Elijah Of Enna, Saint

ELIA d'ENNA, saint. - A Greek-Sicilian monk of adventurous life, born at Enna (Castrogiovanni) ca. 825, died on 17 Aug. 903. Taken captive by the Saracens, he was brought to Africa, whence he succeeded in escaping and set out on pilgrimages through the Holy Land, where he received the monastic habit, through Greece, Egypt, Africa, and Sicily, finally settling at Taormina.

When the city was about to fall, E. moved to Calabria, where he founded a monastery at Saline near Reggio. He made a pilgrimage to Rome, went to Amalfi 2, and, after many other adventures, withdrew to a cave on Mount Aulina, near Palmi. Emperor Leone VI il Filosofo wished him to come to Constantinople. On the return journey, E. died at Thessalonica. His body was transferred to Aulina, which took its name from him, and thence later passed to Galatro.

BIBL.: The life is found in the Messina Greek codex 29 (ff. 196-203). It was translated into Latin by A. Fiorito and published by G. Gasumi, in Vitae SS. Siculorum, II, Palermo 1857, reproduced in Acta SS. Augusti, III (1867), pp. 459-507; D. Martire, Calabria sacra e profana, I, Cosenza 1877, pp. 282-82; M. Scaduto, Il monachismo basiliano nella Sicilia medievale, Roma 1947, pp. XXVIII-XXIX. Francesco Russo
Cite this article

“ELIA D'ENNA, SANTO.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. V (1950), p. 167. Azione Romana digital edition, https://azioneromana.com/article/elia-d-enna-santo.