Vincent is the most famous martyr of the entire Iberian Peninsula. The testimonies of his veneration, both in the West and in the East, are remarkably abundant. Among them stand out the poet Prudentius—the earliest witness—and Saint Augustine, his most renowned panegyrist, who each year on January 22 would dedicate a sermon to him.
The Acts of his martyrdom, as they have come down to us, are legendary in form, yet they were written on the basis of earlier and more reliable documents now lost. These Acts are especially important because they became a model for many later passion narratives—though often embellished—of other martyrs.
Vincent is believed to have been born in Huesca. He served as archdeacon to Bishop Valerius of Zaragoza. He was taken to Valencia, where he suffered a cruel martyrdom, probably during the persecution of Diocletian in the early 4th century.
