Saint Blaise (sometimes spelled Blase) is best known today as the patron saint of those with throat troubles because he once cured a child who was choking on a fish bone. There is more known about the devotion to St. Blaise than there is about the man himself. In the holy name of Blaise, two candles are crossed, X-shaped, and pressed against the neck to ward off and cure diseases of the throat. Oil and ashes, candles and flames, bread and wine, words and blessings. Very few facts are known about Saint Blaise. The next feast day is the feast of Saint Blaise, the patron saint of sufferers from throat diseases and of wool combers. Two candles are blessed, held slightly open, and pressed against the throat as the blessing is said. Meanings, definition and origins - a patron is considered to be a defender of a specific group of people or of a nation. There is a patron for virtually every cause, profession or special interest. It is known that he was a doctor and the bishop of Sebastea, which is located in modern-day Armenia. Check out our patron saint blaise selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. We know more about the devotion to Saint Blaise by Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself. That is why, on Saint Blaise's feast day (February 3), priests bless the throats of Catholics, to protect the faithful from sicknesses and physical problems of the throat. Saint Blaise’s Story. His feast is observed as a holy day in some Eastern Churches. According to Franciscan Media, St. Blaise had to flee Armenia and lived in solitude, apart from the wild animals he befriended. Festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik (Croatian: Festa Svetog Vlaha, zaštitnika Dubrovnika) is a festivity organised on February 3 continuously since year 972 in the City of Dubrovnik, Croatia on the occasion of the celebration of Saint Blaise's day. In The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts (published in 1900), the story is told of how St. Blaise was most at peace in the forest. There are only a few actual facts that we know about St. Blaise. Many Catholics might remember Saint Blaise’s feast day, February 3, because of the Blessing of the Throats that take place on this day. In 1222, the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labor in England on Blaise’s feast day. SAINT BLAISE. The man introduced himself to the pastor as Saint Blaise, the 4th-century bishop and martyr of Sebaste. “I come to warn you of great danger for the city,” … This Wednesday is the Feast of St. Blaise, patron saint of throat illnesses. Festivity is based on the legend of the appearance of St. Blaise who helped the people of Dubrovnik to defend their … Saint Blaise, known before his canonization as Blaise de Sebaste, is the patron saint of the sick of the throat and otorhinolaryngologists, who deal with all the diseases that affect the ear, nose, mouth or throat.. His patronage comes from the story that Blaise de Sebaste, an excellent doctor of his time who healed the neediest people, saved the life of a boy who was drowning because … [1] The festival commemorates Saint Blaise’s salvation of the… The memory of Saint Blaise, a man of obscure origins, stands behind one of the most enduring healing traditions in all of Christianity. Saint Blaise and the City of Dubrovnik For over a thousand years, the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia has celebrated the feast day of Saint Blaise by staging one of the grandest and most impressive annual festivals in the world: the Festivity of Saint Blaise (Festa svetoga Vlaha). Saint Blaise is the patron of Throat problems and the Wool trade.