ELIA of ENNA, Saint. — A Siculo-Greek monk of adventurous life, born at Enna (Castrogiovanni) c. 1825, died 17 Aug. 903. Taken captive by the Saracens, he was carried off to Africa, from where he managed to escape and began to wander through the Holy Land, where he received the monastic habit, then through Greece, Egypt, Africa and Sicily, finally settling at Taormina.
As the city was about to fall, E. moved to Calabria, where he founded a monastery at Saline near Reggio. He journeyed to Rome, went to Amalfi and, after many further adventures, retired to a cave on Monte Aulina near Palmi. The emperor Leo VI the Philosopher summoned him to Constantinople. On the return journey, E. died at Thessalonica. His body was transferred to Aulina, which took its name from him, and thence to Galatro.