Emygdius
Encyclopedia
Saint Emygdius (d. c. 309 AD) was a Christian
bishop who is venerated as a martyr
. Tradition states that he was killed during the persecution of Diocletian
.
who became a Christian. He traveled to Rome
and cured the paralytic daughter of his host Gratianus, who had let him stay with him at his house on Tiber Island
. Gratianus' family then converted to Christianity.
Emygdius also cured a blind man. The people of Rome believed him to be the son of Apollo
and carried him off by force to the Temple of Aesculapius on the island in the Tiber, where he cured many of the sick. Emygdius declared himself a Christian, however, and tore down the pagan altars and smashed into pieces a statue of Aesculapius. He also converted many to Christianity; this enraged the prefect of the city.
He was made a bishop by Pope Marcellus I
(or Pope Marcellinus
), and sent to Ascoli Piceno
.
On his way to Ascoli, Emydgius made more conversions, and performed a miracle where he made water gush out of a mountain after striking a cliff. Polymius, the local governor, attempted to convince Emygdius to worship Jupiter
and the goddess Angaria
, the patroness of Ascoli. Polymius also offered him the hand of his daughter Polisia. Instead Emygdius baptized her as a Christian in the waters of the Tronto
, along with many others.
Enraged, Polymius decapitated
him on the spot now occupied by the Sant'Emidio Red Temple, as well as his followers Eupolus (Euplus), Germanus, and Valentius (Valentinus). Emygdius stood up, carried his own head
to a spot on a mountain where he had constructed an oratory
(the site of the present-day Sant'Emidio alla Grotte
). After Emygdius' martyrdom, his followers attacked Polymius' palace and pulled it down.
was written probably by a monk
of Frankish
origin in the eleventh century, after the rediscovery of the saint's relics, which had been conserved in a Roman
sarcophagus
. However, his hagiography was attributed to his disciple Valentius, who was martyred with him. The cult of Saint Emygdius is ancient, documented by churches dedicated to him since the eighth century. The translation of his relics from the catacomb of Sant'Emidio alla Grotte
to the crypt of the cathedral happened probably around the year 1000 under Bernardo II, bishop of Ascoli.
In 1703, a violent earthquake
occurred in the Marche
but did not affect the city of Ascoli Piceno. The city's salvation was attributed to Emygdius and he was thenceforth invoked against earthquakes. As a result of this event, the church dedicated a church to the saint in 1717. Additionally, many towns appointed him as patron, erecting statues in his honor in the churches (L'Aquila
, 1732; Cingoli
, 1747; San Ginesio
, 1751; and Nocera Umbra, 1751).
Emygdius is considered to have protected Ascoli from other dangers. A dazzling vision of Emygdius is said to have deterred Alaric I
from destroying Ascoli in 409. The troops of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
passed through the region in 1038 carrying the plague; Bernardo I, bishop of Ascoli, invoked Emydgius' aid and the plague stopped. During World War II
, on October 3, 1943, Emygdius is said to have protected the city against German
movements against the Italian partisans.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
bishop who is venerated as a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
. Tradition states that he was killed during the persecution of Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
.
Legend
His legend states that he was a pagan of TrierTrier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
who became a Christian. He traveled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and cured the paralytic daughter of his host Gratianus, who had let him stay with him at his house on Tiber Island
Tiber Island
The Tiber Island , is a boat-shaped island which has long been associated with healing. It is an ait, and is one of the two islands in the Tiber river, which runs through Rome; the other one, much larger, is near the mouth. The island is located in the southern bend of the Tiber. It is...
. Gratianus' family then converted to Christianity.
Emygdius also cured a blind man. The people of Rome believed him to be the son of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
and carried him off by force to the Temple of Aesculapius on the island in the Tiber, where he cured many of the sick. Emygdius declared himself a Christian, however, and tore down the pagan altars and smashed into pieces a statue of Aesculapius. He also converted many to Christianity; this enraged the prefect of the city.
He was made a bishop by Pope Marcellus I
Pope Marcellus I
Pope Saint Marcellus I, pope from May 308 to 309, succeeded Marcellinus, after a considerable interval, most probably in May or June 308.Under Maxentius he was banished from Rome in 309 on account of the tumult caused by the severity of the penances he had imposed on Christians who had lapsed under...
