A XVth-century fresco painting held to be the torturing and dismemberment of
Erasmus, in the Maria Church in Båstad, Sweden
Saint Erasme
Martyr (+ v. 301)
ou saint Elme.
Il menait une vie ascétique dans sa solitude d'Antioche. D'après une des légendes à son sujet, mû par une inspiration divine, il annonça l'Évangile et parvint ainsi jusqu'en Macédoine, à Ochrid. C'est là qu'il fut martyrisé, revêtu d'une cuirasse de bronze incandescent.
Selon une autre légende, il aurait été évêque de Formie près de Gaète en Italie, d'autres le confondent avec un évêque syrien du nom d'Erasme d'Antioche...
Il est devenu le saint patron des marins. On attribue l'origine de ce patronage à un prodige: entouré de fidèles, saint Erasme était en train de prêcher quand un orage éclata brusquement; la terreur s'empara de l'assistance mais le saint demeura, lui, absolument tranquille, et l'on vit qu'au-dessus de sa tête, le ciel restait calme et serein tandis que la foudre tombait à ses côtés, l'épargnant miraculeusement. C'est pourquoi les marins ont donné le nom de feux Saint-Elme aux aigrettes lumineuses qu'ils aperçoivent parfois à l'extrémité des vergues et des mâts de leurs bateaux; ce nom désigne aussi les petites flammes qui voltigent la nuit à la surface de l'eau.
Connu en Corse sous le nom de san Teramu (pour sant'Eramu) et sur le continent , saint Elme (pour Saint Erasme), patron de nos confréries de marins-pêcheurs... (d'après 'Eglise de Corse en prière').
Tableau de Nicolas Poussin - le martyre de Saint Erasme - Musées du Vatican: "Cette œuvre représente Erasme, évêque de Formie, subissant le martyre durant les persécutions de Dioclétien en 303 après J.-C. Le peintre représente au premier plan le martyr, un prêtre lui indiquant la statue d'Hercule (l'idole païenne qu'Erasme refusa d'adorer; raison pour laquelle il fut condamné au martyre sur la place publique), un soldat romain à cheval chargé d'exécuter le supplice, le bourreau en train d'extraire les intestins en les enroulant sur un treuil de bateau, un fragment d'architecture classique et des anges qui descendent vers la victime en portant la palme et la couronne, symbole du martyre."
À Formies en Campanie, vers 303, saint Érasme, évêque et martyr.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/7203/Saint-Erasme.html
Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665). Le Martyre de Saint Érasme, 1628, huile sur toile, 320 x 186, Pinacoteca Vaticana, Cité du Vatican
Poussin,
The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus, 1628
Nicolas Poussin, Martyre
de Saint Erasme
Le Martyre de Saint Erasme est la première œuvre publique de Nicolas Poussin à Rome, où il s’était installé en 1624. L’œuvre était destinée à l’autel du transept droit de la Basilique Saint-Pierre, dans lequel sont conservées les reliques du Saint. Le tableau y resta jusqu’au XVIIIe siècle, avant d’être remplacé par une copie en mosaïque et transféré au palais pontifical du Quirinal. En application du Traité de Tolentino, il fut transféré à Paris, puis après sa restitution entra dans la Pinacothèque du Vatican de Pie VII (1820).
A l’origine, le retable d’autel avait été commandé à Pietro da Cortona, puis il passa en 1628 à Poussin qui le termina l’année suivante, en suivant les dessins préparatoires de Pietro da Cortona.
Cette œuvre représente Erasme, évêque de Formia, subissant le martyre durant les persécutions de Dioclétien en 303 apr. J.-C.
Le peintre représente au premier plan le martyr, un prêtre lui indiquant la
statue d’Hercule (l’idole païenne qu’Erasme refusa d’adorer ; raison pour
laquelle il fut condamné au martyre sur la place publique), un soldat romain à
cheval chargé d’exécuter le supplice, le bourreau en train d’extraire les
intestins en les enroulant sur un treuil de bateau, un fragment d’architecture
classique et des anges qui descendent vers la victime en portant la palme et la
couronne, symbole du martyre. Cette composition devint un véritable modèle pour
les futures représentations de martyres. Valentin s’en inspira pour son Martyre
des Saint Proces et Saint Martinien exécuté pour un autre autel tout
proche dans la basilique Saint-Pierre.
Jochberg. Parish church St. Wolfgang. Cemetery. Saint Erasmus
Jochberg.
Pfarrkirche St. Wolfgang. Friedhof. Bildstock Hl. Erasmus
SAINT ÉRASME
Évêque et martyr - 2 juin
En Orient il était connu
comme grand thaumaturge (faiseur de miracles) : il chassa des démons,
guérit diverses maladies et convertit au christianisme, par ses miracles et par
sa parole, plusieurs milliers de personnes.
