ON ST. EPHYSIUS, MARTYR, AT CAGLIARI IN SARDINIA
Under Diocletian
PrefaceEphysius, Martyr in Sardinia (St.)
[1] At Cagliari, which is commonly now called Caralis, the principal city of Sardinia, St. Ephisius is venerated, also written Ephysius or Ephysus. Baronius inscribed his name in the Roman Martyrology thus at the 18th day before the Kalends of February: Feast of St. Ephysius "At Cagliari in Sardinia, St. Ephisius, Martyr, who in the persecution of Diocletian, under the judge Flavianus, after overcoming very many torments by divine power, at last with his head cut off went as victor to heaven."
[2] In his Notes Baronius adds: "We received the Acts of this martyrdom sent from Sardinia." Acts Fara treats of the same in his work on Sardinian affairs. Philippus Ferrarius recites a summary of those Acts in his Catalogue of the Saints of Italy, "from the life," he says, "written by Marcus the Priest, as Joannes Franciscus Fara attests, and from the records of the Church of Pisa, and from Jo. Maria Arca, book on the Saints of Sardinia." He then adds: "Many manuscripts which we have seen also contain implausible things, wherefore they need some correction."
[3] Those Acts were sent to Heribertus Rosweydus from Sicily: from whom, it is nowhere stated; we suspect from Octavius Caietanus. He prefaced them thus: "These Acts are indeed certified, by the testimony of one who, present at all these events, and at the exhortation, as he affirms, of St. Ephysius himself (for so he writes the name), written by Marcus the Priest faithfully and truthfully professes to have described everything, in reliance on the same. He was a certain Marcus, a Priest, as will be evident from his subscription below. We translate his account sincerely from a very ancient parchment manuscript codex of the archive of the Church of Cagliari, under folio 211, and with this title, whence published here 'Passion of St. Ephysius the Martyr,' with nothing changed in the content, letters, or epistles; but with some words somewhat altered according to our practice." Thus he writes. We would have preferred the original narrative of Marcus himself. These are plainly similar to the Acts of St. Procopius, which we shall give from Metaphrastes on July 8.
[4] Concerning the relics of SS. Ephysius and Potitus translated from Sardinia to Pisa, with a solemn feast customarily celebrated on the Ides of November, Relics we have spoken at the life of St. Potitus on January 13 in the Prolegomena, number 7 and following. Concerning the crypt where the relics of St. Ephysius were once kept at Cagliari, feast where he himself is believed to have been held in custody, Seraphinus Squirrus, a theologian of the Capuchin Order, writes thus in his Calaritanum Sanctuarium, part 1, book 3, chapter 17:
[5] "In the quarter of the city of Cagliari which they call Estampache, on the street of St. Anne, not far from the church and crypt of St. Restituta, a modest temple is to be seen, temple sacred to the illustrious Martyr Ephysius. The Confraternity called of St. Ephisius maintains it, and they have handsomely adorned it with hangings and other splendid furnishings. Confraternity For frequent sacred rites are performed there, and the Martyr's own feast and other feasts are magnificently celebrated. The whole structure is built almost entirely over a deep crypt. This was the prison where the glorious Martyr Ephysius is said to have been held. One descends into it by fifty stone steps, and it is of moderate size: in the middle it has, cut into the rock itself, a kind of small sleeping place, crypt with the floor depressed to the standard of a well, about eight palms deep, so narrow that it can barely hold a man sitting. In this place St. Ephisius was confined." He then proceeds to give a brief account of St. Ephysius's acts. In chapter 18 he narrates that a marble column was found in this crypt, still stained with blood, undoubtedly of Martyrs, and indeed of Ephysius himself. He adds that relics of St. Edictius were found under the altar which had been erected in the same crypt opposite the small cell or dungeon of St. Ephisius, in the year 1616. He considers him to have been converted by St. Ephysius along with others. We shall treat of him on March 13. The same crypt is mentioned by Franciscus Squivellus, Archbishop of Cagliari, in his account of the Discovery of the holy relics, sent to Pope Paul V.
ACTS
from those which Marcus the Priest, an eyewitness, is said to have committed to writing.
Ephysius, Martyr in Sardinia (St.) BHL Number: 2567
Author: Marcus, from manuscripts.
CHAPTER I.
The birth and military rank of St. Ephysius.
[1] When the impious and cruel idolater Diocletian had received the Empire, he did not delay in vomiting out his hatred against Christ, universally decreeing against Christians, and then sending edicts to be promulgated and commanding them to be executed through each province, city, town, and place of Syria, in which he was present. A copy of these edicts reached the city of Italica in that same region (in which Ephysius, a Stratilates military commander under the discipline of his mother, on account of the premature death of his father Christophorus, once a most Christian man, was residing) under this solemn and universal rescript: Diocletian issues an edict against Christians "The great King and Emperor Diocletian, to all peoples, tribes, and tongues, greeting. It has pleased the exaltation of our Empire to increase and honor the worship of our Gods, for it is they through whom the whole world is governed. Whoever therefore shall be found to persist in the faith of that Galilean, let them either offer incense and sacrifice to our gods, or be consumed by the most atrocious punishments. For we do not wish various rites of sacrifices to be performed, lest perhaps our gods become angry, when they ought to be merciful. There shall be one law and worship for all, one doctrine, and one religion, and let no one be separated from our faith. If therefore anyone shall be found to whom this our letter is displeasing, and who shall refuse to fulfill what we command therein, whoever he may be, he shall be punished, and shall know that our dominion extends over the whole world. For those who say they are Christians and affirm that the worship of the gods is not to be maintained at all, and if they refuse to obey our commands, let them be subjected to all the torments that can be devised. But those of them who convert to our magnificent worship of the Gods shall receive from our palace much gold and silver. We do this because we wish our Gods to be propitious to us, and we desire to exalt them that they may favor our Empire. And since we have decided to approach your regions in haste, on account of the height of our Empire and the due reverence to our Gods, arise, offer sacrifices, burn incense, celebrate festivals; so that their splendor and power may endure forever, together with the height of our Empire."
