Elmo of Formia | |
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| Born | 3rd century |
| Died | c. 303 Illyricum (present-dayCroatia) |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 2 June[1] |
| Attributes | represented with his entrails wound on awindlass or as a vested bishop holding a winch or windlass[2][3] |
| Patronage | sailors,Gaeta,Santeramo in Colle,Formia,colic in children,intestinal ailments and diseases,cramps and the pain ofwomen in labor,cattle pest,Fort St. Elmo (Malta) |
Erasmus of Formia, also known asSaint Elmo (diedc. 303), was aChristiansaint andmartyr. He is venerated as thepatron saint ofsailors andabdominal pain. Erasmus or Elmo is also one of theFourteen Holy Helpers, saintly figures of Catholicism who are venerated especially asintercessors.
TheActs of Saint Elmo were partly compiled from legends that confuse him with a Syrian bishop Erasmus of Antioch.Jacobus de Voragine in theGolden Legend credited him as a bishop atFormia over all the ItalianCampania, as a hermit onMount Lebanon, and a martyr in theDiocletianic Persecution. There appears to be no historical basis for hispassion.[4]
Erasmus was Bishop of Formia, Italy. During the persecution against Christians under the emperorsDiocletian (284–305) andMaximian Hercules (286–305), he left hisdiocese and went to Mount Libanus, where he hid for seven years. Around that time, anangel was purported to have appeared to him, and counseled him to return to his city.[5]
On the way, he encountered some soldiers who questioned him. Erasmus admitted that he was a Christian and they brought him to trial at Antioch before the emperor Diocletian. After suffering terrible tortures, he was bound with chains and thrown into prison, but an angel appeared and helped him escape.[5]
He passed throughLycia, where he raised up the son of an illustrious citizen. This resulted in a number of baptisms, which drew the attention of theWestern Roman EmperorMaximian who, according to Voragine, was "much worse than was Diocletian." Maximian ordered his arrest and Erasmus continued to confess his faith.[5]Angered, Maximian had Erasmus enclosed in a barrel full of protruding spikes and rolled down a hill. His survival is claimed to be the result of the intervention of an angel.
A number of unreliable legends fill Erasmus' story. Though he was thrown into prison with the intention of letting him die of starvation, Erasmus managed to escape. He was recaptured and tortured in the Roman province ofIllyricum, after preaching and converting numerous pagans to Christianity. According to the traditional account, he was disemboweled;[6] his abdomen slit open and his intestines wound around awindlass. This version may have developed from interpreting an icon that showed him with a windlass, signifying his patronage of sailors.[7]
Erasmus may have become thepatron saint of sailors because he is said to have continued preaching 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".[8][9]
Pope Gregory the Great recorded in the 6th century that the relics of Erasmus were preserved in the cathedral of Formia. When the oldFormiae was razed by theSaracens in 842, the cult of Erasmus was moved toGaeta. He is currently the patron of Gaeta,Santeramo in Colle andFormia.
There is an altar to Erasmus in the north transept ofSt. Peter's Basilica.[10] A copy ofNicolas Poussin'sMartyrdom of St Erasmus serves as thealtarpiece.[7]
The skull of St. Erasmus, venerated as a relic, is purported to be inSt. Peter's Church in Munich, Germany and some parts of his body are around in Europe.[11]
Besides his patronage ofmariners, Erasmus is invoked againstcolic in children, abdominal pain, intestinal ailments and diseases, cramps and the pain of women in labour,[6] as well as cattle pests.
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