Raphaël. Le Miracle de
saint Eusèbe de Cremona,
huile sur bois, 25,6 X 43,9, Lisbonne, Museu nacional de Arte
Antiga
Saint Eusèbe de Crémone
Disciple
de saint Jérôme (✝ 423)
Confesseur. Issu
d'une illustre famille de Crémone, il rencontre saint
Jérôme qui le forme à la lecture des saintes Écritures et surtout à
la vie spirituelle. En 384, il suit saint Jérôme en Palestine et devient moine
dans le monastère qu'il fonde à Bethléem. Retourné à Rome pour distribuer son
patrimoine aux pauvres, il correspond avec saint Jérôme et, après la mort de
celui-ci, il revient gouverner le monastère de Bethléem.
Eusebius of Cremona,
Abbot (AC)
Born in Cremona, Italy; died c. 423. Eusebius first met Saint Jerome in Rome
when Jerome was acting as secretary to Pope Saint Damasus and preaching a
strict asceticism to all who would listen. Eusebius as so much attracted to the
stern Biblical scholar that when Jerome decided to leave for the Holy Land, he
begged to accompany him.
At Antioch they were
joined by Jerome's other two great friends, the widow Saint Paula and her
daughter Saint Eustochium. The four of them made a pilgrimage to all the places
connected with the earthly life of Jesus, before deciding to make Bethlehem
their home.
Jerome was much
touched by the hundreds of pilgrims to Bethlehem, many of whom were extremely
poor. Resolving to build a hostel for them, he sent Eusebius to Dalmatia and
Italy to raise money for the project. Saint Paula sold her Roman estate through
him for this purpose and Eusebius also sold him own property at Cremona and
gave the proceeds for the building of the hostel.
Eusebius succeeded
the holy Doctor of the Church as abbot of Bethlehem, and was involved, like his
friend, in bitter disputes with the followers of Origen. There is an
unsubstantiated tradition that Eusebius founded the abbey of Guadalupe in
Spain.
In 400 AD, Eusebius
returned to his native Cremona, where some sources indicate that he stayed
until his death. Others suggest that he returned to Bethlehem to become
spiritual director of one of the religious communities there. He may well be
buried alongside Jerome in Bethlehem, where--in the crypt of the church of the
Nativity--an altar is dedicated in his name (Benedictines, Bentley).
Saint Eusebius of Cremona
Profile
After hearing Saint
Jerome speak in Rome, Italy, Eusebius accompanied the translator to the Holy Land. Made the pilgrimage with Saint
Paula and Saint
Eustochium, and lived in Bethlehem.
Raised funds in Dalmatia and Italy to fund a hostel for poor pilgrims, and donated the proceeds from the sale of his own property
in Cremona, Italy. Abbot
in Bethlehem.
Born
- c.423 of natural causes