[2] Having prepared the way by these preliminaries for the promised visitation, and applying himself to the more exact execution of all the aforesaid, comes to Antioch he arrived at Antioch. Citizens of every age, sex, and condition eagerly went out to meet him, some escorting him into the city with singing, others with the sound of musical instruments, amid the utmost joy and gladness of all. He, eager to promote the honor and worship of his Gods, or rather more inclined to hatred of Christ and the destruction of Christians, or impiously burning with both, the very next day orders the chief and most prominent men of Antioch to be summoned to him; and from those present begins to inquire what faith they professed. They indeed answered, saying adorns the citizens devoted to idols with gifts that they inviolately observed the faith of the abiding Gods, namely Jupiter, Juno, Saturn, Mercury, Apollo, and Minerva, and the other celestial deities, as they called them: at which response the Emperor, made joyful, first giving thanks to those very Gods, adorned the Antiochenes with most ample gifts on account of their faith.
[3] Thence the fame of the Emperor's arrival spread also to the neighboring regions and flew even to the city of Aelia: there Alexandria, born of a noble family, had once married Christophorus, a man of the highest rank; who, although he had been a most upright man Alexandria, a pagan widow and most observant of the Christian religion, she nevertheless, after his death, displayed more openly the worship of idols which she had more secretly retained during her husband's lifetime, perhaps out of fear of him, and practiced it more sluggishly; she now exhibited it more openly and devoted herself to it more fervently. She had received from her aforesaid husband an only son, on whom the name Ephysius had been bestowed. To him, upon the premature death of his father, there remained his mother's milk of iniquity, and her upbringing, and at the same time the discipline of her impiety, by which she, having imbued him with the vain worship of idols, was eager to promote him through the office of civic honors and to confirm him through the exercise of the same, and at the same time, desirous of glory, sought to raise him to some pinnacle of rank.
[4] So ardent was this woman's desire that, whether because she persuaded herself that Diocletian would visit the individual cities of the province, and thus also Aelia as he had Antioch, or certainly because, as is quite natural to feminine fickleness, she was impatient of all delay, commends her son to him she went to him with her only son Ephysius, eager to fulfill her purpose. Arriving, she approaches the Imperial court and seeks an audience with Diocletian. He, upon seeing the woman, first inquires of the attending provincials whose she was; and when they replied, from their acquaintance with her, that she was a leading, noble, and prudent woman of the city of Aelia; Diocletian again asks whether she had a husband or not, and what religion she professed. And the same men, knowing her well, say that she had married a certain Christian man named Christophorus; but that now, widowed of him, she followed the august religion of the Gods. Wherefore the joyful Emperor, having commanded the woman to approach nearer to him, asks what she seeks, what she desires. Then Alexandria, who spoke the Greek language most excellently, with Ephysius at her side, and in a suppliant manner, addresses the Imperial Majesty: "Great King and Emperor, may you live forever; I have come to the height of your Empire, by which the whole world flourishes and is governed: for I have this one son, Ephysius by name, whom I have brought to you, Lord Emperor, that he may be in your sight, one of your attending soldiers."
[5] When the Emperor saw him, handsome and comely in appearance and blooming with the flower of youth, he received him gladly, and his affection for him, who is placed in command of part of the forces and at the same time the esteem for Ephysius, grew so much in his regard, that he soon granted him a large part of his army and entrusted to him the mission of persecuting Christians, and for this purpose immediately dispatched him to Italy with those very forces. Therefore, girding himself for this imposed burden and preparing for departure, the new commander reported to the Emperor that he had heard that Christians would sooner choose and endure death than deny the religion of Christ whom they worship ordered to persecute Christians or abandon it. To this Diocletian tried to persuade Ephysius with this sophism that there was no reason at all to call Christ God: "There seems," he said, "to be no reason why Christ should be called God: for since he was judged worthy of death by the princes of the Jews, and was scourged before their governor Pilate, and was mocked seven times with spitting and blows, and a crown of thorns, and finally was hung upon a cross and died; it is clear that he was not God, who could not free himself by divine power from such injuries and the punishment of the cross: therefore you will be able to confute those who believe in him with arguments; and if they do not return to the worship of our Gods, you may most justly condemn them."
AnnotationsCHAPTER II.
The conversion of Ephysius, by a cross displayed from heaven.
[6] Then Ephysius, already in readiness for departure, having straightway marshaled his soldiers and received permission to depart from the Emperor, bade farewell first to his mother, then to all the others whom he knew: and so he sets out on his journey to the province of Italy assigned to him against Christians. And first indeed he came to a place called Transci, and thence, traveling by night because of the excessive heat of the sun, he makes for Vritania. An innumerable multitude came out to meet him from all sides along the way, and received him respectfully with honorific greetings. But while they pursued their march slowly, and by night as has been said, Ephysius startled by a sudden crash and were still about thirty stadia from Vritania, about the third hour of the night a tremendous crash from the sky so terrified Ephysius and the troops of soldiers that they all seemed more dead than merely frightened. Then from that great sound a voice came forth to the commander himself, and converted by the voice of Christ himself calling him by his own name, and by apostrophe asking who he was, whence he came, and whither he was going. Although he was still greatly disturbed by the preceding crash, yet summoning his courage for a response, he said that he was the son of Alexandria, a leading woman of the city of Aelia, that he had departed from Antioch, and had received from Diocletian authority to proceed to Italy against Christians; namely to subject them to various torments and most atrocious punishments unless they denied Christ and offered sacrifices to idols. To this the voice repeated in the air replied to Ephysius in these words: "O Ephysius, you too shall come to me here through the palm of martyrdom."
[7] At these words, like another Saul, he began to perceive somewhat more clearly in his mind, and replied: "I beseech you, Lord, A cross seen in the air show yourself to me, that I may see the power of your greatness." Whereupon at that very moment a cross shining like crystal appeared to him in the air, and this voice was heard at the same time: "I am Christ, the Son of the living God, whom the Jews crucified, and whom you persecute." When Ephysius, still ignorantly, replied that he remembered hearing from Diocletian that Christ had been condemned by the princes of the Jews, mocked with many insults and punishments, and finally put to a most cruel death on the cross: and then argued that if he were the Son of God, why had he then endured all these things from which he could have delivered himself by divine power; Christ added in the air, as a most ample pledge of his love: "Ephysius, from this hour you shall be a vessel of my love, and I will show you all these things. and through it victory promised to him But I say to you, that unless I had patiently endured all the things you have said, and had been judged by the impious whom I must judge, what the Prophets foretold would not have been fulfilled, and the human race could not have been snatched from the captivity of the devil: and unless I had been hung upon the wood, the Patriarchs and Prophets would not have gone out from the prison of hell: and if I had not tasted death, those who were dead in sins could not have returned to life." And to the Commander, who was already greatly rejoicing, the Lord added this final word: "In the power of the cross which I have shown you, you shall conquer all your enemies, and my peace shall always be with you."