L'empereur Dioclétien le fit frapper de verges, puis on versa sur lui du plomb
fondu, de la poix, du souffre et de la cire ; ensuite, comme son corps est
quand même resté intact, il le jeta en prison.
Un ange le libéra et l'emporta en Italie, dans la Campanie. Mais bientôt la
renommée de ses nouveaux miracles et de ses conversions arriva aux oreilles de
l'empereur Maximian, le successeur de Dioclétien.
Celui-ci furieux, surpassa même en cruauté son prédécesseur. Il fit jeter le
saint dans un chaudron rempli d'huile bouillante, de plomb et de poix. Ensuite
il le fit éventrer et sortir les entrailles. Pour la seconde fois le saint fut
délivré par un ange et conduit sur un bateau vers Formia, près de Gaéta.
Là il mourut en martyr le
3 juin 303.
On représente St Erasme,
comme évêque, un livre dans une main, dans l'autre un treuil (un cabestan)
tenant les entrailles.
On invoque Saint Erasme
contre les douleurs corporelles, également comme patron et protecteur des
veuves et des orphelins et lors d'accouchements difficiles. Les marins en mer
le prient lors des tempêtes.
PRIÈRE :
O noble et glorieux
évêque, St Erasme, aide dans les maux corporels et protecteur de ceux qui sont
persécutés. Par tes affreuses souffrances physiques que tu as endurées,
obtiens-nous de Dieu la protection contre la souffrance physique et les
malheurs de l'âme. Sois attentif aux veuves et aux orphelins qui sont opprimés
et qui souffrent. Sois le protecteur des mères chrétiennes contre les malheurs
et pour elles un maître de la patience et de l'esprit de dévouement dans les
difficultés de leur état. Allume en nous tous l'espérance des joies éternelles
et pures pour que nous achevions notre chemin courageusement et fidèlement.
Amen.
SOURCE : http://cteparstbenoit.free.fr/saints_auxiliaires/st_erasme.html
St.
Erasmus flogged in the presence of Emperor Diocletian. Byzantine artwork, fresco, circa
750, from the crypt of the church of Santa Maria in Via Lata in Rome, Crypta Balbi
Saint
Érasme flagellé en présence de l'empereur Dioclétien. Oeuvre byzantine,
provenant de la crypte de l'église Santa Maria in Via Lata à Rome.
Sant'Erasmo flagellato al cospetto dell’imperatore Diocleziano.
Opera bizantina. L'affresco proviene dalla cripta della chiesa di Santa Maria in Via Lata dove fu
staccato per evitare i rischi conseguenti all'umidità.
Saint Elmo
St. Elmo, also known as
St. Erasmus, is the patron of sailors and stomach ailments and against storms.
He was the bishop of Formiae, Campagna, Italy, and suffered an excruciating
martyrdom during Diocletian’s persecution of the Christians. He once fled to Mount
Lebanon during the persecution and lived a life of solitude there for some
time, and according to tradition was fed by a raven.
After the emperor
discovered his whereabouts, he was tortured and thrown in prison. Legend claims
that an angel released him and he departed for Illyricum, and eventually
suffered a martyr’s death.
St. Elmo is one of the
Fourteen Holy Helpers, a group of saints invoked with special confidence
because they have proven themselves efficacious helpers in adversity and
difficulties. St. Elmo is also invoked against stomach cramps and colic.
This came about because he was tortured by having iron hooks stuck into his
intestines by persecutors under Emperor Diocletian.
Legend records that when
a blue light appears at mastheads before and after a storm, the seamen took it
as a sign of St. Elmo’s protection. This was known as “St. Elmo’s fire”. The
blue electrical discharges under certain atmospheric conditions have also been
seen on the masts or riggings of ships.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/elmo/
June 2
Saint Erasmus, Bishop and martyr
HE suffered
torments and a cruel death in the persecution of Dioclesian at Formiæ, in the
year 303. St. Gregory the Great testifies that his body remained in that city
in the sixth age. 1 Formiæ
being destroyed by the Saracens in the ninth century, the sacred treasure was
translated with the episcopal see to Cajeta, in 842. This saint is corruptly
called St. Elmo 2 for
Ermo, the abbreviation for Erasmus; and he was usually invocated by sailors in
the Mediterranean. St. Erasmus is commemorated in the new Paris Breviary, and a
portion of his relics is possessed by a nunnery near Gournay, in that diocess,
much frequented by pilgrims. See the Bollandists.
