Saint Vincent of Saragossa was a deacon serving under Bishop Valerius of Saragossa during the early 4th century. Arrested during the persecution ordered by Emperor Diocletian, Vincent was imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately put to death around 304 for his steadfast refusal to renounce Christianity. Accounts of his martyrdom emphasise endurance, eloquence in confession of faith, and triumph through suffering.

Vincent’s cult spread rapidly throughout the western Church, particularly in Gaul and the Iberian Peninsula. By the Middle Ages he had become one of the most familiar martyr saints in France, frequently invoked in parish dedications and devotional imagery. His popularity was further reinforced in wine-producing regions, where he came to be regarded as a patron saint of vintners.

In art, Saint Vincent is typically depicted as a youthful deacon wearing a dalmatic and holding the palm of martyrdom. Additional attributes may include a book or, in later and regional iconography, grapes, reflecting his association with viticulture. His image commonly appears in stained-glass schemes paired with bishops or other martyrs, emphasising his role within the ecclesiastical hierarchy and his exemplary witness to the faith.