[8] After the voice of the speaker was hidden, Ephysius was no little refreshed and strengthened in Christ by that divine conversation, no less favorable than unexpected, and converts many of his men and having related all these events to his soldiers, he so stirred and strengthened most of them that together with him they gave thanks and rendered supreme glory to God, and proclaimed him most magnificently. The next night Ephysius arrived at Gaeta with his forces, and as soon as he entered it, he summoned all the goldsmiths of the city and asked whether they could make a golden vessel, which he said he greatly needed, as quickly as possible. To which each and every one, fearing that he meant a Cross, unanimously replied at once that they did not know how. Having therefore dismissed them, he summoned another man named Joannes, whom he had learned to be most skilled in that craft, and showing him the Cross which he himself carried in his right hand, has a golden cross made for himself commissioned him to fashion a similar one carefully and diligently from gold and silver, and to keep it secret. But this man too was disturbed by this, because he knew that the Galileans or Christians believed in that sign of salvation, and that Diocletian had ordered those who used it to be compelled by various kinds of torments to desist from it or finally to be killed; he feared all the more because he despaired of being able to complete such a work in secret, as was necessary to avoid punishment for his labor, so that no one would either know or report it. Having discovered the cause of his fear, Ephysius led Joannes to a hidden, secluded place, where, through the solitude of the place and the secrecy promised to him, so that the Emperor would never learn of it, he entreated the man to lay aside all fear entirely and accede to his request, offering him gold and silver sufficient for the purpose, and promising to bestow many honors on him; and at last, by way of threats, he declared that he would by no means let him go if the work he requested were left unfinished.
[9] Persuaded therefore by these means, Joannes at last agreed to Ephysius's request and fashioned the cross he had asked for, most precious, of mixed gold and silver, with marvelous skill. But when it was finished, while he waited for the following day to bring it and deliver it to the Commander, the work and artistry on it increased. For besides the engraver's carving (a wondrous thing!) to which three images were divinely added three images were inscribed during the night, each described by its own name in letters: in the title of the cross itself, EMMANUEL; on the right arm, MICHAEL; and on the left, GABRIEL. Hence Joannes, awakening at dawn and picking up the cross to bring it to Ephysius, perceived the increased artistry beyond the Commander's commission; a new fear seized him, and for a long time he tried to erase the aforesaid images but was unable to do so anywhere, nor could he succeed in opposing the will of the divine master-sculptor by any attempt he ever made. The next day therefore Ephysius, before sunrise, through the darkness of the deep night, went to Joannes, thinking he was taking too long with the work, eager to see and receive the cross; he himself venerates it which when he saw engraved with those three figures beyond his instructions, ignorant of the divine craftsmanship, he was at first sharply angry at Joannes for transgressing his command; but when Joannes replied that the cross had been composed solely according to his commission, and having been hung on the wall during the night, those three images had been sculpted entirely without his knowledge and had appeared in the morning when he was about to take it to deliver it the previous day; Ephysius, now attributing this event to the will of God, more joyfully took up his cross: and then venerating it with supreme honor and loving feeling, and not without tears, he wrapped it in purple and stored it away; and finally, after giving many thanks to God, he most generously rewarded Joannes's labor and skill.
AnnotationsCHAPTER III.
Victory obtained through the Cross.
[10] At that time certain enemies of the Roman Empire had invaded some of its territories in Italy, and having reduced men and women to slavery, had left absolutely nothing untouched or free. When this news was brought to Ephysius, About to march against the enemy he bore it grievously and immediately girded himself and his forces for the march and for battle, carrying with him above all the banner of the most holy cross, proposing to himself throughout the entire march that he would then prove that this sign had been granted him for help and victory. Therefore, having withdrawn a little from the troops, He adores the Cross he dismounted from his horse and, removing his fine military cloak, placed the cross which he was carrying in a high and elevated place, and with supreme honor, the greatest reverence and devotion, he adored it, bending his knees toward the East, and pouring out tears, he burst forth in firm faith with these very words: "Let your promise be my help, O Lord, and my hope which I have in you; for you are Christ, the Son of the living God, in whom the Galileans believe and whom they adore. Through you therefore, and through the sign of your holy Cross, crush and prostrate these peoples who trust in their own ferocity."
[11] His prayer was indeed followed immediately by these consoling animated by Christ and promising words of Christ: "Ephysius, do not fear; act manfully and be strengthened, for I am with you, the Lord your God." Wonderfully refreshed by these words, and rising with spirit, utterly fearless, he took up his cloak again and hastened to his men to tell them. When therefore he reached them, giving courage for the fight to both the soldiers and those who had come from the cities for this expedition, encourages his men he said: "Stand, my brothers, manfully at my right and at my left, and fight against our enemies; for God is with us, who through the sign of the holy and triumphant cross will give us victory over them." And again he urged them not to fear the enemy in the least, but to strike fearlessly with drawn swords. They, indeed, equally inflamed and strengthened by his speech and exhortation, and trusting in the salutary sign of the holy cross set before them in the midst of battle by Ephysius, entered the contest unanimously; and immediately, through the help of the holy Cross he wins the victory almost before they had even joined hands, they routed the Saracens, who were casting away not only their booty but also their weapons in all directions, as though their strength had been utterly destroyed, partly putting them to flight, partly routing and killing them, so that with twelve thousand of them slain and the rest taking to flight, Ephysius fought with such a prosperous outcome under the auspices and help of the most holy cross, that with absolutely none of his own killed, lost, or wounded, he restored those lands of the Roman people to peace and complete freedom in a single and auspicious day.
[12] And so by this most admirable proof of the power of the divine cross, Ephysius placed constant is baptized and most firm faith in all that had been promised to him concerning it, and armed with this, having received holy baptism, he utterly abhorred idols and applied his mind to the holy study of the divine Scriptures. Not long afterward, it was reported that a certain barbarian people, occupying the island of Sardinia, was cruelly and impiously devastating and depopulating everything there. sails to Sardinia against the barbarians Having prepared and equipped a naval force, he hastened there with about twenty ships to rescue the wretched island. But when the barbarians saw the fleet approaching, they gathered on all sides at the shore with weapons and with the resolve to resist; and having assembled their forces from all quarters, they eagerly awaited the arrival of the fleet, prepared for battle. But when it did not land, the opportunity for battle being removed, they withdrew to their own dwellings, each one, having left some in lookout posts and watches.
