VINCENT (or VINCENTIUS), ST., deacon and martyr, whose festival is celebrated on Jan. 22. In several of his discourses St. Augustine pronounces the eulogy of this martyr, and refers to Acts which were read in the church. It is doubtful whether the Acts that have come down to us (Acta Sanctorum, January, ii. 394-397) are those referred to by St. Augustine, since it is not certain that they are a contemporary document. According to this account, "Vincent was born of noble parents in Spain, and was educated by Valerius, bishop of Saragossa, who ordained him to the diaconate. Under the persecution of Diocletian, Vincent was arrested and taken to Valencia. He was subjected to ex
cruciating tortures and thrown into prison, where angels visited him, lighting his dungeon with celestial light and relieving his sufferings. His warders, having seen these wonders through the chinks of the wall, forthwith became Christians. He died in an interval when new torments were being prepared. His body, ex posed to the wild beasts in vain, was thrown into the sea, but was recovered and buried outside Valencia.
See T. Ruinart, Acta martyrum sincere (Amsterdam, 1713), pp. 364-366 ; Le Nain de Tillemont, Memoires pour servir a l'histoire ecclesiastique (Paris, 1701, seq.), v.