Placid lived in the 2nd century and was a victorious and pagan general, driven to do great works of charity by his benevolent soul. Legend says that during a hunting trip he chased a doe rare for its beauty and size, and when it stopped and turned towards him it had a bright cross between its horns and the figure of Christ above it, who told him not to avoid it; Precisely for this reason Placid decided to be baptized taking the name Eustace. This event is followed by a series of troubles; his servants and his livestock are killed by the plague, he fled to Egypt and his wife and children are taken away from him; Eustachio then takes refuge in the village of Badisso, where he remains for 15 years, until he is recalled to Rome to resume his position as general.

Once the war was won, the emperor organized parties and triumphs, including thanksgiving in the temple of Apollo, which Eustace refused to participate in; for this reason the emperor condemns him to death together with his newfound family. The Christians recovered their bodies and gave them a worthy burial, and an oratory was then built in this place.

The tales of the statue in the Dome’s construction site:

The author of the statue placed at the top of the G33 spire is Grazioso Rusca, protostatuary of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo in the early 19th century. The work was created in 1813. Saint Eustace is represented here as a bearded man, his right hand resting on his hip while with his left he seems to be holding an invisible weapon, perhaps it could be a spear, which was subsequently removed over time.