Euplius
Encyclopedia
Saint Euplius (d. ca. AD 304) is venerated as a martyr
and saint
by the Catholic Church. With Saint Agatha, he is a co-patron
of Catania
in Sicily
.
during the Diocletian persecution
. He was brought before the governor of the city, Calvinianus (Calvinian), who asked the saint to read him extracts from the book. He was then torture
d and beheaded
.
of Francavilla di Sicilia
and Trevico
. Ruins of the old church of Saint Euplius are located in Catania near Piazza Stesicoro
. This urban site coincides with the place of his martyrdom. His feast day is August 12.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
and saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
by the Catholic Church. With Saint Agatha, he is a co-patron
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
Biography
The Passion of Saint Euplius states that he was a deacon and that he was arrested for owning and reading from a copy of the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
during the Diocletian persecution
Diocletian Persecution
The Diocletianic Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. In 303, Emperor Diocletian and Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding the legal rights of Christians and demanding that they comply with traditional Roman...
. He was brought before the governor of the city, Calvinianus (Calvinian), who asked the saint to read him extracts from the book. He was then torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d and beheaded
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...
.
Veneration
He is also the patron saintPatron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Francavilla di Sicilia
Francavilla di Sicilia
Francavilla di Sicilia is a town and comune in the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily, Italy.It has a population of about 4,000 people and is situated in the southern part of the province, close to the northern slopes of Mount Etna. The distance to Messina is about 50 km, and the...
and Trevico
Trevico
Trevico is a town and comune in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy....
. Ruins of the old church of Saint Euplius are located in Catania near Piazza Stesicoro
Stesichorus
Stesichorus was the first great poet of the Greek West. He is best known for telling epic stories in lyric metres but he is also famous for some ancient traditions about his life, such as his opposition to the tyrant Phalaris, and the blindness he is said to have incurred and cured by composing...
. This urban site coincides with the place of his martyrdom. His feast day is August 12.