Sant'Eugenio of Milan

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Read the story of Sant'Eugenio of Milan

History

ThereNotitia ecclesiarum urbis Romaeof the second half of the century. VIII also lists the saints venerated in Milan, including a confessor St. Eugene, remembered together with two bishops of Milan, St. Eustorgio and St. Magno, also qualified as confessors.

Milanese ecclesiastical documents from the 16th century XI and XII (like theKalendarium Ambrosianumsec. XI and the Beroldus) and theLiber notitiae Sanctorum Mediolani, of the century. XIV, remember 30 December. the deposition and transfer of S. Eugenio, bishop, to the church of S. Eustorgio.

No bishop named Eugene is found in the list of bishops of Milan until 1922.

Landolfo Seniore, in hisHistoria Mediolanensis(from the beginning of the 12th century), claiming to refer to the text of a sermon by Bishop Thomas (ca. 780), presents it as atransmontanus episcopuswithout indicating his seat, and as spiritual father of Charlemagne, attributing to him the merit of having defended, in a council held in Rome shortly after the end of the Lombard kingdom, the Ambrosian rite against Charlemagne and Pope Hadrian I (772-775), who wanted to abolish it in the name of the unity of the Christian world.

Following the defense made by St. Eugene, it was decided to place on the main altar of St. Vatican one Ambrosian liturgical book and one Roman, to carefully close the basilica, to fast and pray for three days and to choose, as the normative liturgical book for the whole Church, whichever one was found open. When, after three days, they entered St. Peter's, the books of the two rites were found closed, but, to everyone's amazement, suddenly both were opened. It became clear that the Lord wanted both rites to be maintained.

Milan

Passing through Milan, before returning to his seat, Eugenio, following the prayers of the clergy and the city's leaders, agreed to stay there for a while. Meanwhile, the bishop died. The Milanese would subsequently lose his memory, which, however, was renewed by a miracle performed by the saint in favor of a sick woman whom he asked to help transport him from the neglected tomb to the nearby church of S. Eustorgio. And so the festival began to be celebrated every year.

The legendary nature of Landolfo's narration is evident, the aim of which is to defend Milanese traditions (Ambrosian rite, clerogamy, etc.).

The cult

The cult of St. Eugene, of which the era in which he lived is not known nor whether he was a bishop, is today officially considered a local cult of the Diocese of Milan where the liturgical memorial is set for December 30th, a date linked to the day in where his body was exhumed and moved to the church of S. Eustorgio.

Meaning of the name Eugene: “well born, of good birth, noble (Greek). 

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