Detail from a polyptych (1473)

by Carl Crivelli

Sant’ Emidio, Ascoli Piceno

An entry in the Roman Martyrology under 5th August reads: “At Ascoli in Piceno, St Emygdius, bishop and martyr, who was consecrated bishop by Pope St Marcellus, and sent thither to preach the Gospel.  He received the crown of martyrdom for the confession of Christ under Emperor Diocletian”.

St Emidius was martyred in 303 at Ascoli Piceno and became the city's patron saint.  His cult was revived in 1703 when Ascoli Piceno survived an earthquake that devastated much of the region. 

1. ✴The Altare di Sant’ Emidio in San Rufino, Assisi was established after the city largely survived an earthquake in 1751. 
   

2. ✴In 1784, Bishop Alessandro Maria Odoardi, who came from Ascoli Piceno, established the Altare di Sant’ Emidio in the Duomo, Perugia.