Note 1. St. Greg. b. 1, ep. 8. [back]
ote
2. St. Peter Gonzales, whom see on the 14th
of April, is also a patron of mariners, and called St. Elm. [back]
Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73). Volume VI: June. The
Lives of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/11/252.html
_-_Hl._Erasmus_-_8617_-_Kunsthistorisches_Museum.jpg)
Follower
of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553),
Saint Erasmus, circa 1510, 68.5 x 46, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Belvedere
Also
known as
Elmo
Eramo
Erarmo
Erasmo
Ermo
Herasmus
Rasimus
Rasmus
Telmo
Profile
Bishop of
Formiae, Campagna, Italy. He
fled to Mount Lebanon in the persecutions of emperor Diocletian where
he was fed by a raven so he could stay in hiding. Discovered by the
authorities, he was imprisoned,
but an angel rescued
him. Recaptured,
he was martyred.
One of the Fourteen
Holy Helpers. Namesake for the static electric discharge called Saint Elmo’s
Fire.
disemboweled c.303 at
Formiae, Italy
against
childhood intestinal disease
in Italy
Gaeta, archdiocese of
Gaeta,
city of
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Legends
of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, by Father Bonaventure
Hammer
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, by David Hugh Farmer
Saints
and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
other
sites in english
1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian
Catholic Truth Society
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
“Saint Erasmus of
Formiae“. CatholicSaints.Info. 16 January 2024. Web. 15 April 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-erasmus/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-erasmus/
_-_WGA02984.jpg)
Dieric
Bouts (circa 1420–1475), Martyrdom of St Erasmus (Erasmus of
Formiae), circa 1458, triptych : 82 x 150 (open), 82 × 80.5 (central
panel), 82 × 34.2 (each wing), St. Peter's Church, Leuven
St. Erasmus
Feastday: June 2
Patron: of sailors, Gaeta, Formia, colic in children, intestinal ailments and diseases, cramps and the pain of women in labor, cattle pest
Death: 303
Erasmus was also known as
Elmo. He was the bishop of
Formiae, Campagna, Italy, and suffered martyrdom during Diocletian's persecution of
the Christians. He once fled to Mount Lebanon during
the persecution and
lived a life of
solitude there for some time, being fed by a raven. After the emperor
discovered his whereabouts, he was tortured and thrown in prison. Legend claims
that an angel released
him and he departed for Illyricum, eventually suffered a martyr's death and was
one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Legend records that when a blue light appears
at mastheads before and after a storm, the seamen took it as a sign of
Erasmus's protection. This was known as "St. Elmo's fire". The blue
electrical discharges under certain atmospheric conditions have also been seen
on the masks or riggings of ships. Erasmus is also invoked against stomach
cramps and colic. This came about because at one time he
had hot iron hooks stuck into his intestines by persecutors under Emperor
Diocletian. These wounds he miraculously endured. His Feast day is June 2nd.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=182
Katholische
Pfarrkirche St. Martin in Wertingen im
Landkreis Dillingen an der Donau (Bayern), Malerei an der Emporenbrüstung;
Darstellung: hl. Erasmus
St Erasmus
Celebrated on June
2nd
Popularly known as Saint
Elmo, this early saint was a Bishop of Formiae in Italy. When the Christians
were being persecuted under Emperor Diocletian, according to legend he took
refuge on Mount Lebanon, living on food brought to him by birds.
He was captured and suffered horrendous tortures before he managed to escape
and began boldly preaching again. He was recaptured in Illyricum, tortured
again, and finally killed in 303. His symbol is a windlass used to lift a
ship's anchor.
St Elmo is the patron saint of sailors. St Elmo's Fire - a electrical
phenomenon that sometimes appears on ship's mastheads after a storm, is named
after him.
For centuries the parish church of Faversham in Kent had an altar dedicated to
St Erasmus with lights provided by legacies. Several alabaster carvings, and
paintings of him by Grunwald, Cranach and Dirk Bouts survive to this day, as
does a sculpture of the saint in the chapel of Henry VII in Westminster Abbey.
SOURCE : https://www.indcatholicnews.com/saint/163
ELMO, ST.
Legendary martyr, also
known as Erasmus, Rasmus, Ermo. He is probably identified with Erasmus who
since the 13th or 14th century has been venerated as one of the fourteen holy
helpers. He is reputed to have been the bishop of Formia in the Campagna, and gregory
the great stated that his relics were preserved in the cathedral of that town.
When Formia was destroyed by the Saracens in 842, Elmo's remains were moved to
Gaëta, where he became patron of that city. Nothing else in the fabulous tales
told of St. Elmo has any basis in reality; e.g., that he was the bishop of
Antioch who underwent many tortures in diocletian's persecution and died after
being miraculously transported to Italy. As one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers he
finally became a patron against cramps, colic, and all intestinal troubles, and
even of women in labor. In Mediterranean countries he became the protector of
sailors, and among Neapolitan sailors, the electrical discharges seen around
mastheads before and after storms were called st. elmo's fire.
Feast: June 2.