[13] part of his forces slain by the enemy Then a storm arose at sea, and by an unfavorable wind fifteen of Ephysius's ships, although he himself survived in the remaining ones, were at last carried to that shore; and when the barbarians returned, warned by their lookouts, the ships became their prey and all the soldiers aboard were slain. Then the Commander, who was not far away, hearing on one hand the lamentations of his own men and on the other the slaughter by the enemy, and perceiving that his men had been entirely butchered by them, though terrified by the sudden and unhappy outcome, nevertheless acknowledged the mercy of the all-powerful God, and with a contrite and abject heart, like a useless servant, turned to Him in this prayer: "Let not the storm of water overwhelm me, Lord, nor let the deep swallow me up, nor the pit close its mouth over us: do not abandon me, Lord, calms the storm by prayer lest the barbarian nation be exalted and say, 'Where is their God?' But look down from heaven and see, and do not suffer us to be crushed by the waves of the sea, but make it calm, for you are glorious now and forever." Scarcely had Ephysius finished these prayers when the greatest calm fell upon the sea.
[14] Whence he with the survivors, continuing the course of their voyage with God's favor, peacefully and prosperously, sailing around the southern coast of Sardinia toward the west, at last landed at the river of the Arborean region. lands in Sardinia Rowing farther up the river, they then left their ships and brought out and extracted the horses, arms, and everything else they were carrying; and they occupied the bank of the river for about three stadia: and soon afterward, mounting their horses, the soldiers roamed the entire neighborhood in groups, scouting most diligently, and each one carefully considering and consulting together what would then be best to do. Meanwhile the barbarians were not idle, but immediately went out to meet the newcomers: routs the barbarians but with many of them slain, Ephysius's soldiers also brought some prisoners in chains to the camp and the Commander, from whom they learned the name of the place and province, namely Arborea, as we mentioned above.
[15] Christ in a dream promises him victory The following night, while Ephysius, exhausted from the tumult, gave himself to sleep, Christ, the Creator and Savior of the world, appeared to him a third time, saying: "May joy always be with you; act manfully, Ephysius, and let your heart be strengthened." Whereupon he awoke and, casting off all fear from his mind, also banished fear from his soldiers, telling them that Christ had indeed wished to test them thus far, but that now He would certainly remain with them henceforth; and therefore he urged and exhorted them to roam the land fearlessly and immediately reconnoiter. Without delay the troops, advancing further with the Commander, an Angel hands him a sword came to a place called Tyrus and fell upon barbarians who came to meet them, prepared for battle. Then, as the opposing forces approached each other to engage, with a great shout from both sides, Ephysius saw on his right, toward the East, a man seated on a white horse, carrying a sword sharp on both edges, with the image of the most holy Cross on its tip; and as soon as he looked at him, he listened more attentively as the man openly spoke these words to him: "This venerable sign" (he said of the cross) "is the sign of the King of all men." Then Ephysius, having exchanged greetings, dismounted from his horse and, removing his military equipment, prostrated himself on the ground and reverently adored the sign; and then, asking about the King whom the man had mentioned shortly before, he received this response from him: that he had been sent to him for his aid by that very King about whom he was inquiring, with the sword which he saw him carrying in his hand, with which he was to defeat those enemy barbarians; and that after obtaining victory by its power, he should never cease to remember the King who had sent it. defeats the enemy by the power of the holy cross And finally, when the mission was accomplished and that divine gift was placed by the envoy in Ephysius's right hand, and the envoy was ordered to go with him against the enemy, the barbarians who were rushing to fight were so terrified by the mere sight of the two that even before the battle began they all took utterly to flight. Ephysius immediately pursuing them with his men, with victory supplied to him from heaven through that Angel, completely routed them; the whole province remaining free under his dominion after the necks of the surviving barbarians were subjected to the yoke of servitude.
AnnotationCHAPTER IV.
Public profession of faith.
[16] Afterward, not very long later, he set out for the city of Cagliari, which was rich in its more urbane population and in all resources: preaches Christ at Cagliari and there, transformed from a soldier into a preacher, he strove with all his might to disseminate the Christian faith. In this matter, as in nearly all others, when he understood that God was favorable and his helper, reports to Diocletian that he has become a Christian and saw the many and great benefits of the Cross toward him against the enemy, he gave a certain brave soldier of his the following letter to carry to the Emperor Diocletian: "To the great Emperor Diocletian, Ephysius, Commander. Since the wisdom of your Empire should have been such that through it the whole world would become gentle; I am greatly amazed why you worship such base gods, which, fabricated from whatever metal, can avail neither themselves nor others; upon whose heads the birds of the sky cast their droppings; whose eyes do not see, whose ears do not hear, whose hands do not feel, whose feet do not walk. Roman wisdom ought not to call these gods, but should believe that Christ is the living God, who created all things from nothing. Therefore, O Emperor, let the height of your Empire know, with all ambiguity removed, that I worship Christ the Son of the living God, and adore Him, and that nothing can ever separate me from His faith."
[17] Ephysius gave the bearer of this letter another soldier as companion, to report to his mother by word of mouth and to his mother that he and his men had emerged victorious against the enemies of the Roman Empire by the grace of God Almighty and the power of the most holy Cross, that he had overcome the barbarian people of Sardinia, and that he had finally been marked with the Christian character in holy baptism. the Emperor incited by her When his mother heard these things, she immediately went in grief to complain about her son to the Emperor, and standing before Augustus with many tears, she greeted him: she sought his benevolence through the brilliance of the Imperial dominion and the greatness of his kingdom: then she set forth the universal and undefiled worship of the Gods; and stirring up hatred against her son, she grieved and complained that he had turned away from the common and august religion, despised the gods themselves, and strove to abolish them; and therefore she reviled him, calling him a Magician and a Galilean; she accused him of contempt for the Imperial commands and of treason: and finally she begged the Emperor to send someone to him to compel him to recover from such madness, as she called it, and to return to the worship of the Gods which the Roman world everywhere worshipped and venerated.
