First St. Blasius was a doctor, later Bishop of Sebaste. He fled from the prosecution of Christians into a cavern. There he was discovered, captured and sent to prison. For many prisoners he became a helper and comforter. He rescued a boy who nearly suffocated from a fish-bone. The blessing of St. Blasius on his Day of Commemoration refers to this legend. St. Blasius had to undergo hard tortures by his tormentors. An iron comb lacerated him. (So St. Blasius became the patron of weavers and merchants trading with wool.)
Finally he was beheaded. Mainly crusaders spread his cult in the Occident. His relics were transferred to the convent Rheinau (Baden-Wuerttemberg), to Busdorf Convent near Paderborn, St. Blasien (Black Forest), to Brunswick and to Dubrovnik (Dalmatia) where he became the patron as "Sveti Blasi". Already before 1000 the legend of St. Blasius has been found in the lower part of St. Clemente in Rome. In Germany the oldest picture of the legend is found on the bottom of an altar in Abdinhof Convent near Paderborn in 1100.
| Name: | in Greek Basileos, King |
| Day of Commemoration: | February 3rd |
| Native Place: | Bishop of Sebaste (Armenia) |
| Year of Death: | 316 (beheaded) |
| Distinguishing Feature: | Bishop with crosier and mitre, two crossed burning candles |
| Particular Patronage: | helper in throat-diseases, patron of doctors, weavers, merchants selling wool, tailors, leather-dressers, musicians playing wind-instruments, patron of weather and animals, especially in Italy |
Prayer:St. Blasius, as a man close to God you had helped people of your time. Help us and all we include in our prayers to support all their needs with patience. First of all we demand your grace to support God's will if we have to suffer from continuo's affliction.
