Blessed Eusebius of Esztergom

Blessed Eusebius of Esztergom (Hungarian: Esztergomi Boldog Özséb; Polish: Euzebiusz z Ostrzyhomia; German: Eusebius von Gran; c. 1200 – 20 January 1270) was a Hungarian canon, hermit and the founder of the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit. Eusebius was born around the year 1200 in Esztergom, Hungary. According to Gergely Gyöngyösi's book The life of the hermit brothers of I Saint Paul the Hermit (Vitae fratrum Eremitarum Ordinis Sancti Pauli Primi Eremitae, 1496) Eusebius came from a well-known Hungarian family. Cécile Tormay states that Eusebius was a relative of the royal family of Arpads. It can be found in other sources that he was the son of the granger of the royal court. As a child, Eusebius had shown his deep religious faith and an ability to learn. He spent a lot of time in prayer and contemplation. He studied in the Seminar of Esztergom to become a priest. Later, he was named a cathedral canon at Esztergom, and distributed his prebend among the poor. In his spare time he wrote books. Even the names of these books did not survive. But according to Gyöngyösi these works were written on canon law. At that time Eusebius was often visited by hermits from the Pilis Mountains who sold him wattled baskets in exchange for bread. Eusebius also visited them personally several times. The life of these hermits aroused his interest and he desired to become a hermit, but his plans were delayed by the Mongol invasion of Europe. He remained at his post, helping to rebuild the country. In 1246, Eusebius received permission from his bishop, Stephen I Báncsa to become a hermit. He settled in a cave north of Pilisszántó and placed a large wooden cross in front of the entrance of his cave where he prayed and meditated. At that time there were several hermit communities in Hungary who lived disorganized away from society.