The Holy Great Martyr Eustathius was named Placida before His Baptism. He was a military commander under the emperors Titus (79-81) and Trajan (98-117). Even before knowing Christ, Placida performed works of mercy, helping all those in distress and suffering. The Lord did not leave the virtuous pagan in the darkness of idolatry.
Once, while hunting, he was chasing a deer on a fast horse, which stopped after running up a high mountain, and Placida suddenly saw a shining Cross between its horns, and on it the crucified Son of God. Startled, Plakida heard a voice: "Why are you persecuting Me, Plakida?" "Who are You, Lord, talking to me?"  Plakida asked in fear. And I heard in response: "I am Jesus Christ, the God who incarnated for the salvation of people and endured free suffering and death on the Cross. You honor Me without knowing Me, because your good deeds and abundant alms have reached Me. I have come here to convert and add you to My faithful servants. For I do not want a man who does righteous deeds to perish in the snares of the enemy."
Placida exclaimed, "Lord, I believe that You are the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of all creatures. I pray You, Lord, teach me what to do." And again the Divine voice sounded: "Go to a Christian priest, receive Baptism from him, and he will guide you to salvation."
With joy, Plakida returned home, told his wife everything; she, in turn, told him about how someone had said to her in a mysterious dream the day before: "You, your husband and your sons will come to Me tomorrow and know Me - Jesus Christ, the True God who sends salvation to those who love Me." The couple did as they were told.
They turned to a Christian presbyter, who baptized their entire family and gave Holy Communion to all of them.
The next day Saint Eustathius went to the place of his miraculous conversion and in fervent prayers thanked the Lord who had called him to the path of salvation.
And again Saint Eustathius was honored with a wonderful revelation – God Himself warned him about the upcoming trials.: "Eustathius, it is fitting for you to show your faith in practice. You, like Job, will have to endure many sorrows in order to be tempted, like gold in a furnace, to appear worthy of Me and accept the crown from My hands." Saint Eustathius humbly replied: "Thy will be done, O Lord, I am ready to accept everything from Your hands with thanksgiving, if only Your all-powerful help would be with me."
Soon Evstafy was struck by disasters: all his servants died and all his cattle fell. Ruined, but not discouraged, Saint Eustathius and his family secretly left home to live in obscurity, humility and poverty. He took a ship to Egypt. During the voyage, a new misfortune befell the saint. The owner of the ship, seduced by the beauty of Eustace's wife, ruthlessly landed him and his children on the shore, and kept his wife. In great tribulation, the saint continued on his way, and a new grief broke out over him. Crossing a stormy river fording, he carried his two sons in turn, but while he was carrying one, the other was grabbed by a lion on the shore and carried off into the desert, and while he returned to the other, the wolf dragged him into the forest.
Having lost everything, Saint Eustathius wept bitterly. But he was aware that it was Divine Providence that had sent him these misfortunes in order to test his patience and devotion to the will of God. Having poured out his inconsolable grief to God in prayers, Saint Eustathius went on, humbly ready for new trials. In the village of Vadiss, he took a job as a worker and spent fifteen years in continuous labor. And Saint Eustathius did not know then that, by the grace of God, shepherds and farmers saved his sons, and they lived next to him; nor did he know that the wicked shipwright was soon punished – he died of a severe illness, and the wife of St. Eustace, remaining untouchable, lived in peaceful labors.
At that time, Emperor Trajan had to wage a difficult war for Rome. He remembered the valiant commander Plakida and sent the soldiers of Antiochus and Acacius, friends of Plakida, to find him.
Having traveled around many regions, they came to the village where Saint Eustathius lived. The soldiers met Eustathius in a field where he was guarding bread, but did not recognize him and began to tell him who they were looking for, asking for his help and promising a large fee. But Saint Eustathius, recognizing his friends at once, did not reveal his name to them. He brought them to his master's house and fed them. Looking closely at him, the travelers noticed that he looked very much like their commander, and when they saw a special mark on his neck – a mark from a deep battle wound, they realized that in front of them was their friend. They hugged him with tears and told him why they were looking for him. Saint Eustathius returned to Rome and once again became an imperial military commander. Many recruits came to his army, and he did not know that the two young warrior friends, whom he often gave orders to and whom he loved for their dexterity and courage, were his sons, and they did not know that they served under their father and that they were brothers to each other.
Once, on a campaign, the army led by Eustathius stopped in a village. The warrior brothers were talking in the tent. The elder told about his fate: how he lost his mother and his unhappy brother, how he was terribly separated from his father. And the younger one was happy to realize that his brother was in front of him, and told him about himself.
The conversation of the warriors was heard by a woman whose tent was pitched at her house – it was their mother. She realized that these were her sons. Not yet opening up to them, but very willing not to part with them, she came to their commander, Saint Eustathius, to ask permission to follow with his army. She recognized her husband in him and tearfully told him about herself and the two warriors who turned out to be their sons. So, by the great mercy of the Lord, the whole family met.
By this time, the war had ended in victory. Saint Eustathius returned to Rome with honors and glory. The successor of the deceased emperor Trajan was now Adrian (117-138), who wished to celebrate the events with a solemn sacrifice to the gods. To the surprise of everyone, St. Eustace was not in the temple. At the behest of the emperor, he was urgently sought out.
"Why don't you want to worship the gods?  The emperor asked. "You should thank them first." They not only saved you in the war and gave you victory, but also helped you find a wife and children." Saint Eustathius replied: "I am a Christian and I know my One God, Jesus Christ, I honor and thank Him, and I worship Him. He gave me everything: health, victory, returned my family and sent His help to overcome the trials." In anger, the emperor demoted the famous commander and summoned him and his family to court. But even there it was not possible to persuade the firm confessors of Christ to an idolatrous sacrifice. The whole family of Saint Eustace was condemned to be torn to pieces by beasts. But the beasts did not touch the holy martyrs. Then the cruel emperor, in a rage, ordered everyone to be thrown alive into a red-hot copper bull, in which Saints Eustathius, his wife Theopistia, and their sons Agapius and Theopistus died as martyrs. When the fiery grave was opened three days later, the bodies of the holy martyrs were found unharmed – not a single hair was burned on their heads, and their faces shone with unearthly beauty. Many who saw the miracle believed in Christ. Christians buried the honest bodies of the saints.