[18] By Alexandria's speech, the Emperor's anger, already kindled by reading Ephysius's aforesaid letter, grew no differently than a flame fed by oil. Whereupon, following the counsel of some of those present, he immediately summoned a certain soldier named Julicus and appointed him as judge against the Christians of the Cagliaritan region, sends Julicus to Sardinia and ordered him to select some nobles of the city of Antioch, and having received the letter which he handed him, to proceed to Cagliari as quickly as possible, and there to apprehend Ephysius, the son of Alexandria, who should, if he does not desert Christ, and, if he could not be diverted from his error and folly, to torture him with various kinds of torments, and finally to kill him. For he said he had heard that Ephysius had denied the faith of the gods and derided their worship, by whose virtue and power he himself ruled the world; and that he believed in that Christ whom the Jews had tortured in various ways and finally subjected to the infamous punishment of the cross. The same Augustus further commanded Julicus to first try to bring Ephysius back to his gods, and for that purpose to promise him greater honor, glory, and an increase of wealth. But if he could not attract him by these enticements, cruelly put him to death then on the contrary, having stripped him entirely of all honor, all power, authority, and forces, he should terrify him with every kind of torment, and then if nothing else could be done, after cruelly lacerating and tearing apart all his limbs, he should finally subject him to the ultimate and most bitter punishment, as an example for others of the same sect, so that they too would desert it and others would henceforth be deterred from it.
AnnotationsCHAPTER V.
Torments alleviated by human and divine consolation.
[19] Julicus, not at all refusing the Emperor's commands, soon with the citizens assigned to him, set out on his voyage to Sardinia, and having arrived at Cagliari, while he surveyed the place, he sent ahead to Ephysius to announce that he was coming to visit and greet him and to render him the due respect (for Ephysius held the greater rank). Ephysius agreed to the message, receives the Governor Julicus honorably and said he was ready to receive Julicus whenever he should come. When this response of Ephysius was delivered to the judge, he immediately went to the Commander, greeted him, embraced him, and as they conversed about many things, as is customary, Julicus, having disclosed the cause of his arrival, handed Ephysius the Imperial letter. When the Commander had received and read it, indignant at the Imperial blindness and folly, he said: "The commands of a foolish and fatuous ruler are neither to be carried out nor listened to. tempted by his blandishments Therefore know, Julicus, that I am a Christian and a servant of Christ, and that I despise the precepts of Diocletian and trample his letter under my feet." Then the judge, as he had come instructed and ordered by the Emperor first to use blandishments with the Commander, said that Augustus desired to advance him to higher honors in the palace, that Diocletian had need of him, and that therefore he urged him not to despise the Imperial commands, but to believe him and sacrifice to the Gods.
[20] But Ephysius replied that he offered sacrifice daily to his God Jesus Christ, whose precepts he kept, and cared nothing for those of Diocletian, because he had heard the sacred Scripture admonishing thus: "Do not fear those who kill the body, for they cannot kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28 "Behold," he added, "my body, ready to endure whatever punishments for Christ." responds nobly The judge thereupon warned the Commander to abstain from such speeches; and said he bore them unpunished only because he was a friend. But the Commander, persisting in these things, said: "I have said that I am a Christian and that I adore his cross day and night, who has full and absolute power over all judges, rulers, kings, and emperors of the earth, and over the entire human race."
[21] At these words the judge, finally turned to anger, ordered the attendant soldiers to bind Ephysius is seized and throw him bound into prison: and immediately the next day, sitting as judge, he ordered him brought out and made to stand bound before him. Then the pagan populace of Cagliari hastened from all sides beaten with clubs and came to the Governor to complain, crying out that Ephysius was a mocker, blasphemer, and destroyer of their gods and a violator of the royal edicts. Inflamed to greater anger by their clamoring, the judge ordered the holy athlete to be beaten so savagely with clubs in his presence that he himself saw the hands of sixteen soldiers grow weary from striking in successive shifts. But when some were moved by this most atrocious spectacle, and burst into tears out of human compassion for the enduring Ephysius, for his beauty and the flower of his youth, the most courageous Commander steadfastly said: "Men, brothers and fathers, weep not over me, but over yourselves, utmost constancy because you are deceived by the error of the devil, and unless you convert, your souls will be in eternal damnation"; and he immediately added this prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, who correct errors and restore what is broken, be a help to me and strengthen your servant, so that I may be able to trample upon every diabolical art."
[22] Meanwhile, while these things were being done, the soldiers who remained of his men his soldiers standing by and pitying him never withdrew from his sight; rather, always present to him in soul and body, they also saw his flesh torn and ripped apart with iron hooks by order of the judge, until the executioners themselves, with his ribs and bones laid bare, declared that he was now lifeless. But that brave and patient warrior testified that he kept his hope fixed on Christ his Lord, his voice, which alone remained to him outwardly, continually given to prayer. And since evening was approaching and there seemed to remain not enough time for more savage torturing of him, kindly tended by the Prefect of the prison the judge ordered him to be thrown into prison; and he meanwhile pondered by what means he would afterward torture him with fire and burn him. Then Caplicarius, or a certain prison warden named Terentianus, on account of the great intimacy that had previously existed and continued between him and Ephysius, behind closed doors secretly tended his collected friend, wrapping him in a white cloth and caring for him as humbly and kindly as he could. But Angels immediately visited the sick man from heaven, visited by Angels and revealing themselves to him by their own voice, they affirmed that they were Angels sent by God to comfort him; and when Ephysius refused to believe their claim unless they formed the sign of the most holy cross on their foreheads, commands them to sign him with the cross for certainty of the vision they confirmed it with the sign of the Cross requested by the Martyr. Believing therefore in the presence of the Angels, Ephysius humbly addressed them thus: "I know indeed that to the three youths once thrown into the Babylonian furnace, and praying therein, an Angel of the Lord was sent from heaven who extinguished the flame of the fire: but what good have I done that the Lord should send his Angels to me?"
[23] At this speech of Ephysius, the Angels, perceiving even more the man's sanctity, healed and strengthened by Christ earnestly begged God to deign to compensate such humility and self-abasement of His Martyr with a sight of Himself at that very time. Their prayer was indeed heard, and Christ the Lord showed Himself to Ephysius in the prison, radiant with supreme light, and raising him up whole, commanded him to cast out fear: "Fear not," He said, "Ephysius my servant, nor be terrified by the tyrant's threats; for I am with you and will not forsake you. Act manfully and let your heart be strengthened: for in this place you will gain many people for me and gather innumerable sheep." Then Ephysius, seized by the greatest fear, falling to the ground, immediately turned to prayer and besought the present Lord in this manner: "O Lord God, the ruler, whom no one can resist, according to the multitude of your mercies have mercy on me, and remember not my former iniquities: look upon me, Lord, for you created me and gave me to know you. Therefore remember not, most merciful God, the sins of my youth, with which I provoked you and grievously offended you." To which the Lord soon replied: "Peace to you, Ephysius, my dear friend, be strengthened with me again, and act manfully; for you shall receive the crown of life, and through martyrdom you shall attain eternal glory."
