Saint Elpidius the Cappadocian ( it, Sant'Elpidio, Santo Abate Elpidio) (4th century) was an

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

and

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. Tradition states that he lived in a cave in

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

for twenty-five years. Disciples, such as Eustace (Eustachio) and Ennesius (Ennesio), gathered around him.

Veneration

The village of ''Cluana'', in the

Marches of Ancona Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, acquired Elpidius'

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

in the 7th century in exchange for the donation of a piece of land. The relics of Elpidius and his companions Eustace and Ennesius were consigned to the local inhabitants, and the town later acquired the new name of

Sant'Elpidio a Mare Sant'Elpidio a Mare is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Fermo, in the Marche region of Italy. Geography Sant'Elpidio a Mare is located on a ridge of Marche Apennine, elevation above sea level, between the lower river valleys of the ri ...

. The relics of Elpidius are considered to have saved the town from a Lombard

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

; tradition states that the saint appeared in the sky asking the inhabitants to defend the village.Paradise Possible Le Marche - Sant'Elpidio a Mare
/ref>

References

External links

Saint of the Day, September 2: ''Elpidius the Cappadocian''
at ''SaintPatrickDC.org''
Sant'Elpidio a Mare
{{Authority control Cappadocia (Roman province) Saints from Roman Anatolia Italian Roman Catholic saints 4th-century Christian saints People from Cappadocia Sant'Elpidio a Mare