Feast May 15 Patronage Cazorla | Died Cazorla, Spain | |
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Venerated in Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Catholic Church | ||
Saint Hesychius (Spanish: San Isicio, San Hesiquio, San Exiquio; French: Saint Hisque) is venerated as the patron saint of Cazorla, Spain. Tradition makes him a Christian missionary of the 1st century, during the Apostolic Age. He evangelized the town of Carcere, Carteia, or Carcesi, identified as Cazorla, became its first bishop, and was martyred there by being stoned to death at a place called La Pedriza.
He is one of the group of Seven Apostolic Men (siete varones apostólicos), seven Christian clerics ordained in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul and sent to evangelize Spain. Besides Hesychius, this group includes Sts. Torquatus, Caecilius, Ctesiphon, Euphrasius, Indaletius, and Secundius (Torcuato, Cecilio, Tesifonte, Eufrasio, Hesiquio y Segundo).
The identification of the places where they are said to have evangelized is imprecise: sources also state that Carcere or Carcesi is not Cazorla but Cieza.