Saint Vincent was a deacon of Saint Valerius of Saragossa, and was in charge of the preaching the faithbecause of a speech impediment that affected Bishop Valerius. When the prefect Daciano passed through Saragossa, he ordered the arrest of the bishop and his deacon, who were transferred to Valencia to be subjected to torture on the rack, tearing his body apart.
Daciano offered him forgiveness if he would give him the sacred books he possessed; after he refused, he continued to suffer "in the flames"; subsequently, he was imprisoned. Because of his kindness, his jailer eventually converted to Christ, according to tradition. The account of the torments inflicted on him by the Roman, read in the churches, produced admiration. St. Augustine wondered: "What region, what province of the Empire does not celebrate the glory of the deacon Vincent? Who would know the name of Dacian if he had not read the passion of the martyr?
St. Vincent usually appears in paintings with symbols referring to his painful martyrdom, and he became a great martyr of the Western Church, as St. Lawrence was of Rome and St. Stephen of the East. The three deacons. The homilies of St. Augustine on his feast day spread his memory. The main events in Valencia for St. Vincent the Martyr, patron saint of the archdiocese and of the capital, take place today, the 22nd, with solemn Masses, processions and baptisms of children.
