Adriana KREMENJAS-DANICIC

Saint Blaise was a bishop in the town of Sebaste (present-day Sivas, Turkey). It is believed he was born into a wealthy family around 280 A.D. After studying medicine he cured both people and animals. Against his will, he was elected bishop thanks to his gentleness and modesty. Despite the Edict of Milan, which in 313 officially ended persecution of Christians within the Roman Empire, the local governor, Agricola, ordered Blaise to be tortured several times. After he refused to abjure his faith, he was beheaded in 316 A.D. According to the Gregorian calendar, Blaise's death is celebrated on the 3rd of February. The Julian calendar puts it on the llth of February, while the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates it on the 17th of January. The citizens of Dubrovnik elected Blaise as their patron saint in 971.
...St. Blaise is a popular saint on a global basis. Wishing to contribute to the preservation of his veneration, this richly illustrated account puts an accent on the universality of his cult and invites the readers to look for the Saint in the most unexpected places... (Adriana Kremenjas-Danicic, Editor-in-Chief)
...This book gives a very complete and interesting portrayal of the veneration of St. Blaise from various angles including widespread reverence for him throughout the Christian World. It highlights in particular the uniqueness of Dubrovnik, which gives this veneration a different, higher dimension - not only for being considered as a world intangible cultural heritage, but also because this veneration is woven into the faith of the populace of Dubrovnik diocese and the countless pilgrims... (Monsignor Mate Uzinic, Bishop of Dubrovnik)
Wishing to acquaint Croatian readers with the main features of the cult of Saint Blaise abroad, Europe House Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik Branch of the Matrix Croatica issued jointly at the beginning of 2010, an adapted translation of the book Saint Blaise - Eveque de Sebaste - un Saint d'Armenie en Occident by Armand Tchouhadjian. The fact that in November 2009 UNESCO included the Dubrovnik Festivity of St. Blaise on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity validates the publishing of an expanded version in English. It has been prepared jointly by Adriana Kremenjas-Danicic, President of the Europe House Dubrovnik and American art historian Caleb Ives Bach, author of the self-published treatise Trailing a Blaise: a Saint's progress.