Erasmus of Formia

Erasmus, or Elmo Ermo, (c. 240 in Antioch, † 303 in Formia ) was a bishop and martyr. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as a saint. His feast day in the General Calendar of the Catholic Church was formerly the June 2.

Life

Authentic accounts of the life of St. Erasmus is scarce. He came from Antioch, where he also served as a bishop, but he had his diocese during the persecution of Christians under Diocletian leave. According to tradition, he retreated to a mountain of Lebanon, where he was for seven years miraculously nourished by a raven. On the appearance of an angel towards Erasmus returned to his diocese, where he was soon captured it. He is said to have various tortures, such as the Ausdärmen suffered. By divine intervention, however, he should have been freed and have arrived to Italy, where he worked as a pastor in the area of Formia. There he is said to have died after seven years at a great age.

In the 9th century, his relics were transferred to Gaeta north of Naples, where he is the patron saint of the cathedral. The ritual worship of St. Erasmus is detectable since the 6th century. Since about 1300, he is ranked among the 14 Holy Helpers. He is invoked as the patron saint against fire, because fire was greatly feared on board on the wooden ships. When the sailors saw their sails glowing like a fire - electrical charges that are discharged at severe thunderstorms to ship masts - they believed themselves by St. Protected Erasmus and saw it as a good omen, which is why this phenomenon is called St. Elmo's fire.

The hl. Erasmus is also the patron of sailors, the turner, the weaver and the Seiler, the helper for cramps, colic, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal diseases; he invoked in births and in diseases of domestic animals.

Iconography

There are many representations of St.. Erasmus. Some show him with the episcopal insignia rod and Mitra, others represent his martyrdom or show him only with his attribute, a winch, with coiled intestine.