Bibliography: Acta
Sanctorum June 1:206–214. O. Engels, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche,
ed. J. Hofer and K. Rahner, 10v. (2d. new ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 3:955. R. Flahaut, S. Érasme (Paris 1895). A. Butler, The Lives of
the Saints, rev. ed. H. Thurston and D. Attwater, 4 v. (New
York 1956) 2:453–454.
[L. L. Rummel]
New Catholic Encyclopedia
SOURCE : https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/elmo-st
Matthias Grünewald, Saint Érasme et saint Maurice. Huile sur bois, vers 1520-1524,226 x 176, Munich
Matthias Grünewald (1517–23), Meeting
of Saint Erasmus and Saint Maurice, Alte
Pinakothek. Grünewald used Albert
of Mainz, who commissioned the painting, as the model for St. Erasmus.
Erasmus of Formiae BM (RM)
(also known as Elmo, Erarmo, Ermo)
Died 303. Saint Erasmus is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (combined feast
August 8), who were especially venerated in France and Germany for their
efficacious intercessory power. All had/have also individual feast days. Most
are non-existent, or shadowy figures of early Christianity popularized by
embroidered tales.
Nothing is really known
of Saint Elmo since his acta were written long after his death and were based
on legends that confuse him with a Syrian bishop of Antioch. He is thought to
have been a bishop at Formiae in the Italian Campagna, a hermit on Mount
Lebanon, and martyred under Diocletian.
According to his legend,
it is said that when the persecutions of Diocletian began, Elmo fled to Mount
Lebanon and lived alone on what ravens brought him to eat. Captured by his
enemies, he was brought before Diocletian and beaten with clubs weighted with
lead and whips. When it was perceived that he was still alive, the saint was
rolled in tar and set alight; but still he survived. Thrown into prison with
the intention of letting him die of starvation, Erasmus managed to escape.
He was recaptured in the
Roman province of Illyricum, after boldly preaching and converting numerous
pagans to Christianity. This time his tortures included being forced to sit in
a heated iron chair. Finally, according to this version of the legend, he was
killed when his stomach was cut open and his intestine wound around a windlass.
This late legend of his intestines being drawn out and wound around a windlass
may have developed from his emblem of a windlass (signifying his patronage of
sailors who use the windlass to wind up the anchor of their ships) being
confused with an instrument of torture.
Elmo may have become the
patron of sailors because he is said to have continued to preach even after a
thunderbolt struck the ground beside him. This prompted sailors, who were in
danger from sudden storms and lightning to claim his prayers. The electrical
discharges at the mastheads of ships were read as a sign of his protection and
came to be called "Saint Elmo's Fire."
Saint Gregory the Great
recorded that his relics were preserved in the Formiae cathedral in the sixth
century. When Formiae was razed by the Saracens in 842, the body of Elmo was
translated to Gaeta (Benedictines, Bentley, Sheppard, White).
Saint Erasmus is depicted
in art with his entrails wound on a windlass (Sheppard) or as a vested bishop
holding a winch or windlass (White). On the web you can see Matthias
Grünewald's The Disputation of Saint Erasmus and Saint Maurice and Nicholas
Poussin's The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus.
Elmo is the patron saint
of sailors and Gaeta (White). He is invoked against colic in children, cramp
(Sheppard), and, as a result of his legendary form of martyrdom, the pain of
women in labor (White), as well as cattle pest (Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0602.shtml
.jpg)
Legends
of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – Saint Erasmus, Bishop and Martyr
The pious historians of
the early Christian times state, as a rule, only what the saints did and
suffered for the Faith, and how they died. They deemed the martyrs’ glorious
combat and their victorious entrance into heaven more instructive, and
therefore more important, than a lengthy description of their lives.
Hence we know little of
the native place and the youth of Saint Erasmus, except that at the beginning
of the fourth century of the Christian era he was bishop of Antioch in Asia
Minor, the city where the name of “Christian” first came into use. When a long
and cruel persecution broke out under the Emperor Diocletian, Saint Erasmus hid
himself in the mountains of the Libanon, and led there, for some years, an
austere life of penance and fasting. Finally he was discovered and dragged
before the judge.
At first, persuasions and
kindness were employed to induce him to deny the Faith, but when these efforts
failed recourse was had to the most cruel torments. He was scourged, and
finally cast into a caldron filled with boiling oil, sulphur, and pitch. In
this seething mass God preserved him from harm, and by this miracle many
spectators were converted to the Faith. Still more enraged thereat, the judge
ordered the holy bishop to be thrown into prison and kept there in chains till
he died of starvation. But God delivered him, as He had once delivered Saint
Peter. One night an angel appeared to him and said: “Erasmus, follow me! Thou
shalt convert a great many.” Thus far he had led numbers to the Faith by suffering,
now he was to convert multitudes as a missionary.
