Saint Blaise of Sebaste, known as San Biagio.
Saint Blaise, also known as Saint Blaise of Sebaste, was a man of great piety, an accomplished physician, a devoted bishop, and ultimately a courageous martyr to the Christian faith. His life, which took place in the 3rd century, left a lasting legacy in the history of Christianity.
Youth and Education
Saint Blaise was born in Sebaste, Armenia, in the early 3rd century. Little precise information is available about his early life, but it is generally accepted that he received an extensive education, later becoming a doctor.
Religious Vocation
Despite his promising career as a doctor, Blaise felt a deep calling to devote his life to God. He retired to a cave in the mountains, living an ascetic life and devoting himself to prayer and meditation.
Elevation to the Priesthood and Episcopate
Blaise's holiness did not go unnoticed. His reputation for pious living and miraculous healings attracted the attention of the local episcopate. He was consecrated bishop of Sebaste in recognition of his holiness and his dedication to the Christian faith.
Miraculous Healings
Saint Blaise's fame as a miraculous healer spread quickly. It is said that he healed a child who was choking on a fish bone after the mother prayed for his intercession. This is why, during the celebration of the feast of Saint Blaise on February 3, it is traditional to bless the throats of the faithful, symbolizing the miraculous healing of the child.
Courageous Martyr
During Emperor Licinius' persecution of Christians, Saint Blaise refused to renounce his faith. He was arrested and suffered terrible torture, but he remained firm in his Christian conviction. Finally, on February 3, 316, Saint Blaise was beheaded, thus sealing his status as a martyr.
Cult and Heritage
The cult of Saint Blaise spread quickly after his death, and he is revered as the patron saint of sore throats and throat diseases due to his miraculous healings. His feast, February 3, is celebrated with the blessing of the gorges in many churches.
The body of Saint Blaise was buried in the cathedral of Sebaste. in 732 part of his mortal remains, deposited in a marble urn, were launched, to be brought to Rome. A storm stopped sailing on the coast of Maratea, where the members received the urn containing the relics – the "sacred chest" and other body parts – and preserved in Basilica di Maratea, on Monte San Biagio. The Chapel of Relics was then placed under the protection of the Royal Curia by King Philip IV of Habsburg, with an actual letter dated December 23, 1629 and since then it has been generally known as the Royal Chapel.
Other relics rest in the Saint-Eucaire church, in the center of Metz. They have attracted pilgrims for six centuries due to their reputation for curing sore throats. The tradition, still alive, requires that we bless small loaves. Then we eat one, we keep one in a cupboard to protect the house, and we offer the others to sick people or loved ones.
