Festa di Sant’Eustachio 2019

Festa di Sant’Eustachio is a religious feast taking place every year on September 20, in Matera, to celebrate the patron saint of the city, Saint Eustace.

THE SAINT

Saint Eustace was a Christian martyr and soldier saint, who lived in the 2nd century AD. Prior to his conversion to Christianity, Eustace was a Roman general named Placidus, who served the emperor Trajan.

While hunting a stag in Tivoli, near Rome, Placidus saw a vision of a crucifix between the stag’s antlers, and he immediately converted to Christianity and changed his name to Eustace.

In 994, Matera was occupied by the Saracens, the people invoked the Saint and the town was freed from the invaders. Since then, Saint Eustace became the patron saint of the town.

FESTA DI SANT’EUSTACHIO 2019 will take place on Friday, September 20. During the day, a holy mass will be held in the Cathedral of Matera, to honor the name of the Saint, and during the evening, the procession with the image of the Saint will take place along the main streets of the town. A firework display will close the festivity late at night.