CHAPTER VI.
Idols overthrown. The impious punished.
[24] Thus the conversation of Lord and servant, of Christ and Ephysius, was conducted and concluded; cannot be seen by the Governor's minister and after some days had passed, the judge sent one of his ministers to Terentianus to inquire and report whether Ephysius was still alive or not. The minister told him what had been heard during the time the Martyr was in prison. The minister, in his desire to see him, went to the place where he was and inclined himself toward him to see him better. But when the Saint called out upon seeing the minister, "Here I am," and the minister said he could not see him, Ephysius replied: "Because the arrow of the devil has wounded your heart and you have worshipped vain, deaf, and blind idols, you shall be blind and unable to see me, and you shall be in darkness and walk in darkness." So without seeing Ephysius, the minister returned home and reported everything to his master and the attending elders.
[25] Not long afterward the judge, ascending to the tribunal, ordered Ephysius brought before him. But as he entered the praetorium, brought before the tribunal with a shining face with his face radiant like the sun itself, and his body without any wound or scar from the clubs or hooks, or any mark of a wound; he drew all the people of Cagliari who were present into amazement, astonished by so great a miracle and marveling at what wonders beyond the powers of nature God had wrought in His saint. Whence all of them could not help but exclaim with virtually one voice that the God of the Christians Himself was most holy and most powerful, the people praise Christ and invoke Him for their help and beseech Him. The judge, unable to bear the applause of such a great and devout crowd, rising from the tribunal and signaling for silence with his hand, raised his voice and addressed the assembly thus: "Dearest brothers, do not become strangers to your faith which you have held inviolate up to this day: do not believe in this man who has gone mad. For you know that our Gods are blessed and provide help to the whole world, which is why the Emperor and the whole globe worship them. They themselves fashioned this their servant Ephysius, and have made him whole so that he might return to his senses."
[26] But Ephysius responded no less boldly and loudly in this manner: "The Lord God Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born according to the flesh of a Virgin, and crucified for the redemption of the human race, deigned to form me in His own image and likeness, not your gods of stone, or made from whatever metal, whom the sacred Scriptures attest to be deaf and vain. But if you wish, let us enter the temples of your gods, so that we may know which God among them fashioned me, as you say, and see in whom these people ought to believe." Then the judge, joyful, expecting nothing more than the certain conversion of Ephysius, led with pomp to the temple of Apollo, as if about to sacrifice ordered the way from the Praetorium to the temple of Apollo to be swept and the whole way to be strewn with linens and soft cloths. And indeed, as Ephysius processed along this prepared way by the same judge's command, hastening to the aforesaid temple of Apollo, women walking on the wall here and there urged him and, turning to him, cried out: "Ephysius, Commander, since you are the honorable son of a noble woman, turn and sacrifice to the gods." Part of the populace, in high spirits, repeated the same to the Commander. And indeed nearly the entire multitude of pagans of every sex and condition, joyful and accompanying the more cheerful judge, followed Ephysius to the aforesaid temple.
[27] When the Saint, with nearly everyone now brought to the entrance, invited Julicus and urged him to enter first and to sacrifice first to his gods, so that they might congratulate him on his own arrival and honor. When the judge, accepting the Commander's invitation with an exultant spirit, entered, he immediately cried out to Apollo in these words: "Great god Apollo, and you mighty deities, behold Ephysius your servant has come to sacrifice to you: receive therefore on account of my prayer your servant, and rejoicing with him, bestow your mercy upon him: for you are the ones who have mercy on those who wish to return to you." And then, going back out to Ephysius, he said: "Enter, Ephysius, dear friend: for the gods await you to receive you and to grant you pardon." overturns the temple with its idols by imprecation The holy Martyr, unable any longer to endure such great blasphemy and wickedness, upbraided him sharply: "Perish you, and your gods, and all who worship them." At which imprecation of the Saint, so violent a fever seized the judge that he felt himself near death: and at the same time, as the temple collapsed along with its idols, he was so terrified by that event that he immediately the Governor seized by a fever boarded a ship and, leaving Cagliari and appointing in his place a certain Flavianus, no less impious, hastened to return to his homeland.
CHAPTER VII.
Blandishments, threats, and torments overcome.
[28] The substitute judge Flavianus therefore, almost at the very same moment, ordered that brave Commander to be brought before him: scorns the blandishments and threats of the judge Flavianus and since his predecessor had most recently accomplished nothing by torments, he first began to try him with words and blandishments, and then with threats: he urged him to return to a sound mind and recall himself from that foolishness, promising that in this way he would obtain rewards, gifts, and honors from the Emperor, and would escape the punishments of torments; and he tried to persuade him of the same through the friendship of Augustus and his own goodwill, which he pledged would follow him and grant him whatever he might request: and finally, on the contrary, he deterred him with threats, proposing many and varied types of torments. But the steadfast and valiant victor replied: "I wonder that you, a man endowed with reason, have descended to such great folly as to believe that I can be separated from the living and true God either by smooth words or by threats of torments, and be joined to your deaf and vain gods, fabricated by the hands of men, by whatever allurements of promises. For it is not befitting one who has sense to worship wood and stones, or to abandon the God of heaven for gold and silver. I adore God the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and the venerable wood of the holy and life-giving Cross."
[29] As the holy Martyr continued to proclaim these things in a clear and loud voice, with a brilliance flashing from heaven in the sight of the most wicked judge surrounded by heavenly light and the attending soldiers, the Saint's face shone no less brightly than the noonday sun. But they, though frightened by this portent, nevertheless did not cease to say to one another that the Martyr Commander was worthy of death. Among them even one named Archelaus, saluting the ruler Flavianus, offered his sword to cut off Ephysius's head. When the Saint heard their sentences of his decapitation and perceived the aforesaid actions, he ran to that soldier and with ready neck urged him to strike. (when the sword fell from the hand of one wanting to kill him) But as he raised his hand to strike, the sword fell from it so that he could no longer raise it. When the judge and those present saw and considered this, the invincible athlete was ordered to be placed in prison chains around his neck, led back to prison while, as they said, they investigated what should be done with him. Ephysius went to the prison cheerfully, however weighed down by the burden of chains. And as soon as he entered, he knelt on the ground and began to pray in this manner: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who illuminated the whole world and by your cross freed it from the power of the devil, do not abandon me until the end. And now, Lord, I give you thanks, because you created me and converted me, a sinner, to yourself: for you receive all sinners who return to you, and those who wander from the way of truth you illuminate and hear. Now, Lord, hear me your servant, and bring to good fulfillment my desire, confirmed there by a divine voice that I may merit to enter into your kingdom." To which prayer this response was given to him by a voice emitted from heaven: "Peace be with you, Ephysius, my most dear servant: know that I am with you, and I will not forsake you, because you suffer much for me, and will yet suffer."
