View source for Edistus

{{Short description|1st-century Christian martyr}}
{{redirect|Saint Orestes|another person|Orestes of Cappadocia}}
{{Infobox saint
|name= Saint Edistus
|birth_date=
|death_date= c. 60 AD
|feast_day= October 12
|venerated_in= [[Roman Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
|image=
|imagesize= 119px
|caption=
|birth_place=
|death_place= near present day site of Sant'Oreste
|titles=
|beatified_date=
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date=
|canonized_place=
|canonized_by=
|attributes=Young, clean-shaven soldier; palm of martyrdom; white flag with red cross
|patronage=[[Sant'Oreste]]
|major_shrine=
|suppressed_date=
|issues=
}}
'''Saint Edistus''' ({{langx|it|Sant'Edisto}}) (also known as '''Aristus, Orestes, Horestes''') is venerated as a [[martyr]] and [[saint]] by the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] churches.  His legend states that he was martyred on the [[Via Laurentina]] and his ''passio'' places his martyrdom during the reign of [[Nero]], on October 12, 60 AD.<ref name="bautz.de">{{BBKL|e/edistus|band=17|autor=Ekkart Sauser|artikel=Edistus (Aristus, Orestes, Horestes)|spalten=304-305}}</ref>
His companions are named as '''Thermantia (Termanzia), Christina''', his servant '''Victoria''', and the priest '''Priscus'''.<ref name="bautz.de"/>
==Veneration==
During the [[papacy]] of [[Gregory the Great]], there existed at [[San Paolo fuori le Mura]] a monastery dedicated to Edistus.  In the seventh century, his [[relics]], as well as those belonging to Christina and Victoria, were still venerated there.  The [[sepulcher]] of Edistus was located at the sixteenth milestone of the [[Via Ardeatina]].  A church in honor of him existed there, which was restored during the papacy of [[Adrian I]] (772-795).  There also existed a papal estate (''[[domusculta]]'') there called ''Sancti Edisti''.<ref name="bautz.de"/><ref name="prolocosantoreste.com">{{cite web |author=sito costruito da Carlo Portone |url=http://www.prolocosantoreste.com/edisto.htm |title=sant'edisto - un patrono che viene da lontano |publisher=Prolocosantoreste.com |accessdate=2011-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217062630/http://www.prolocosantoreste.com/edisto.htm |archive-date=2011-02-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
He is patron of an old church on the [[Monte Soratte]], near which a town, [[Sant'Oreste]], is named after him.  The first mention of Sant'Oreste is made by [[Benedict of Soracte]] in his ''Chronicon'' in 747 AD, in which he mentions ''Curtis Sancii Heristi''.<ref name="Comune di Sant'Oreste">{{cite web |url=http://www.santoreste.it/storia.html |title=Comune di Sant'Oreste |publisher=Santoreste.it |accessdate=2011-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722051831/http://www.santoreste.it/storia.html |archive-date=2011-07-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  One source states that the [[toponym]] derives from the family of the Aristi or Edisti.  A member of this family was martyred for his faith around 68 AD.  Linguistic corruptions transformed the name from ''Sanctus Edistus'' to ''Sanctus Heristus, Santo Resto, San Tresto, Sant'Oreste''.<ref name="Comune di Sant'Oreste"/>
[[Image:Soratte01.JPG|thumb|250px|left|Mount Soratte seen from [[Via Flaminia]].]]
According to the legendary account of his martyrdom, he was a soldier who had been christened by [[Saint Peter]].  At a site called ''Laurento'', a [[sandpit]] (''arenario''), Edistus participated in a [[mass (liturgy)|mass]] at which Priscus was officiating.  Thermantia, Christina, and the servant Victoria were present.  When they were discovered by the authorities, they were [[Premature burial|buried alive]] in the same sandpit, with the exception of Victoria, who managed to escape, but who was later killed in a nearby forest.<ref name="bautz.de"/><ref>{{cite web |author=sito costruito da Carlo Portone |url=http://www.prolocosantoreste.com/edisto.htm |title=Monte Soratte is characterized by the so-called "Meri", pits which can be up to 115 m-deep |publisher=Prolocosantoreste.com |accessdate=2011-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217062630/http://www.prolocosantoreste.com/edisto.htm |archive-date=2011-02-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
A church and village grew on the site of sandpit.  This was the ''curtis Sancti Heristi''.  The village later moved to the slopes of Mount Soratte for better defense against raiders.  This became the ''Castrum Sancti Heristi'', later Sant'Oreste. The [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] church of Sant'Edisto still exists.<ref name="bautz.de"/><ref name="prolocosantoreste.com"/>
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{BBKL|e/edistus|band=17|autor=Ekkart Sauser|artikel=Edistus (Aristus, Orestes, Horestes)|spalten=304-305}}
*{{in lang|it}} [http://www.enrosadira.it/santi/e/edisto.htm SAN EDISTO]
*{{in lang|it}} [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/93405 Sant'Edisto]
*{{in lang|it}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110217062630/http://www.prolocosantoreste.com/edisto.htm Edisto]
[[Category:60 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths by live burial]]
[[Category:1st-century Romans]]
[[Category:1st-century Christian martyrs]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Military saints]]