Sant'Elpidio a Mare
Encyclopedia
Sant'Elpidio a Mare is a town and comune
in the province of Fermo
, in the Marche
region of Italy
.
relics in the 7th century in exchange for the donation of a piece of land. The relics of Elpidius and his companions Eustace and Ennesius were consigned to the local inhabitants, and the town later acquired the new name of Sant'Elpidio a Mare. The relics of Elpidius are considered to have saved the town from a Lombard
siege
; tradition states that the saint appeared in the sky asking the inhabitants to defend the village.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Fermo
Province of Fermo
The Province of Fermo is a province in the Marche, central Italy, constituted in 2004. The province came into existence in 2009. The administrative centre is the city of Fermo...
, in the Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
History
The town was originally named Cluana. The village of Cluana acquired Saint Elpidius'Elpidius the Cappadocian
Saint Elpidius the Cappadocian was an abbot and saint of Asia Minor. Tradition states that he lived in a cave in Cappadocia for twenty-five years...
relics in the 7th century in exchange for the donation of a piece of land. The relics of Elpidius and his companions Eustace and Ennesius were consigned to the local inhabitants, and the town later acquired the new name of Sant'Elpidio a Mare. The relics of Elpidius are considered to have saved the town from a Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
; tradition states that the saint appeared in the sky asking the inhabitants to defend the village.