Delivered from prison by
the power of God, he went forth into many lands and preached the Faith. Mighty
in word and deed, he wrought many miracles and converted great numbers of
heathens. At length he came to Italy, where Emperor Maximin persecuted the
Christians as fiercely as did Diocletian in the East. As soon as Maximin heard
of Erasmus and the conversions effected by his preaching and miracles, he
ordered the slaughter of three hundred of the converts. Erasmus himself was
most cruelly tortured, but to no purpose. He remained firm. Then cast into
prison, he was again liberated by an angel.
At last the hour of
deliverance came to this valiant and apostolic confessor and martyr of Christ.
He heard a heavenly voice, saying: “Erasmus, come now to the heavenly city and
rest in the place which God has prepared for thee with the holy martyrs and
prophets. Enjoy now the fruit of thy labor. By thee I was honored in heaven and
on earth.” Erasmus, looking toward heaven, saw a splendid crown, and the
apostles and prophets welcoming him. He bowed his head, saying: “Receive, O
Lord, the soul of thy servant!” and peacefully breathed forth his spirit on
June 2, 308.
Lesson
The tortures which Saint
Erasmus suffered for the Faith seem almost incredible, and the events related
of him are truly wonderful. Martyrdom and miracles illustrated the doctrine he
preached; he converted multitudes and gained the crown of heaven.
Perhaps you say that in
our times there are no longer any martyrs, at least not in civilized countries.
Are you quite sure of it? Saint Augustine writes: “Peace also has its martyrs.”
It is certainly not easy to suffer torments like the martyrs and to receive
finally the death-dealing blow of the sword. But is it not also a martyrdom to
suffer for years the pains of a lingering illness? Again, how difficult the
combat with the world, the flesh, and the powers of hell! How carefully must we
watch and pray to gain the victory! This is our martyrdom. Let us imitate the
example of the holy martyrs in bearing the trials and sufferings of life, and
we shall receive, as they did, the crown of heaven.
Prayer of the Church
O God, who dost give us
joy through the memory of Thy holy martyrs, graciously grant that we may be
inflamed by their example, in whose merits we rejoice. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
– from Mary,
Help of Christians, and the Fourteen Saints Invoked as Holy Helpers,
by Father Bonaventure
Hammer
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/legends-of-the-fourteen-holy-helpers-saint-erasmus-bishop-and-martyr/
Holy Confessor Erasmus,
Bishop of Formia in Campania
Commemorated on May 4
Saint Erasmus zealously
served the Lord from his youth. In his mature years he was consecrated as
Bishop of Formium, Italy. During the persecution against Christians under the
emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian Hercules (284-305), Saint Erasmus
left his diocese and went to Mount Libanus, where he hid for seven years. Once,
however, an angel appeared to him and said, “Erasmus! No one vanquishes enemies
if he is asleep. Go to your own city, and you shall vanquish your enemies.”
Heeding the voice of the angel, Saint Erasmus left his seclusion.
The first ones who asked
him about his faith were soldiers who met him along the way. Saint Erasmus
confessed himself a Christian. They brought him to trial at Antioch before the
emperor Diocletian. The saint fearlessly confessed his faith in Christ and
denounced the emperor for his impiety.
Saint Erasmus was
subjected to fearsome tortures, but remained unbending. After the tortures the
saint was bound in iron chains and thrown into prison, where an angel appeared
in miraculous form, saying, “Follow after me, I will lead you to Italy. There you
shall bring many people to salvation.” Saint Erasmus preached boldly to the
people about Christ and raised up the son of an illustrious citizen of Lycia.
After this miracle at
Lycia 10,000 men were baptized. The emperor of the Western half of the Roman Empire,
Maximian Hercules, gave orders to seize the saint and bring him to trial. Saint
Erasmus also confessed his faith before this emperor. They beat him and
threatened him with crucifixion if he did not renounce Christ. They forced him
to go to a temple of the idol, but along the saint’s route all the idols fell
and were destroyed, and from the temple there came fire which fell upon many of
the pagans.
After being set free,
Saint Erasmus baptized many pagans, and later went to the city of Sirmium,
where he was seized and subjected to torture. They seated him in a red-hot
oven, but he remained alive and unharmed. This miracle amazed so many people
that the emperor, fearing civil unrest, retired into his own chambers. The
angel freed Saint Erasmus from his fetters and took him to the city of Formium,
i.e. to his own diocese, where the saint baptized many more people. The saint
died there in 303. Christians buried the relics of the holy confessor with
honor.