[30] Eight days later Flavianus returned to the tribunal and again ordered the Martyr to be brought before him, and urged him to venerate his gods before he delivered him to the flames. Ephysius told him that his body was in his power and urged him to do whatever he wished with it without delay. "For I," he added, "shall reign with my God forever, and you, wretch, shall be tormented with the devil without end." The perfidious Governor replied that he could no longer bear his vain and foolish words; for by magical arts he had made the sword fall from the soldier's hand, to the great astonishment of himself and the soldiers. mocks the tyrant's threats and insults him But because the Saint thought nothing of the threats and the threats of all torments, being more and more confirmed in Christ by these things, he rebuked the tyrant, called him a son of the devil, derided the promises and torments proposed by him; professed that Jesus Christ, King of heaven and earth and his most powerful Lord, was his Father, who was going to bind Flavianus and the devil his parent in hell and consign them to eternal fires. Whence the judge, more inflamed, swore to him that he would bring it about that he himself would sacrifice to his gods. But the fearless soldier of Christ, laughing, rebuked the tyrant more savagely, called him an enormous and savage beast: asked why he threatened such things and barked in vain like a rabid dog, since he himself did not fear him, nor his gods, nor fire, iron, chains, or whatever other torments he could inflict.
[31] To these words Flavianus said: "I shall in fact have your body placed upon fire, and wound upon wound inflicted, and boiling resin, pitch, oil, and every kind of hot fat supplied, cruelly tortured for two hours and finally I shall command all your wounds to be sprinkled with sharp vinegar." And he immediately commanded the ministers to stretch the Saint violently on the pavement, with offerings placed in his right hand that he might present as a sacrifice. The ministers most swiftly obeyed the judge's command; and the man endowed with holy fortitude, already stretched out on the pavement for nearly two hours, having thrown from his hands those profane offerings, gloriously overcame all those aforesaid kinds of torments inflicted upon him by the power of the Holy Spirit. Whence, not forgetting to give thanks to God his helper, he began to sing with the royal Prophet: "I was pushed so that I would fall, and the Lord upheld me: the Lord is my strength and my praise, and He has become my salvation. Psalm 118 The right hand of the Lord has shown power: the right hand of the Lord has exalted me." And when Flavianus and the others of the same stripe who stood around asked what the wretch was saying, what he was speaking, why he was lamenting, he added: "I lament on account of my sins, lest perhaps they impede my soul, for I have committed many evils: whence, seeing that my body is mud and dust, if it could be killed a hundred times for God, I would greatly rejoice for the salvation of my soul. For demons greatly rejoice in the destruction of souls; to whom you" (looking at Flavianus) "will be joined to burn forever."
[32] But he ordered the Saint, bound with the same chains, to be thrust into prison, and on the next day to be brought again before him at the tribunal while he sat there. Then first he ordered his outstretched hands to be completely crushed: with his hands crushed, he is thrown into a burning furnace then, while he was left in that extended position, having taken counsel with the others, he immediately had a huge furnace kindled and the Martyr thrown into it. He was indeed thrown in, but fortified by the sign of the holy and saving Cross, patiently and bravely enduring the flames, he sang joyfully: "You have tested me with fire, Lord, and no iniquity has been found in me: you have proved me like gold in a furnace, Lord." And praying he added: "Now, Lord, I beseech your clemency that, as you freed the three youths from the furnace of burning fire in Babylon, remains unharmed you would rescue me from the midst of this one, so that these peoples may see your wonders and glorify your name forever." Nor did Christ reject one who had prayed so well and was so deserving: for while he remained unscathed in the midst of the conflagration, the attendants burned the flames bursting from the furnace consumed in one moment the executors of Flavianus's wickedness who stood around.
[33] Whereupon among the people also watching this spectacle, some, astounded by the prodigy, urged Flavianus to release Ephysius quickly, fearing, as they said, that unless this were done at once, they too would all likewise be seized. many are converted Others professed themselves to be Christians, and openly cried out that they adored the holy cross of Christ, spurned the Emperor's commands, and abhorred and detested the sacrifices of the Gods; then turning to Ephysius they said: "With you, most holy Father Ephysius, our Commander, we are ready to suffer torments and death for the name of Christ." Others cried out that a holy and just man, an indicator of eternal life and perpetual happiness, ought not to endure such things: though there were not lacking in the same crowd those who affirmed to the contrary that the edicts of the Empire and the rites of the ancient sacrifices were by no means to be despised.
CHAPTER VIII.
The consummation of martyrdom. Miracles.
[34] Unable to bear all their clamoring any longer, and indeed seized by the fear of death, Receives the sentence of death the judge left the tribunal and the praetorium; and having held a consultation the following night, he returned to it in the morning and at last pronounced the sentence of capital punishment on the most holy Martyr of Christ, recited from this brief document: "We command that Ephysius, the rebel, who refuses to believe in our gods and proudly spurns their sacrifices, who considers the religion of the Emperor and of the whole world to be vain and dissuades people from it, who in no way inclines his ears to our prayers, who holds honors and the joys of this life as nothing, and who most gladly endures insults, derision, reproaches, bonds, prisons, and torments for that crucified Galilean, be beheaded."
