Calle de San Epifanio
Honors Saint Epiphanius of Salamis, a 4th-century bishop and scholar venerated as a Father of the Church, with no record of why he was chosen for this street.
The name recalls Saint Epiphanius of Salamis, born around 310 in Palestine. As a young man he trained among the desert monks and embraced the ascetic life; around 367 the bishops of Cyprus chose him for the see of Constantia, the ancient Salamis, placing him at the head of the whole island.
His fame came from his books. He wrote against the heresies of his time the Panarion, or “medicine chest” against doctrinal poison, cataloguing dozens of currents he judged deviant. That combative learning took him to Jerusalem and Constantinople to dispute the orthodoxy of other bishops; he died in 403 while sailing back to Cyprus.
The calle de San Epifanio lies in the Imperial neighborhood, by the Manzanares, where several streets bear the names of saints. Why this Cypriot bishop was chosen, the street register does not explain.