Ephysius

Saint Ephysius of Sardinia was born around the middle of the third century, though the details of his early life have been lost to time. What endures is his witness to Christ in the age of persecution. Tradition remembers him as a steadfast Christian who, rather than deny the Lord, embraced martyrdom around the year 303. He is believed to have been beheaded at Nora, near present-day Pula, sealing his faith with the ultimate offering and becoming a sign of courage for the Church in Sardinia. Saint Ephysius is especially venerated in Cagliari, the island’s capital, where his relics are kept and where he is honored as patron of the city and of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cagliari. Each year the people of Sardinia renew their devotion in the great Feast of Sant’Efis, processing from Cagliari to Nora in a solemn, centuries-old pilgrimage of prayer and thanksgiving. His feast day is celebrated on January 15.