Ephysius of Cagliari

Saint Ephysius the Martyr, also called Ephysius of Sardinia, is the patron of Cagliari, the capital of the island of Sardinia, where his relics lie. According to tradition he suffered around the year 303 at Nora, in the time of Diocletian's persecution, and the Church remembers him on 15 January.

Almost nothing is known of his life beyond the witness of his martyrdom. The years of his birth and death, about 250 and 303, remain uncertain. Tradition says that he was beheaded at Nora, near modern Pula, some 35 kilometres from Cagliari.

Veneration

He is honoured in Cagliari more than anywhere else. There, in a church dedicated to him, part of his holy relics is kept, while the rest lies at Pisa, of which he is also counted a patron. Churches under his name stand also at Pula, on the place of his suffering, and at Quartu Sant'Elena.

The feast of Saint Ephysius, called Sant'Efis, is the most important religious event of Cagliari and is held every year on 1 May. Thousands of people from folk groups all over Sardinia put on their traditional costumes for it. The saint is escorted by the ancient Milicia, by the deputy mayor (Alter Nos), by many confraternities and by a convoy of ox-⁠drawn carts, in a procession to Nora. It is one of the oldest religious processions in Italy and also the longest, with about 70 kilometres walked over four days, and the largest in the Mediterranean area.