Saint Eustace

:For the Lithuanian saint, see Eustace of Vilnius.
Saint Eustace, also known as Eustachius or Eustathius, was a legendary Christian martyr who lived in the 2nd century AD. A martyr of that name is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, which, however, judges that the legend recounted about him is "completely fabulous.""Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7) For that reason Eustace was removed from the Roman Catholic calendar of saints to be commemorated liturgically worldwide on the former feast of "Saint Eustace and Companions.""Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 139
==Legend==
Prior to his conversion to Christianity, he was a Roman general named Placidus, who served the emperor Trajan. While hunting a stag in Tivoli near Rome, Placidus saw a vision of Jesus between the stag's antlers. He was immediately converted, had himself and his family baptized, and changed his name to Eustace (Greek: Ευστάθιος Eustathios, "good fortune" or "fruitful"). A series of calamities followed to test his faith: his wealth was stolen; his servants died of a plague; when the family took a sea voyage, the ship's captain kidnapped Eustace's wife; and as Eustace crossed a river with his two sons, the children were taken away by a wolf and a lion. Like Job, Eustace lamented but did not lose his faith. He was then quickly restored to his former prestige and reunited with his family; but when he demonstrated his new faith by refusing to make a pagan sacrifice, the emperor, Hadrian, condemned Eustace, his wife, and his sons to be roasted to death inside a bronze statue of a bull or an ox, in the year AD 118.
==Veneration and diffusion of the cult==
The story was popularized in Jacobus de Voragine's "Golden Legend" (c. 1260). Eustace became known as a patron saint of hunters and firefighters, and also of anyone facing adversity; he was traditionally included among the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
As with many early saints, there is little evidence for Eustace's existence; elements of his story have been attributed to other saints (notably the Belgian Saint Hubert).
Saint Eustace's feast day in the Roman Catholic Church was September 20."Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7) In addition, Saint Eustace and his companions were included in the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints who were to be commemorated wherever the Roman Rite is celebrated, but that commemoration was removed in 1969 because, in view of the fabulous character of his "Passio," scarcely anything is known of the saint."Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana), p. 139 Traditional Roman Catholics continue to celebrate the feast of "St Eustace and Companions, Martyrs" on September 20.See the General Roman Calendar as in 1954, the General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII, and the General Roman Calendar of 1962 Many Roman Catholics worldwide still venerate Saint Eustace and the Fourteen Holy Helpers overall.
==Patronage and cultural references==
He is one of the patron saints of Madrid, Spain. Scenes from the story, especially Eustace kneeling before the stag, became a popular subject of medieval religious art. Early artistic depictions of the legend include a wall painting at Canterbury Cathedral and stained glass windows at the Cathedral of Chartres. There is a Church of Saint Eustace in Paris, and the island of Sint Eustatius in the Netherlands Antilles is named after him.
The novels "The Herb of Grace" (US title: Pilgrim's Inn) (1948) by British author Elizabeth Goudge, and Riddley Walker (1980) by English author Russell Hoban, incorporate the legend into their plot.
The saint's cross-and-stag symbol is featured on bottles of Jägermeister. This is related to his status as patron of hunters; jägermeisters were senior foresters and gamekeepers in the German civil service at the time of the drink's introduction in 1935.
==References==
==Gallery==
Image:Triptych Harbaville Louvre OA3247 n1.jpg|Saint George and Saint Eustace. Harbaville Triptych (10th century).
Image:Saint eustace.jpg|Saint Eustace, from a 13th-century English manuscript.
Image:Albrecht_Dürer_069.jpg|On a wing of the Paumgartner Altarpiece, Albrecht Dürer painted Lukas Paumgartner with the banner of his patron St Eustace, in the contemporary armor of a landsknecht.
Image:Dürer_-_Der_hl_Eustachius.jpg|Saint Eustachius, an engraving by Albrecht Dürer, ca. 1501. As in the Pisanello above, he kneels before a stag with a cross in its antlers, surrounded by dogs including greyhounds. 
==See also==
*Sint Eustatius, an island named after him.
*Saint-Eustache, Quebec
*Imagination (film), film inspired by Saint Eustace.
*Hubertus, another saint with a similar legend.
==External links==
*Patron Saints: Saint Eustachius
*The Golden Legend: The Life of Saint Eustace
*
*The 'Life of St Eustace' window at Chartres Cathedral
Category:1st-century births
Category:118 deaths
Category:Christian martyrs of the Roman era
Category:Saints of the Golden Legend
Category:Fourteen Holy Helpers
Category:2nd-century Christian martyr saints
ca:Eustaqui de Roma
de:Eustachius
es:Eustaquio de Roma
fr:Eustache (martyr)
it:Eustachio Placido
he:יוסטסיוס הקדוש
hu:Szent Eustachius
nl:Eustachius
ja:エウスタキウス
no:Sankt Eustachius
pl:Eustachy Rzymski
pt:Santo Eustáquio
ru:Великомученик Евстафий
fi:Pyhä Eustachius