Euphemia of Chalcedon

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Saint Euphemia (14th century), Diocesan Museum Udine

Euphemia of Chalcedon († September 16 at 303 ) was an early Christian virgin and martyr .

Life

Euphemia in the lions' den, depiction in the Eufemia Church in Rovinj

Euphemia lived in the 3rd century under the rule of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian and was a Roman patrician , daughter of a senator in Chalcedon . Because she openly professed her faith during the persecution of Christians , she was to be tortured on the orders of the proconsul Priscus. According to legend, Euphemia was hung by the hair and pressed between stones for seven days. She was denied food. An angel fed them during this time, then the stones crumbled to dust and Euphemia was free. She was thrown into a pit with wild animals in the Hippodrome of Byzantion , but these did nothing to her. An executioner who jumped into the pit and stabbed Euphemia with a dagger was mauled by the animals. Euphemia was buried with full honors.

Relics

Stone coffin of St. Euphemia in Rovinj

In the 4th century a basilica was built over the tomb of Euphemias in Chalcedon . Around 620 her relics were brought to Constantinople . Around 800, Euphemia's sarcophagus was transferred to Rovinj in today's Croatia . Relics are in their consecrated Church of Rovinj, others in Istanbul .

In the 13th century the skull relic of St. Euphemia in the Templar castle Athlit , where she was "miraculously transferred", perhaps during the sack of Constantinople during the fourth crusade . The Templars used to touch the relic with their belts. In 1291 the relic was brought to Cyprus in the treasury of the order in Nicosia and after the dissolution of the order came into the possession of the Johanniter . In 1395 they were on Rhodes , when the island was cleared in 1522 they came to Malta , where they were kept in a reliquary . It is believed that Napoleon's troops captured the reliquary and its contents in 1798 and that the ship that transported them sank in the sea ​​battle at Abukir in the summer of 1798.

liturgy

Her feast day in the Orthodox Church is September 29th . Another festival is on July 24th, when she miraculously intervened against heretics at the fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon . Euphemia is the patron saint of Rovinj.

  • The Basilica of Sveta Eufemija in Rovinj

  • Portrait of the saint on the spire

  • Altar with a saint's portrait in Rovinj

  • Saint Euphemia in the lion arena

  • Arrival of the sarcophagus in Rovinj.

Patronage

Places named after the saint (there usually also the patron saint of the place): Places:

Geographical objects in Calabria :

Places in Italy:

For churches see Euphemiakirche

literature

Web links

Commons : Euphemia (saints)  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Euphemia of Chalcedon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Euphemia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Christian virgin and martyr
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century
DATE OF DEATH September 16 at 303