For the Lithuanian saint, see Eustace of Vilnius.

Saint Eustace and companions
The Vision of Saint Eustace, by Pisanello.
Martyrs
Died	118 AD
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast	September 20 (Western Christianity); November 2 (Eastern Christianity)
Attributes	bull; crucifix; horn; stag; oven
Patronage	against fire; difficult situations; fire prevention; firefighters; hunters; hunting; huntsmen; Madrid; torture victims; trappers

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."^[1] The saint is honored on the calendar of the Melkite Catholics on December 13, as the "Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs Eustrates, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius, Orestes and the Virgin Lucia." He is also commemorated in the Orthodox Church, on September 20.

Legend [link]

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, "well stable", or Ευστάχιος, Eustachios, "rich crop"). 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 Theopista; and as Eustace crossed a river with his two sons Agapius and Theopistus, 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. The d'Afflitto dynasty, one of the oldest princely families in Italy, claims to be the direct descendant of Saint Eustace.

Variants [link]

The opening part of this legend, up to the martyrdom, is a variant of a popular tale in chivalric romance: the Man Tried By Fate.^[2] Except for an exemplum in Gesta Romanorum, all such tales are highly developed romances, such as Sir Isumbras.^[3]

Diffusion of his Veneration [link]

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, even as a martyr.^[4] 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 is September 20, as is indicated in the Roman Martyrology.^[5] In addition, a celebration of Saint Eustace and his companions was included in the Roman Calendar from the twelfth century until 1969, when it was removed because of the completely fabulous character of their Passio,^[6] resulting in a lack of sure knowledge about them. Some traditionalist Catholics continue to observe the pre-1970 Roman Calendar.

Patronage and cultural references [link]

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. The island of Sint Eustatius in the Caribbean Netherlands 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 American 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.

See also [link]

Saints portal

• Sint Eustatius, an island named after him
• Saint-Eustache, Quebec
• Imagination (film), film inspired by Saint Eustace
• Hubertus, another saint with a similar legend
• Église Saint-Eustache, Paris, a Parisien church bearing his name

References [link]

Gallery [link]

• 

  Saint George and Saint Eustace. Harbaville Triptych (10th century).

• 

  Saint Eustace, from a 13th century English manuscript.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• EustaceDeathFerdinandi.jpg

  Francesco Ferdinandi, The Martyrdom of St. Eustace. Behind the main altar at the Church of Sant'Eustachio, Rome, this painting follows the narrative in the Golden Legend: For refusing to sacrifice to the gods, St. Eustace and his wife and sons are to be enclosed in a brazen bull which will be heated till they die.

• StagExterior.jpg

  The stag-and-cross symbol of St. Eustace sits atop his church in Rome.

External links [link]

• Patron Saints: Saint Eustachius
• The Golden Legend: The Life of Saint Eustace
• "Sts. Eustachius and Companions". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05627a.htm. 
• The 'Life of St Eustace' window at Chartres Cathedral