Eusebius of Esztergom

Blessed Eusebius of Esztergom (; ; ; c. 1200 – 20 January 1270) was a Hungarian canon, hermit and the founder of the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit.

Life Early years 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, 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, Eusebius founded the first Hungarian order in 1250 which later became the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit. Their other name was the Brothers of the Saint Cross from the name of their first monastery.

Many people joined his order and adopted his strict rule. Their parents and friends tried to dissuade them, but Eusebius said to them: "Christ loved his mother very much, but with his suffering his mother was tormented by the pain of his pain. He could have got off the cross, but he did not do it because he had fulfilled the will of his Heavenly Father. Likewise, we do not want to get off the cross of penance because people cry for us."

Papal legate Cardinal Gentilis de Monte Florido gave the order the Rule of St Augustine, and it received approval with the decree ‘Qui saecularia’, issued in Buda on 13 December 1308.