Blaise of Sebaste

Saint Blaise was born at Sebaste in Lesser Armenia, in what is now Sivas, Turkey. Trained as a physician, he became known not only for healing bodies but for guiding souls, and the Christians of Sebaste chose him as their bishop. Tradition says he withdrew for a time to a cave to pray, and that people and even wild animals sought his help, drawn by his gentleness and the signs of God’s mercy worked through him. During the persecution under Emperor Licinius, the governor Agricola had Blaise arrested. On the way to prison, Blaise is remembered for saving a child who was choking on a fish bone—an act that helped make him a beloved intercessor for those suffering illnesses of the throat. Refusing to renounce Christ, he endured scourging and torture with iron combs and was finally beheaded around AD 316, sealing his witness as a martyr and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He is also honored as patron of wool combers. His feast day is February 3.