(or Pope Marcellinus
Pope Marcellinus
Pope Saint Marcellinus, according to the Liberian Catalogue, became bishop of Rome on June 30, 296; his predecessor was Pope St CaiusMarcellinus’ pontificate began at a time when Diocletian was Roman Emperor, but had not yet started to persecute the Christians. He left Christianity rather free and...
), and sent to Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno is a town and comune in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is c. 51,400.-Geography:...
.
On his way to Ascoli, Emydgius made more conversions, and performed a miracle where he made water gush out of a mountain after striking a cliff. Polymius, the local governor, attempted to convince Emygdius to worship Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
and the goddess Angaria
Angaria
Angaria , a sort of postal system adopted by the Roman imperial government from the ancient Persians, among whom, according to Xenophon it was established by Darius the Great...
, the patroness of Ascoli. Polymius also offered him the hand of his daughter Polisia. Instead Emygdius baptized her as a Christian in the waters of the Tronto
Tronto
The Tronto is a 115 km-long Italian river that arises at Monte della Laghetta and ends in the Adriatic Sea at Porto d'Ascoli, San Benedetto del Tronto. Anciently the Truentus, it traverses the Lazio, Marche, and Abruzzo regions....
, along with many others.
Enraged, Polymius decapitated
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
him on the spot now occupied by the Sant'Emidio Red Temple, as well as his followers Eupolus (Euplus), Germanus, and Valentius (Valentinus). Emygdius stood up, carried his own head
Cephalophore
A cephalophore is a saint who is generally depicted carrying his or her own head; in art, this was usually meant to signify that the subject in question had been martyred by beheading....
to a spot on a mountain where he had constructed an oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...
(the site of the present-day Sant'Emidio alla Grotte
Sant'Emidio alla Grotte
Sant'Emidio alle Grotte is a Baroque church in Ascoli Piceno, Italy.Its name refers to Saint Emygdius . According to legend, after having been beheaded in 309 near the current church of Sant'Emidio Rosso, the saint walked here with his head in his hands to be buried...
). After Emygdius' martyrdom, his followers attacked Polymius' palace and pulled it down.
Veneration
His hagiographyHagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
was written probably by a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
of Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
origin in the eleventh century, after the rediscovery of the saint's relics, which had been conserved in a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
. However, his hagiography was attributed to his disciple Valentius, who was martyred with him. The cult of Saint Emygdius is ancient, documented by churches dedicated to him since the eighth century. The translation of his relics from the catacomb of Sant'Emidio alla Grotte
Sant'Emidio alla Grotte
Sant'Emidio alle Grotte is a Baroque church in Ascoli Piceno, Italy.Its name refers to Saint Emygdius . According to legend, after having been beheaded in 309 near the current church of Sant'Emidio Rosso, the saint walked here with his head in his hands to be buried...
to the crypt of the cathedral happened probably around the year 1000 under Bernardo II, bishop of Ascoli.
In 1703, a violent earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
occurred in the Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
but did not affect the city of Ascoli Piceno. The city's salvation was attributed to Emygdius and he was thenceforth invoked against earthquakes. As a result of this event, the church dedicated a church to the saint in 1717. Additionally, many towns appointed him as patron, erecting statues in his honor in the churches (L'Aquila
L'Aquila
L'Aquila is a city and comune in central Italy, both the capital city of the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 73,150 inhabitants, but has a daily presence in the territory of 100,000 people for study, tertiary activities, jobs and tourism...
, 1732; Cingoli
Cingoli
Cingoli is a town and comune of the Marches, Italy, in the province of Macerata, about 27 km by road from the town of Macerata. It is the birthplace of Pope Pius VIII.-History:...
, 1747; San Ginesio
San Ginesio
San Ginesio is a comune in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about 60 km southwest of Ancona and about 25 km southwest of Macerata...
, 1751; and Nocera Umbra, 1751).
Emygdius is considered to have protected Ascoli from other dangers. A dazzling vision of Emygdius is said to have deterred Alaric I
Alaric I
Alaric I was the King of the Visigoths from 395–410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire....
from destroying Ascoli in 409. The troops of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1027 until his death.The son of a mid-level nobleman in Franconia, Count Henry of Speyer and Adelaide of Alsace, he inherited the titles of count of Speyer and of Worms as an infant when Henry died at age twenty...
passed through the region in 1038 carrying the plague; Bernardo I, bishop of Ascoli, invoked Emydgius' aid and the plague stopped. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, on October 3, 1943, Emygdius is said to have protected the city against German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
movements against the Italian partisans.