St. Emygdius
Feast 08-05 · Canonized Pre-Congregation
Patron of
About
Emygdius was a bishop and martyr of the early Church, traditionally said to have been born in Trier and converted to Christianity while traveling in Italy. He was consecrated bishop of Ascoli Piceno and preached in the region of the Marches, where he is said to have performed many healings and to have destroyed pagan temples.
He was martyred during the persecution of Diocletian, around 303, and was beheaded near Ascoli. According to legend, he carried his own head to the place where his church now stands.
Emygdius is especially venerated in central Italy, where he is invoked against earthquakes. After a devastating earthquake struck the Marches in 1703, devotion to him spread widely, and he remains the protector of Ascoli Piceno and of those who fear tremors.
Suggested prayer
O God, who gave St. Emygdius the crown of martyrdom near Ascoli and made him the protector of those who fear earthquakes, grant through his intercession safety to all who live where the earth trembles, and keep them unshaken in faith. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
