Saint Emygdius (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Emidius, Æmedius, Emigdius, Hemigidius''; it, Sant'Emidio; c. 279 – c. 309 AD) was a Christian bishop who is venerated as a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

. Tradition states that he was killed during the persecution of Diocletian.Sant' Emidio Martire
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Legend

His legend states that he was a pagan of

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

who became a Christian. He traveled to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and cured the paralytic daughter of his host Gratianus, who had let him stay with him at his house on

Tiber Island The Tiber Island ( it, Isola Tiberina, Latin: ''Insula Tiberina'') is the only river island in the part of the Tiber which runs through Rome. Tiber Island is located in the southern bend of the Tiber. The island is boat-shaped, approximately ...

. 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, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

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 (6 January 255 – 16 January 309) was the bishop of Rome from May or June 308 to his death. He succeeded Marcellinus after a considerable interval. Under Maxentius, he was banished from Rome in 309, on account of the tumult ca ...

(or

Pope Marcellinus Pope Marcellinus was the bishop of Rome from 30 June 296 to his death in 304. A historical accusation was levelled at him by some sources to the effect that he might have renounced Christianity during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christia ...

), 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 Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...

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 The Tronto ( la, Truentus) is a long Italian river that arises at Monti della Laga and ends in the Adriatic Sea at Porto d'Ascoli, San Benedetto del Tronto. It traverses the Lazio, Marche, and Abruzzo regions of Italy. The source of the Tront ...

, along with many others. Enraged, Polymius

decapitated Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

him on the spot now occupied by the

Sant'Emidio Red Temple The Sant'Emidio Red Temple (''Tempietto Sant'Emidio Rosso'') is a church of Ascoli Piceno in Italy. Its name refers to Saint Emygdius (Emidius), patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a sa ...

, 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 Sant'Emidio alle Grotte is a Baroque church in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. Its name refers to Saint Emygdius (Emidius). According to legend, after having been beheaded in 309 near the current church of Sant'Emidio Rosso, the saint walked here with ...

). After Emygdius' martyrdom, his followers attacked Polymius' palace and pulled it down.

Veneration

His hagiography was written probably by a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

origin in the eleventh century, after the rediscovery of the saint's

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 tang ...

, which had been conserved in a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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

to the crypt of the cathedral happened probably around the year 1000 under Bernardo II,

bishop of Ascoli Piceno The Italian Catholic Diocese of Ascoli Piceno ( la, Dioecesis Asculanus in Piceno) in the Marche, has existed since the fourth century. Historically immediately dependent on the Holy See, it is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Fermo.

. In 1703, a violent

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

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 Cingoli is a town and ''comune'' of the Marches, Italy, in the province of Macerata, about by road from the town of Macerata. It is the birthplace of Pope Pius VIII. History The town occupies the site of the ancient ''Cingulum'', a town of Pice ...

, 1747;

San Ginesio San Ginesio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. As of December 31, 2004, it had a population of 3,872 and an area of .All de ...

, 1751; and

Nocera Umbra Nocera Umbra is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Perugia, Italy, 15 kilometers north of Foligno, at an altitude of 520 m above sea-level. The ''comune'', covering an area of 157.19 km², is one of the largest in Umbria. History Ancie ...

, 1751).Abruzzo Heritage
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.Sant' Emidio
The troops of

Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

passed through the region in 1038 carrying the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

; Bernardo I, bishop of Ascoli, invoked Emydgius' aid and the plague stopped. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, on October 3, 1943, Emygdius is said to have protected the city against

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

movements against the

Italian partisans The Italian resistance movement (the ''Resistenza italiana'' and ''la Resistenza'') is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social ...

Gallery

File:The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius - Carlo Crivelli - National Gallery.jpg, ''Annunciation with St. Emygdius'' (1486).

Carlo Crivelli Carlo Crivelli (Venice, c. 1430 – Ascoli Piceno, c. 1495) was an Italian Renaissance painter of conservative Late Gothic decorative sensibility, who spent his early years in the Veneto, where he absorbed influences from the Vivari ...

. Image:Quadro raffigurante la decollazione di Sant' Emidio IMG 0051.JPG, ''The decapitation of Saint Emygdius'' Image:Cripta di Sant'Emidio AP.jpg, Statue of Saint Emydgius converting Polisia Image:Tempietto Sant'Emidio Rosso Ascoli Piceno.jpg, "Red Temple" of Sant'Emidio, Ascoli Piceno, built on the supposed spot of Emygdius' martyrdom.

Legend

Veneration

Gallery

Notes

External links