[35] When this sentence was pronounced by Flavianus, the ministers seized the condemned Ephysius and led him to the customary place of execution at Nuras. Led to Nuras When he had arrived, the blessed Martyr, calling the executioner "brother," asked that he grant him a respite for prayer before he struck. And when the Martyr was permitted by the executioner to do so as long as he wished, raising his eyes to heaven and extending his hands, he piously and devoutly poured forth this prayer to Christ: "Lord Jesus Christ, who before the beginning of the world were begotten of the Father, and deigned to come into this world through the womb of the undefiled Virgin Mary, and to become man, for us and for our salvation, and sit at the right hand of the power of God, and are with us, as you yourself promised, until the end of the age, and will give us after the day of judgment the blessedness of body and soul, hear my prayer, and with the ears of your mercy receive my tears, and be merciful to me. Grant therefore, Lord, that I may happily complete the course of my martyrdom, which I have willingly undertaken for you. May your mercy be present to me, prays for the Calaritans that my soul may suffer no impediment: let not the adversary of the human race approach me, nor let the hand of the enemy touch me. I also ask, Lord, that you guard this city of the Calaritani from the assault of enemies, and that its citizens may cease to worship vain idols, spurn the inventions of demons, and come to know you, the true and living God, our Lord Jesus Christ: and whoever among them shall be sick, or if in any way they are constrained by the waves of the sea beyond their strength, or oppressed by barbarian peoples, or afflicted by plague, after they have had recourse as suppliants to me your servant, let them be saved and freed from their afflictions, through you, Lord Jesus Christ, God of God, Light of Light, who live and reign with God the Father and the Holy Spirit forever." When this prayer was concluded by the Christians present with this voice, invited by Christ to glory "Amen," the Saint saw Christ the Lord appearing to him and heard Him assenting to his prayers and encouraging him with these words: "Ephysius, my beloved, I have heard your prayers: come, receive your crown which shall endure forever, for you have fought the good fight, you have finished the course, you have kept the faith."
[36] Having received this divine oracle, the invincible athlete of Christ, fortified by such great divine promises, warned the executioner to do whatever he was required to do according to the Governor's sentence and command, beheaded and fortifying himself with the most holy sign of the Cross, bending his knees while he commended his spirit into the hands of the Lord, he was beheaded by the executioner, on the eighteenth day before the Kalends of February, as we stated above from the Roman Martyrology, and as follows from the testimony of Marcus, in the year of the Lord 286. The soul of this most invincible and most holy Martyr of God was carried to heaven by the hands of the Angels themselves, and his glorious body, left on earth, was redeemed by Christians with gifts buried and vindicated from the teeth of wild beasts of the pagans, or rather from the sacrilegious vengeance of the impious pagans; and not far from there, in a notable place on the eastern side, with hymns and psalms chanted, praises given to God, and thanks rendered, it was reverently laid to rest. famous for miracles There the holy Martyr afterward worked innumerable miracles. For from this same narrative of Marcus, the blind received their sight there, lepers were cleansed, demons were driven from human bodies, hearing was restored to the deaf, and the ability to walk to the lame: and also wherever supplication was made to the holy Ephysius for whatever necessity, he was always at hand promptly and effectually.
CHAPTER IX.
Translation. Churches.
[37] The blessed Martyr of Christ, Ephysius, suffered martyrdom on the eighteenth day before the Kalends of February near the city of Cagliari on the island of Sardinia, Life of St. Ephysius written by Marcus in the place called Nuras, and was buried on the eastern side, during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian, under the Governor Flavianus. I, Marcus the Priest, having witnessed his passion from beginning to end, and at the exhortation of the blessed Martyr Ephysius himself, have faithfully and truthfully described it, for the benefit of those present and those to come, to the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever, Amen.
[38] body translated to Pisa Furthermore, I also say here that the holy Ephysius was carried from this island to Pisa together with St. Potitus: and it is very useful to say from precisely which place. There is a small peninsula near the fortress recently constructed to restrain the formerly frequent descents of barbarians, which is commonly called the Tower of Collallas, on which peninsula the vestiges of buildings or a town that can be seen from certain squared stones inscribed with Arabic letters are recognized as the work of the Saracens: place of martyrdom and burial but those vestiges which extend from here outside the peninsula for some distance toward the castle of Pula, over a broader area, from the very Acts of St. Ephysius more clearly indicate the genuine site of Nora, because the sepulchre of the aforesaid Saint, according to his Acts, stands near that place on the eastern side, as is plainly evident to those who visit.
[39] Indeed, it is in that temple which continues to bear the Saint's name, description of the temple among the exposed vestiges of the places we have distinguished outside that peninsula; and this temple, consisting of squared stone, opens to the west through two entrances, a wider one in the middle and a narrower one on the left, both arched above; its width of six paces is divided into three vaults and a triple order of three columns each, extending to a length of ten paces: the middle vault, three paces wide and twice as high as the others, terminates at the east in a semicircle above the main altar. Three columns on each side, constructed in square form from squared stone, four feet thick, and from the outer walls to these columns and from one to another, arches drawn lengthwise with a wall erected above form the sides of the middle vault and the inner foundation of the lateral ones. These are two paces wide, and in the left one from the entrance, in the upper arch toward the east where the altar is, there is one window; in the right one, two, corresponding to the two lower arches: a fourth stands above the altar itself, under the main middle vault. Further, from the right horn of the altar to the end of the right vault... an entrance to stairs opens toward the east through two steps: but thence by four more steps from south to north one reaches the opening of two tombs made in the middle of the side walls, so that they lie about four or five feet below the altar, as has also been confirmed by experience; constructed not crosswise but along the length of the temple itself, the lower one consisting of brick pavement and covering, the latter ending in a point. With bricks raised in this manner from both edges of the pavement lengthwise, upon these another somewhat wider and higher layer stands, covered with white marble and vaulted lengthwise with squared stone: each of the two being of equal width, about five or six feet. And it is maintained by most tenacious tradition that these monuments were the place of deposition of the holy men, first of Ephysius in the first tomb, and then of Potitus after his translation from Apulia; which is more than sufficiently confirmed by comparing the site with the Acts of St. Ephysius themselves, and by the dedication of the temple, and finally by the very structure of both tombs.
[40] another church of his Hence another church has been erected elsewhere under the same Saint's invocation, one indeed outside the town commonly called Villasor, the capital of the marquisate of the same name. But another one in the suburb of Cagliari called Stampache is far more famous, both because the underground crypt beneath it is firmly believed by tradition to have been St. Ephysius's prison, from which an underground portico also extends to another cavern beneath the temple of St. Venera in the village of the same name, one mile from Cagliari; another more celebrated one and because the same oratory belongs to the Confraternity of the most holy Gofelon, or of the sacred wounds of Christ, affiliated with the primary Roman one of the same title, whose members, dressed in blue habit, proceed in the exercises and duties of piety of the Confraternity.
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