_-_Magro_Nunzio_-_Museo_Diocesano_-_Agrigento_-_Italy_2015.JPG)
Magro
Nunzio, Martyrdom of St Erasmus, 1657, Museo Diocesano, Agrigento
Sant' Erasmo di Formia Vescovo
e martire
Fonti sicure attestano
l’esistenza di un sant’Erasmo vescovo di Formia, martire al tempo di
Diocleziano e Massimiano (303) e sepolto nella località costiera del Lazio
meridionale. Di storico su di lui si sa, però, poco. La «Passio» che lo
riguarda, compilata nel VI secolo, è leggendaria. Venerato nel Lazio e in
Campania, è menzionato, oltre che negli antichi martirologi, anche nel
Calendario marmoreo di Napoli. Nell’842, dopo che Formia era stata
distrutta dai Saraceni, le reliquie furono nascoste nella vicina Gaeta. Quando
furono ritrovate, nel 917, il martire venne proclamato patrono della diocesi
del Golfo. Nel 1106 Pasquale II consacrò la cattedrale di Gaeta, dedicandola
alla Vergine e a sant’Erasmo. È invocato contro le epidemie e le malattie
dell’intestino per il fatto che, nel martirio, gli sarebbero state strappate le
viscere. I marinai lo venerano con il nome di Elmo. (Avvenire)
Patronato: Malattie
dell'intestino
Etimologia: Erasmo =
amabile, piacevole, simpatico, dal greco
Emblema: Argano, Bastone
pastorale, Intestini, Palma
Martirologio Romano: A
Formia nell’odierno Lazio, sant’Erasmo, vescovo e martire.
Fonti degne di fede attestano l'esistenza di un s. Erasmo, martire, vescovo di Formia, il cui culto era molto diffuso nella Campania e nel Lazio. La più antica è il Martirologio Geronimiano in cui Erasmo è ricordato il 2 giugno S. Gregorio Magno alla fine del sec. VI, scrivendo al vescovo Bacauda di Formia, attesta che il corpo del santo era conservato in quella chiesa: "Formianae ecclesiae in qua corpus beati Herasmi martyris requiescit". Lo stesso pontefice ricorda due monasteri dedicati ad Erasmo: uno a Napoli e l'altro posto "in latere montis Pepperi" presso Cuma. Anche Roma aveva un monastero dedicato al santo sul Celio, nel quale fu educato da giovane il papa Adeodato I (m. 619) che poi, da pontefice, lo ampliò e lo arricchì di beni e privilegi. Altri monasteri intitolati ad Erasmo erano presso Formia (detto anche di Castellone) e presso Itri "in valle Itriana".
Il nome di Erasmo, oltre che nei martirologi storici, donde è passato nel Romano, era inserito nel Calendario marmoreo di Napoli. Nell'842, dopo che Formia era stata distrutta dai Saraceni, le sue reliquie vennero trasferite a Gaeta e nascoste in un pilastro della chiesa di S. Maria, dove furono rinvenute nel 917 dal vescovo Bono. Da quel tempo Erasmo fu proclamato patrono di Gaeta e furono anche coniate monete con la sua effigie. Il 3 febbraio 1106 Pasquale II consacrò la cattedrale di Gaeta in onore della Vergine e di Erasmo Nel Medio Evo il santo fu annoverato tra i cosidetti santi Ausiliatori e invocato specialmente contro le epidemie, mentre i marinai lo venerano come patrono col nome di S. Elmo.
Sulla personalità di Erasmo purtroppo siamo male informati poiché la passio, compilata con molta probabilità verso il sec. VI, è favolosa e leggendaria, né può aver maggior valore una biografia attribuita, senza solido fondamento, a Gelasio II (1118-19). Da questi scritti appare evidente come gli autori niente sapessero di sicuro intorno ad Erasmo se non ch'era stato vescovo di Formia ed era morto martire al tempo forse di Diocleziano.
Secondo la passio, dunque, Erasmo era oriundo di Antiochia. Quando scoppiò la persecuzione era già vescovo e si nascose per sette anni in una caverna del monte Libano. Ritornato in città fu arrestato e condotto al tribunale dell'imperatore che con lusinghe e tormenti cercò di persuaderlo a sacrificare agli dei; ma Erasmo rimase saldo nella fede e fu rinchiuso in carcere. Liberato miracolosamente, si recò nell'Illirico dove in sette anni convertì quattrocentomila persone. Arrestato ancora una volta per ordine di Massimiano, fu condotto a Sirmio dove abbatté un simulacro e convertì altre quattrocentomila persone, molte delle quali furono immediatamente uccise, mentre Erasmo, dopo essere stato ancora tormentato orribilmente, era rinchiuso in carcere. Fu liberato allora dall'arcangelo Michele che lo condusse a Formia, ed ivi sette giorni dopo placidamente morì.
Autore: Antonio Balducci
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/55550
Das
Martyrium des hl. Erasmus. Öl/Lwd., 66 x 47. Deutscher Meister XVIII. Jhdt.
