the region, Agricolaus, ordered Blaise to be tortured for refusing to deny his faith in Jesus. Blaise’s skin was scraped from his body with wool combs. Today, Blaise is the patron saint of wool combers and the wool trade in general. Even in the face of torture, Blaise held fast to his faith. He was ordered back to prison where the torture continued until Agricolaus ordered Blaise to be decapitated. The year was 316 AD.

The 14 Holy Helpers

The years 500-1500, commonly known as the Middle Ages, saw the rise of his popularity, and, in the 14^th century as a response to the bubonic plague (a.k.a. the black death), he was associated with the 14 Holy Helpers.[vi] Devotion to the 14 Holy Helpers arose in the part of Europe that is now Germany. Christians prayed to them for relief from various aspect of the plague and from the plague itself. Blaise received prayers for any symptoms associated with the throat. While it is not an official celebration on the Christian calendar, many people venerate the 14 Holy Helpers as a group on August 8^th.

The 14 Holy Helpers are:

Name (Alternate)	Feast day	Patronage
Agathius (Acacius)	7 May	Against headache.
Barbara	4 December	Against fever and sudden death, against lightning and fire, and against sudden and violent death at work; patron of builders, artillerymen, and miners.^[7]
Blaise	3 February	Against illness of the throat and for protection of domestic animals.
Catherine of Alexandria	25 November	Against sudden death and diseases of the tongue; patron of philosophers, theologians, maidens, female students, preachers, the dying, wheelwrights, mechanics, potters, and other artisans who work with wheels; invoked by students, orators, preachers, and lawyers for wise counsel and for eloquence.
Christopher	25 July	Against bubonic plague and dangers while traveling. While still a saint, Christopher has been removed from the official calendar of saints because of shaky historical evidence for his existence.^[8]
Cyriacus	8 August	Against temptation on the death-bed, diseases of the eye, and demonic possession.
Denis (Dionysius)	9 October	Against headache and against demonic possession.
Erasmus (Elmo)	2 June	Against intestinal ailments, stomach ailments, for domestic animals, and patron of sailors.^[9]
Eustace	20 September	Against family discord, against fire (temporal and eternal), and patron of hunters, trappers, and anyone facing trouble.^[10]
George	23 April	For the health of domestic animals, against herpetic diseases, and patron of soldiers.
Giles	1 September	Against plague, epilepsy, mental illness, and nightmares, for a good confession, and patron of cripples, beggars, blacksmiths, and breast-feeding mothers.
Margaret of Antioch	17 July	Patron of women in childbirth, invoked against backache, and invoked for escape from devils.
Pantaleon	27 July	Patron of physicians and midwives, invoked for the protection of domestic animals, and invoked against cancer and tuberculosis.
Vitus (Guy)	15 June	Against epilepsy, chorea, lightning, the bites of animals (especially those who were venomous or rabid), and storms, and for protection of domestic animals.

Patron of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

One of the artistic depictions of Blaise features the bishop holding a model of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The statue is revered by citizens partly because the model is a replica of the city prior to the great earthquake of 1667. But there is a more significant reason for Dubrovnik’s love for St. Blaise.

According to legend, in 971 a.d., on the Eve of the Feast of St. Blaise, Venetian ships anchored outside the city pretending to gather provisions for their journey before continuing to the East. A Croatian priest in Dubrovnik named Stojko noticed that the doors of St. Stephen Church were wide open, so he walked in and discovered an old man surrounded by heavenly beings. The old man told him to warn the city council that the Venetians were planning to attack the city. When Stojko asked the old man who he was, the man identified himself as Blaise (Vlaho in Croatian). Stojko delivered the message to the Dubrovnik leaders; they closed the city gates and fortified the walls. When the Venetians saw that the element of surprise was no longer an advantage, they gave up their plans to attack and left Croatian waters.

Statues of St. Blaise can be found in every part of Dubrovnik, and they have held a great feast in honor of Blaise every year since 972.[vii]

Through the life and Christian witness of St. Blaise, God calls all who have a devotion to him to defend the poor and helpless, to heal the sick and suffering, to care for wild creatures, to protect domestic animals, to collaborate with other saints for the sake of God’s work in the world, and to remain courageously faithful in the face of persecution.

[i] https://saintoftheday.com/st-blaise/

[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appointment_of_Catholic_bishops

[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Milan

[iv] https://www.autom.com/category/catholic-livingsaint-blaise-and-the-blessing-of-the-throats/

[v] https://www.autom.com/category/catholic-livingsaint-blaise-and-the-blessing-of-the-throats/

[vi] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Holy_Helpers

[vii] https://www.dubrovnikcity.com/dubrovnik/attractions/st_blaise_church.htm

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