Blaise of Sebaste

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St. Blasius on an altar by Hans Memling (1491) in Lübeck

Blasius von Sebaste († around 316) was bishop of Sebaste , the capital of the Roman province of Lesser Armenia (today Sivas in northeastern Turkey ). Blasius died a martyr during one of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire . In the Catholic and Orthodox Churches he is venerated as a saint and is one of the fourteen helpers in need . His feast day is February 3rd in the general Roman calendar of the Catholic Church ( non-mandatory day of remembrance ) and February 11th in the Orthodox churches.

Lore

His saint's life, originally recorded in Greek , describes his life and martyrdom . At first he is said to have been a doctor in Sebaste and was elected bishop because of his tireless willingness to help poor and rich and his tolerance towards pagans . Numerous legends tell of his healings. The most famous of these is that while he was imprisoned in a Roman prison , he saved the life of a young man who was about to choke on a fish bone. That is why he is called against sore throat.

Legend

Before he was elected bishop, Blasius fled during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Licinius to a cave in the Argentinean mountains, where he lived with the animals of the forest, looked after them when they were injured and freed them from traps. He was discovered during a hunt and captured. The governor Agricola tried him with promises to apostasy bring. When Blasius refused, he was beaten with sticks and tortured with curls or an iron wool comb .

After the torture , the governor asked him:

"Do you want to worship our gods now?"

Blasius replied:

“I am not afraid of you. Do what you want, but I will remain faithful to my Lord and God. "

The governor had him thrown into a pond. Blaise struck the cross over the water, which became solid like good earth, and he stood and called out to his tormentors:

“If your gods are true gods, I want to see their power. Come to me on the water. "

65 men tried that, but they drowned. Before the execution, Blasius prayed that anyone with a problem with their throats or any other sickness would be heard if they asked for recovery on his behalf. A voice from heaven granted him the request. He was beheaded with two companions.

Adoration

In 972 the head of St. Blaise as a valuable relic to Dubrovnik in Croatia , where it is set in gold, with other relics (both arms, a leg and a neck relic) in the Cathedral Museum . St. Blasius is the patron saint of this city. He is also considered the patron saint of doctors , Kämmler , Blasmusikanten , builders , bricklayers , plasterers , tanners , shoemakers , tailors , knitters , chandler , Weber , wool merchant and the wild animals . He is called upon for sore throats , bladder problems , bleeding , toothache , ulcers and plague and for a good confession . He is one of the fourteen emergency helpers.

On his feast day, the blessing is given with two crossed or interwoven candles .

Several places and a large number of churches and hospitals bear his name - e.g. B. Sankt Blasien in the southern Black Forest , L'Hôpital-Saint-Blaise in the French Pyrenees , San Blas on the Pacific coast of Mexico u. v. a. There is a Blasiusgasse in Würzburg .

presentation

St. Blasius is often depicted in the robe of a bishop with a staff and miter with two crossed or interwoven candles . It can also be found in the upper right corner of the coat of arms of Zella-Mehlis .

The candle goes back to the following legend: A wolf once kidnapped a poor woman's pig. With Blasius' prayer the woman got the pig back. As a thank you, she brought the pig's head and feet with fruit and a candle to Blasius.

Weather rules

  • St. Blaise rejects winter's horns.
  • If the weather is nice on his memorial day, there will be a good harvest.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : St. Blaise  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ This seems to be a later aberration, because under Licinius there was no persecution of Christians. Blasius was probably more likely to perish in the persecution of Christians by Diocletian , for example Bautz, in: BBKL, vol. 1, col. 616.
  2. ↑ http://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienB/Blasius.htm
personal data
SURNAME Blaise of Sebaste
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Sebaste; Saint and martyr
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century
DATE OF DEATH around 316