Den hellige Erasmus av
Formia (d. ~303)
Minnedag: 2.
juni
Skytshelgen for Gaeta og
Formia og Fort St. Elmo på Malta; for sjøfolk, dreiere og vevere; for enker,
foreldreløse; for barn med kolikk; mot alle mageonder og underlivsplager; mot
all slags farer til sjøs; for husdyr og mot dyresykdommer; en av de fjorten
nødhjelperne
Den hellige Erasmus
(Erarmo, Eramo, Ermo, Herasmus, Rasimus, Rasmus; it: Erasmo, Elmo; sp: Telmo)
er en skikkelse som vi har svært få historiske opplysninger om. Når alle senere
legendariske tilføyinger er skrellet av, vet vi bare at han var biskop av
Formiae (i dag Formia) i provinsen Latina i den sørlige delen av regionen Lazio
i Midt-Italia, på Middelhavskysten halvveis mellom Roma og Napoli. Vi vet også
at han led martyrdøden under keiser Diokletian (284-305) og at hans relikvier
ble overført til Gaeta i 842. Hans passio (lidelseshistorie) ble
samlet på 500-tallet og er rent legendarisk. Ifølge overleveringen var han
først patriark av Antiokia i Syria (i dag Antakya i Sørøst-Tyrkia), men denne
legenden er basert på den hellige Erasmus av Antiokia.
Erasmus ble født en gang
på 200-tallet, muligens i Ohrid i Makedonia (?), eller i Antiokia i Syria, hvor
han senere ble patriarkbiskop rundt år 300 [andre kilder sier at han var en
biskop i patriarkatet Antiokia]. Da keiser Diokletians (284-305) forfølgelser
brøt ut, flyktet Erasmus til et fjell i Libanon og bodde der alene i syv år.
Ifølge legenden levde han ikke av annet enn det som ble brakt ham av en ravn.
Villdyrene ble tamme og flokket seg rundt hans eneboerhytte. Men hans
skjulested ble avslørt, og tre ganger ble han torturert av keiserens bødler.
Først ble han slått med køller som var forsterket med bly og deretter ble han
pisket, og til slutt ble han overhelt med bek og svovel og tent på, uten at det
skadet ham. Rolig sto han i den flammende massen som skummet og kokte rundt
ham, og priste Herren med høy røst. De som var tilskuere til dette praktfulle
skuespillet, omvendte seg til den kristne tro, og bare dommeren forble
forherdet. Til slutt kastet han Erasmus i fengsel uten mat for at han skulle
sulte i hjel.
Da hentet en engel ham og
førte ham til vesten. På skipsreisen kom de ut for et voldsomt uvær, men
Erasmus fortsatte fryktløst å forkynne selv om lynet slo ned like ved. Til
slutt stanset han uværet ved hjelp av bønn. Han virket i Sirmium (i dag Sremska
Mitrovica i Serbia) og Lugridum i den romerske provinsen Illyricum (i dagens
Kroatia), hvor han forkynte evangeliet og gjorde mange undre. Men han omvendte
så mange at han snart ble oppdaget på nytt, og igjen ble han tatt og torturert.
Men nok en gang ble han
befridd av en engel som brakte ham videre, denne gang til Formia (Formiae) i
Sør-Italia på kysten mellom Roma og Napoli. Der døde han ifølge en variant av
legenden av sine sår, mens en annen forteller at han var biskop av Formia i syv
år. Til slutt ble han igjen arrestert som kristen og torturert på nytt, denne
gangen inkluderte torturen å måtte sitte i en rødglødende stol. Deretter led han
martyrdøden rundt år 303. Han ble gravlagt i Formia.
Erasmus’ kult kan
stadfestes til Formia på 500-tallet, og han ble æret i Lazio og Campania. Den
hellige pave Gregor
I den store (590-604) skrev i 590 til biskop Bacauda av Formia at
Erasmus’ relikvier ble æret i Formia, Formianae ecclesiae in qua corpus
beati Herasmi martyris requiescit (Gregor den store, Registri
Epistolarum, I, 8) Den samme paven forteller om to klostre som var viet til
Erasmus, et i Napoli (Registri Epistolarum, IX, 172), og det andre på
stedet in latere montis Pepperi nær Cuma (Registri Epistolarum, I,
23). Roma hadde også et kloster viet til Erasmus på Monte Celio, hvor den
hellige pave Adeodatus I (615-18)
ble utdannet som ung. Senere utvidet og utrustet han det med goder og
privilegier som pave (Liber Pontificalis, I, 346). Andre klostre var viet til
Erasmus i Formia (også kalt Castellone) og nær Itri (in valle Itriana).
Da byen Formiae ble
plyndret av sarasenerne i 842, ble Erasmus’ relikvier overført til Gaeta og
gjemt i en søyle i kirken Santa Maria (sarasenere var middelalderens betegnelse
på muslimer; det kommer antakelig av et arabisk ord som betyr «de fra øst»).
