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WALKING TOURS OF ROME

The Stag's Head

30/3/2019

 
Map
Stag's head, church of Sant' Eustachio, Rome
Stag's head, church of Sant' Eustachio

The facade of the church of Sant' Eustachio is crowned with a striking, if somewhat curious, image of a stag's head, which bears, betwixt its antlers, a bronze cross. A stag's head also appears in each of the capitals of the columns and pilasters that make up the lower part of the facade. 

The church of Sant' Eustachio is dedicated to St. Eustace, a legendary Christian martyr, who, according to tradition, was an officer in the army of the emperor Trajan (r. 98-117). Eustace's conversion to Christianity is said to have occurred while he was out hunting, when he was confronted by a white stag, which bore a radiant crucifix between its antlers. He heard a voice telling him that he would be sent many tribulations as a test of his new faith. The officer was baptised in the name of Eustace, having been born Placidus.

Eustace, his wife, and their two sons, are said to have been martyred in 118. The manner of their death was particularly gruesome; they were roasted alive in a hollow bronze bull. St Eustace became the patron saint of hunters and fire-fighters.

Sant' Eustachio was founded in the 8th century, but the current church only dates back to the 17th/18th centuries. Its Romanesque brick bell tower, however, survives from the 12th century. 

Church of Sant' Eustachio, Rome
Sant' Eustachio
Interior of church of Sant' Eustachio, Rome
Interior of Sant' Eustachio

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    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
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  • Home
  • Private Tours
  • Small-Group Tours
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
      • Altar of St Joseph
      • Altar of St Gregory the Great
      • Altar of the Madonna of Succour
      • Altar of St Sebastian
      • Altar of the Lie
      • Altar of the Presentation of the Virgin
      • Altar of St Jerome
      • Altar of the Transfiguration
      • Altar of Pope Leo the Great
    • Monuments >
      • Countess Matilda of Canossa
      • Maria Clementina Sobieska
      • Queen Christina of Sweden
      • Pope Innocent VIII
      • Pope Paul III
      • Pope Gregory XIII
      • Pope Gregory XIV
      • Pope Leo XI
      • Pope Urban VIII
      • Pope Alexander VII
      • Pope Clement X
      • Pope Innocent XI
      • Pope Alexander VIII
      • Pope Innocent XII
      • Pope Benedict XIV
      • Pope Clement XIII
      • Pope Pius VII
      • Pope Leo XII
      • Pope Pius VIII
      • Pope Gregory XVI
      • Pope Pius X
      • Pope Benedict XV
      • Pope Pius XI
      • Pope Pius XII
      • Pope John XXIII
      • The Stuarts
    • Portico >
      • Door of Death
      • Door of Good and Evil
      • Central Door
      • Door of the Sacraments
      • Holy Door
    • Pieta
    • Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
    • Cathedra Petri
    • Crossing >
      • Baldacchino
      • Confessio
      • Dome
      • St Longinus
      • St Helena
      • St Veronica
      • St Andrew
    • St Peter
    • Chapel of the Choir
    • Chapel of the Baptistery
    • Nave
  • Sistine Chapel
    • North Wall
    • South Wall
    • East Wall
    • Ceiling: Part One >
      • Ceiling: Part Two
      • Ceiling: Part Three
    • The Last Judgement
  • Fountains
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fountain of the Triton
    • Fountain of the Bees
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
    • Fountain of the Acqua Paola
    • Fountain of the Turtles
    • Fountain of the Naiads
    • Fountain of the Cannonball
    • Piazza del Popolo
    • Fountain of the Pantheon
    • Fountains of Piazza Farnese
    • Fountain of Goddess Roma
    • Rioni Fountains
    • Street Fountains
    • Venice Marries the Sea
    • St Peter's Square
    • Fountain of the Moor
    • Fountain of Neptune
    • Fountain of the Porter
    • Fountain of the Seahorses
  • Gallery
    • Piazzas >
      • Piazza del Campidglio
      • Piazza del Quirinale
      • Piazza del Popolo
      • Piazza di Spagna
      • Piazza Navona
      • Piazza S. M. in Trastevere
      • Piazza San Pietro
    • Mosaics
    • Fountains
    • Churches
    • Ancient Rome
    • Palaces
    • Domes
    • Papal Coats of Arms
    • Street Shrines
    • Old Photographs
    • Borromini & the Baroque