Saint Blaise was the Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia and a Physician. The first known record of the saint's life comes from the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, where he is recorded as helping with patients suffering from objects stuck in their throat. Many of the miraculous aspects of St. Blaise's life are written of 400 years after his martyrdom in the "Acts of St. Blaise."

Blaise was born into a rich noble family and raised a Christian. He became a physician and was of such virtuous conduct that the clergy and people of Sebaste nominated him to be ordained their bishop.

When the persecution of Christians broke out, the persecutors directed their fury principally against the bishops well knowing that when the shepherd is stricken the flock is dispersed. Listening to the entreaties of the faithful, Bishop Blaise fled to the hills.

One day, men hunting in the mountains discovered a cave surrounded by wild animals. Among them they found Blaise, tending to the sick and wounded animals. Recognizing him as a bishop, the hunters captured him to take him back for trial. On the way, they encountered a woman whose pig was being seized by a wolf. The woman appealed to the bishop and at his command the wolf released the pig, unhurt. Later, when the bishop was sentenced to be starved to death, the woman, in gratitude, sneaked into the prison with food and candles.

Blaise was tortured and imprisoned for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. While in prison, the jailer permitted the holy bishop to receive visitors, and many sick and suffering people came to be healed. One day a woman brought her son who had swallowed a fishbone and was choking. The bishop prayed over the boy and healed him.

Saint Blaise is believed to begin as a healer then, eventually, became a "physician of souls." He then retired to a cave on Mount Argeus, where he remained in prayer. People often turned to Saint Blaise for healing miracles.
After much torment and deprivation, the bishop was scourged with iron combs and beheaded. He was martyred during the reign of Emperor Licinius in 316 AD. However, over the centuries, various liturgical traditions grew about him and by the sixth century St. Blaise's intercession was invoked for diseases of the throat.

Patron Saint of Dubrovnik
St Blaise has been honoured as the patron saint of Dubrovnik from the 10th century. According to the chroniclers of Dubrovnik, St Blaise saved the people of Dubrovnik in the 10th century when the Venetians anchored their ships in Gruž and in front of the Island of Lokrum. The people of Dubrovnik believed the Venetians assurances that they would leave for Levant after they supplied themselves with food and drink.

The visitors used the opportunity to see the sights and observed the weaknesses in the City defence. However, St Blaise revealed their intentions to the parish priest Stojko and thus saved the City from the night attack. The priest described him as an old grey-haired man with a long beard, a bishops cap and a stick in his hand. Precisely the way his statues on the city walls and towers look like.

Church of St Blaise
One of the most beautiful sacral buildings in Dubrovnik, the present-day Church of St Blaise. It was constructed in 1715 in the flamboyant Venetian Baroque style. It was constructed by the Venetian master Marino Gropelli in 1706, on the commission of the Dubrovnik Senate which requested a new church on the site of the old 14th century Romanesque church.

Damaged during the earthquake for the first time, the church was destroyed completely by the devastating fire in 1706. Everything disappeared in flames, apart from the silver statue of St Blaise, which was saved by some miracle. All other statues made of gold, silver and bronze melted in the fire, while the saint’s statue was miraculously undamaged. The statue is one of the most important statues in Dubrovnik, and the model of the city which the saint holds in his hand reveals the city architecture at the time.

Saint Blaise is often depicted holding two crossed candles in his hand, or in a cave with wild animals. He is also often shown with steel combs. The similarity of the steel combs and the wool combs made a large contribution to Saint Blaise's leadership as the patron saint of wool combers and the wool trade.

Other Saints of the Day
1. Saint Ansgar
2. Saint Claudine Thevenet
3. Saint Lawrence the Illuminator
4. Saint Hadelin of Chelles
5. Saint Margaret of England

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