The Holy and Glorious Martyr Euplus, Archdeacon of Catania
Life
Euplus (also Euplius; Greek Euplos, Italian Euplo) was an archdeacon of Catania in Sicily who was martyred during the persecution under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian, traditionally dated to the year 304. He is remembered above all for his constant attachment to the Gospel book, which he carried with him and read and explained openly to the pagan population of the city, and which by tradition was hung about his neck as he was led to execution.
His martyrdom is preserved in a Greek Passion (or Acts) of Euplus, probably composed in the fourth century, which scholars believe may incorporate elements of the original trial record. According to this account he confessed his faith before the governor Calvisianus, was tortured and imprisoned, and was finally beheaded. He is venerated in both the Eastern and Western traditions as a martyr of the undivided Church, and is honored as a co-patron of Catania alongside Saint Agatha.
Timeline 4 moments
ReadHide
c. 304Arrest in CataniaEuplus was arrested during the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian while he read and explained the Gospel to a gathered crowd in Catania. By the Greek account he came forward of his own accord, declaring himself a Christian and entering the governor's hall holding the book of the Gospels.
c. 304Trial before CalvisianusBrought before the governor Calvisianus, Euplus was asked to read from the book he carried. He read from the four Gospels and, when asked what the texts were, answered that this was the law of God. He confessed himself a Christian and denounced the worship of idols, for which he was sentenced to torture.
c. 304ImprisonmentAfter torture he was cast into prison, where by tradition he remained in prayer for seven days. The synaxarion relates that the Lord made a spring of water flow into the prison so that the martyr might quench his thirst.
c. 304MartyrdomAt his execution the judge commanded that his ears be torn off and that he be beheaded. Led out with the Gospel hung about his neck, he again read and explained it to the people, and the synaxarion relates that many of the pagans came to believe in Christ. He was then beheaded by the sword.
Contributions & Legacy
3 contributions
ReadHide
Ministry and the Gospel Book
The defining feature of Euplus's life as it is remembered is his devotion to the Gospel book. The sources relate that he carried the Scriptures with him constantly and preached openly to the pagans of Catania, reading and explaining the text to crowds in public. It was during one such public reading that he was seized and brought to trial.
The Gospel book remains central to the account of his death: the tradition holds that it was hung about his neck as he was led to execution, and that he continued to read and expound it on the way, so that his witness was bound up to the end with the book he had carried in life.
The Acts of Euplus
Euplus's martyrdom is preserved in a Greek Passion, probably written in the fourth century and presumably at Catania, which recounts his arrest, interrogation before Calvisianus, and execution. Scholars regard the text as significant because it probably contains elements of the original trial acts. By the Greek version the interrogation is dated to the twenty-ninth of April in the year 304, when Euplus presented himself at the government house holding the Gospels before the corrector Calvisianus.
Relics and Veneration
Euplus is venerated as a martyr in both the Eastern and Western traditions. In the Orthodox tradition he is commemorated on August 11 and honored as a martyr archdeacon; the Latin Rite keeps his feast on August 12.
Accounts of his relics vary. Orthodox sources record that his holy relics rest in a village near Naples (variously given as Vico della Batonia). Western sources state that his remains rest in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Trevico, having likely been relocated before the Arab conquest of Sicily; in 1654 the Bishop of Trevico, Donato Pascasio, authorized the translation of a bone of the saint to the diocese of Catania. He is honored as a co-patron of Catania together with Saint Agatha, as a patron of Trevico, and as patron of Francavilla di Sicilia.
