4th century

Saint Emygdius of Ascoli

Summary

Originally from Trier, Saint Emygdius converted at the age of 23 and set out to evangelize Rome and then Ascoli Piceno, where he was ordained bishop by Pope Marcellinus. After destroying idols and performing numerous conversions, he was beheaded under Diocletian. Tradition reports that he carried his own head for a distance of three hundred paces to an oratory.

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SAINT EMYGDIUS, MARTYR,

Mission 01 / 03

Conversion and mission in Rome

Originally from Trier, Emygdius converted at the age of twenty-three and traveled to Rome, where he performed miracles of healing and destroyed pagan idols.

Saint Emygdi us was bor n in T rier to an illustrious family. At the age of twenty-three, despite the opposition of his parents, he embraced the religion of Jesus Christ and professed it with unwavering energy until the end of his life. Despising all earthly pleasures, he applied himself entirely to the service of God. He burned with ardent charity and, to win souls for Jesus Christ, he traveled to Rome. An i nhabitant of the Tiber Island offered him hospitality, and he rewarded him by healing his daughter, who had been suffering from a mortal illness for five years. It was by giving her Baptism that he performed this wonder. Shortly after, having restored sight to a blind man in the presence of the people, which converted him, he was arrested and taken to the temple of Aesculapius. There, he declared himself a servant of Jesus Christ, healed a great number of the sick in His name, destroyed the altars, and threw the broken statue of the god into the Tiber. Three thousand infidels were converted; the prefect, having been warned, flew into a great rage and uttered threats against Emygdius. The latter, warned by an angel, escaped an d went to fin d Pope Marcellinus, who ordained him bishop and sent him to Ascoli Piceno (Marche of Ancona).

Martyrdom 02 / 03

Episcopacy and martyrdom in Ascoli

Ordained bishop by Pope Marcellinus, he left for Ascoli where he refused to abjure his faith, converted the prefect's daughter, and suffered decapitation before performing a miracle of cephalophory.

On the road, the Saint performed a great number of wonders and obtained numerous conversions. When he entered Ascoli, the idols let out lamentable groans and indicated as the cause of their pain the stranger who had just arrived. The people, irritated, began to search for him and led him before the prefect of the city, who did everything in his power to make him worship Jupiter. He even offered to give him his daughter in marriage. Saint Emy gdius refuse d, converted this daughter, and, having brought water out of a rock, baptized her along with fifteen hundred other people. The prefect had the bishop's head cut off, whose body was seen to rise again , take up its head, and wa lk to an oratory, a distance of three hundred paces. Later, the relics of Saint Emygdius were transported to a larger church, and they are still today the object of a particular cult for the inhabitants of Ascoli and for many foreigners who come to venerate them.