Der ble de funnet i 917 av biskop Bono, som samme år proklamerte Erasmus som
skytshelgen for Gaeta. Hans relikvier æres fortsatt i kirken som bærer hans
navn, Sant’Eramo. I tillegg er det andre byer i Frankrike, Italia og Tyskland
som hevder at de har relikvier av Erasmus, som Boulogne, Verona, Mainz og Köln.
I 1106 vigslet pave Paschalis II (1099-1118) katedralen i Gaeta til Jomfru Maria og
Erasmus. Hans navn sto i den hellige Hieronymus’
martyrologium og også i tidlige irske og angelsaksiske samt i marmorkalenderen
i Napoli, og hans navn står i Martyrologium Romanum.
Hagiografer og kunstnere
bidro til at Erasmus’ kult ble spredt over det meste av den vestlige verden,
inntil han på 1400-tallet ble en av de fjorten nødhjelperne, og
ble anropt av enker, foreldreløse og ved mageonde eller underlivsplager. På
grunn av underet på sjøreisen ble Erasmus æret som sjøfarernes skytshelgen og
fikk et gangspill (forhalingsvinsj) som attributt. Senere ble dette
misforstått, og det ble til at han skulle ha fått tarmene trukket ut med en
håndvinde. Andre varianter forteller historien motsatt: Fordi sjøfolk bruker et
gangspill til å trekke opp ankeret og dette gangspillet minner om den
håndvinden som Erasmus fikk tarmene trukket ut med, ble Erasmus sjøfolkenes
skytshelgen.
Det ble enda mer
forvirring under perioden med portugisisk dominans på havet, da portugisiske
sjøfolk adopterte den hellige Peter González som
sin skytshelgen, og de to helgenene ble ofte trodd å være samme person.
Uttrykket «St. Elmsild» har navn etter ham. St. Elmsild er en blek (blå)
elektrisk utladning som på stormfulle netter kan ses i mastetoppene, rundt
dekket og riggen på skip under storm og ble antatt å vise at skipet var under
helgenens beskyttelse. Fenomenet er i virkeligheten en korona av varm, ionisert
gass som omgir høyreiste objekter som fungerer som strømledere under stormer.
Lyset ble også kalt corposant eller corpuzanto (corpo
santo = «hellig legeme»). De gamle kalte dem «Helena-ild» når det var en
flamme og «Castor og Pollux» når de var i par (Castor og Pollux var sønner av
Zevs, én udødelig og én ikke).
Erasmus’ minnedag er 2.
juni. I den gamle norske kalenderen ble han minnet den 3. juni. Dagen er
markert på norske primstaver. Erasmus’ legende er ikke med i første utgave
av Legenda Aurea, «Den gylne legende», fra 1200-tallet, men den er med i
de senere tillegg som omfatter de helgener som ble berømte på 1300- og
1400-tallet. Hans minnedag i den ortodokse kirke er 4. mai.
Erasmus’ attributt i
kunsten er en tarmvinde. Hans legende har inspirert mange kunstnere. Noen
avbilder ham sittende i bek i en trebeint kjele, andre avbilder ravnen som kom
med mat til ham. Hans angivelige martyrium ved å få tarmene trukket ut har også
vært et yndet objekt for malere, og det er avbildet på en mosaikk over hans
alter i Peterskirken. Det har også gjort at folk påkaller ham som beskytter mot
kolikksmerter.
Men den mest kjente
avbildningen av Erasmus er kanskje Matthias Grünewalds bilde av ham sammen med
den hellige Mauritius. Dette maleriet ble laget mellom 1517 og 1523 for det nye
klosteret St. Moritz og St. Maria Magdalena i Halle an der Saale. Oppdragsgiver
var erkebiskopen av Mainz og Magdeburg, Albrecht av Brandenburg, som i bildet
fikk seg selv fremstilt som Erasmus. Maleriet er et kirkepolitisk manifest for
den idéverden som kirkefyrsten ledet ved grunnleggelsen av det nye klosteret og
innføringen av Erasmus’ kult i Halle. Albrecht lot forkynne at Erasmus hadde
døpt Mauritius, selv om de to hellige aldri hadde møtt hverandre. Hva denne
allegorien virkelig betydde, har ikke Grünewald-forskerne ennå oppklart. I dag
er bildet en av de største skattene i Alte Pinakothek i München.
Kilder: Attwater
(dk), Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Farmer, Jones, Bentley, Hallam, Butler,
Butler (VI), Benedictines, Delaney, Bunson, Gad, Schauber/Schindler, Melchers,
Gorys, Dammer/Adam, KIR, CSO, Patron Saints SQPN, Infocatho, Bautz,
Heiligenlexikon, santiebeati.it, en.wikipedia.org, zeno.org, heiligen-3s.nl,
juliettewood.com - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden
Opprettet: 12. februar 2001
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/erasmus
Voir aussi : http://orthodoxievco.net/ecrits/vies/synaxair/juin/erasme.pdf
