As you obviously know, our brand Atelier St Eustache has a very particular name. But do you know why?
Do you know the story of Saint Eustache ? He is a man but do you also know that a church bears his name? The Church of Saint Eustache in Paris. This week, a little history is in order. 📖
Saint Eustace actually draws his "original legend" from a Greek text. In it, Saint Eustace is first called Placidas , a war general during the reign of Emperor Trajan . He is described as a highly regarded, humane and charitable general. Originally a pagan by religion, he wanted to convert to Christianity following a "miracle" that occurred during a hunting trip. Indeed, Placidas is said to have seen a cross appear between the two antlers of a deer he was chasing.
After this divine apparition, Placidas was baptized , as were his wife and two sons. They all underwent a change of identity:
- Placidas becomes Eustathios/ Eustathius which means well balanced, contented
- His wife Tatiana becomes Theopiste which means she who has faith in God.
- His first son became Agapios which means he who is full of charity.
- His second son becomes Theopistos which means one who has faith in God (like his mother)
However, several misfortunes befell the family, announced by the Divine Voice to put them to the test . Thus followed the loss of their lands, their herds and their fortune. In an attempt to hide their distress, they decided to flee to Egypt . But the crossing of the Nile is not free and the family no longer has a penny. Eustathius' wife is therefore retained by the captain as a bargaining chip .
The father and his two sons are threatened with death and decide to swim across . But on the bank, just before setting off, the two sons are pursued by a lion and a wolf. Eustathius, their father, believes them dead and continues his crossing . But the two sons have actually been rescued . One by a group of shepherds and the other by ploughmen. They are raised in the same village.
According to legend, no one thinks they are brothers, not even those concerned!
Time passes and the Emperor Trajan, who cannot find his general, orders that the exiled Eustathius be sought out and brought back to him. Once the Emperor and the general are reunited , Trajan ends Eustathius's retreat and restores his rank. He charges him with the defense of the country .
Eustathius therefore gathers an army , among which two young people with whom he becomes friends . He names them as his "commensals" (understand companions). After a victory against the Barbarians, Eustathius and his two aides-de-camp are accommodated in the house of a poor lady . The four protagonists spend the evening telling each other about their lives. It is at this moment that the two young people recognize each other , Agapios and Theopistos the two sons of Eustathius. The host then recognizes her husband. She explains to him that the captain of the ship has suddenly died and that she was able to escape to continue her life here.
So the whole family is together. Father, mother and son.
finally meet again.
However, a change of emperor comes to obscure this new found life. Trajan gives way to Hadrian . And seeing that the general would not obey him, he orders to throw the family of Eustathius into the pit of a hungry lion . But even this one lies down at their feet. Faced with this failure, Hadrian demands that the family be scalded . Eustathius, his wife and his sons thus become martyrs . Their bodies are secretly removed by the Christians and deposited in a venerated place.
Eustathe is therefore Westernized Saint Eustache in the Middle Ages and will remain known by this name until today. A church bears his name in Paris. One of the most visited in Paris. It is located in the very center of the city in the 1st arrondissement in the Halles district .
This church was first dedicated to Saint Agnes . It was originally a chapel built in the 13th century. Then it was transformed into a parish and took the name of Saint Eustache . Surely due to the transfer of a relic of the martyr . This church was enlarged over the years and as the population also increased. The Church of Saint Eustache is today a magnificent monument that attracts many visitors.
Photo credit: Pavel Krok
So you know the story of Saint Eustache . But rest assured, all this historical research was not necessary for Violette to find the name of her brand.
However, she still dug a little. 💡 
Imagine that ST EUSTACHE is simply the anagram of SOCK! 🧦