The history of the Saint
Victim of misfortune - as many legends tell – Eustace lost all his possessions, probably because of the great difficulties that his family had to endure after his conversion, and he was obliged to leave Rome. He fled to Egypt where his wife and sons were kidnapped. After some years, due to power conflicts in Asia Minor, the Emperor Trajan sought for the heroic General so that he could be at the head of the Roman army again. Eustace took the command of the army and accomplished glorious victories; he was received in triumph in Rome, where, with great joy, he reunited with his family. Trajan’s successor, the Emperor Hadrian, facing accusations of Eustace being a Christian, ordered him to make a pagan sacrifice to the Gods of Rome. Since Eustace refused, Hadrian condemned him to an agonizing death, together with his wife and his sons, inside a red-hot metal container with the shape of a bull. The mortal remains of the Saint are in a porphiry sarcophagus located under the high altar of the Basilica and part of the relics are kept in the parish church of Saint-Eustache, in Paris. His memorial day is September 20th. Source: leaflet of the Sant’Eustachio Basilica |
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We do not have definite information regarding the life of St. Eustace, patron of the Basilica. Tradition hands down that Placidus – this was his name before the conversion – was born around the first half of the 1st century A. D.. He was a Roman patrician given to the art of weapons who attained the high rank of magister militum in the Roman army. The Emperor Trajan chose him to command a legion sent to Asia Minor in order to maintain military operations; here, Placidus distinguished himself by his heroism. According to the legend, as he was on hunting, Placidus saw a shining holy cross between the horns of a stag. Profoundly struck by the vision, he converted to Christianity together with his wife Theopista and his sons Theopistus and Agapitus. All the family was baptized and, on that occasion, Placidus was named Eustace.
