L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano T h e r e a r e t w o countries within I t a l y . O n e , t h e V a t i c a n , i s t h e s m a l l e s t s o v e r - eign state in the world. The other, San Marino, is the most ancient Republic still extant. There is something very magical about San Marino, a place which I had the plea- sure to visit only once in my life, but that left a very strong i m p r e s s i o n o n m y t h e n - young mind. It was like walk- ing into a tale of wonders b e c a u s e I h a d n e v e r s e e n q u i t e a n y t h i n g l i k e i t : perched on top of a mountain and guarded by a castle, from there you could see, almost by magic, the joyous land of Romagna below, all the way to the sea. There is some- t h i n g s o i n c r e d i b l e a b o u t being on top of a mountain and seeing the sea… provare per credere. And then, there were its w i n d i n g s t r e e t s a n d t i n y s h o p s , i t s c o b b l e s t o n e d square, and the sun setting, because we were visiting late in the afternoon: memories, beautiful, cherished memo- ries of my adolescence! San Marino has a long and interesting history to tell, one that, as it often happens in Italy and everywhere in the w o r l d , s h a r e s s o m e t r a i t s with legend and mythology, others with lore and spiritu- ality. We could start from the mountain where San Marino l i e s , M o n t e T i t a n o , o r Mount Titan. Ancient beliefs tell us that it is the work of t h e m o s t f e a r s o m e o f a l l giants, the Titans, children of Saturn and first cousins of Z e u s , t h e k i n g o f a l l Olympian gods. There wasn't m u c h l o v e b e t w e e n t h e c o u s i n s , t h o u g h , a n d t h e Titans wanted to attack him w h i l e h e w a s a s l e e p o n Mount Olympus. To reach the skies above the mountain where Zeus lived, they began piling stones over stones. But Zeus learned about their plan a n d , w i t h a m i g h t y a c t o f strength, hurled the giants down to the ground and back to Earth. All that remains of the infamous episode, is that pile of stones and boulders, known of course as Mount Titan. To know the origins of the Republic itself, however, we have to look into the hagiog- r a p h y o f t h e s a i n t f r o m whom it gets its name, San Marino. The oldest manu- script of the Vita Sancti Marini- the Life of Saint Marino – dates back to the 10th century and it is today kept at Turin's Biblioteca Nazionale. In it, we find the life of San Marino and other tales, all important because relating to the lore of the Republic. One of the most famous legends enshrined in this piece of Medieval litera- ture is the one of San Mari- no and the bear. Some- t i m e s a r o u n d 3 0 0 A D Marino, who had been living in solitude and prayer in the h i l l s a n d m o u n t a i n s o f Romagna, was summoned b y t h e b i s h o p o f R i m i n i , G a u d e n t i u s . W h e n h e r e t u r n e d h o m e , M a r i n o found out his humble abode had been occupied by a bear, t h a t h a d f e a s t e d o n t h e saint's only companion, a d o n k e y . M a r i n o , t h e n , explained to the bear that his actions had caused him p a i n a n d t h a t , t o f i x t h e w r o n g d o n e , h e h a d t o become his helper. The bear, who understood the good words of the saint, accepted and took up the role of the poor donkey. A second ver- sion of the legend says the encounter happened while t h e s a i n t w a s e s c a p i n g Roman persecutions against the Christians, along with his faithful donkey. While they were traversing a forest known for the presence of dangerous robbers, Marino m e t t h e m o s t v i c i o u s o f them all, Rufus. Rufus knew well that Marino had man- aged to convert other crimi- nals before him and that he was a known holy man: his aim was that of kidnapping him and asking for a ran- som. A non-the-wiser Marino, in the meanwhile, had left his donkey tied to a tree to s e e k w a t e r a n d f r u i t s f o r himself and his four-legged c o m p a n i o n . W h e n h e returned to his donkey, he found out a bear had eaten him alive. Instead of run- ning away, the saint got clos- e r t o t h e b e a r a n d , w h i l e touching gently his fur, he asked him to take his don- key's place. The bear, mirac- ulously, became as docile as a lamb. When, shortly after, Rufus and his gang attacked the saint, the now-gentle bear scared them away, sav- ing the saint from peril. Saint Marino's bear leg- e n d s f i t i n t o a t o p o s i n hagiography, where saints befriend wild animals, in a beautiful metaphor of how M a n k i n d s h o u l d a l w a y s respect and seek peace with other Creatures: the most famous example is, perhaps, the friendship between Saint F r a n c i s o f A s s i s i a n d t h e wolf. But let us go back to San M a r i n o t h e c o u n t r y a moment: what is the connec- tion between the Saint and the Republic? Well, it's quite simple: Saint Marino is tra- ditionally believed to have founded the first settlement from which the Republic was t o d e v e l o p . M a r i n o h a d reached Mount Titan from Arbe, a small Croatian island i n t h e A d r i a t i c S e a , w i t h s o m e o t h e r f a i t h f u l , w i t h whom he had created a small community on the moun- tain. Soon, news of the won- ders and miracles performed by Marino reached the hears of Roman matron Felicissi- ma, who was the owner of the lands where the small community had settled. She, needless to say, wasn't too impressed and sent her son Verissimus to chase them away from her lands; Mari- n o f e l t t h a t V e r i s s i m u s ' intentions weren't good and, fearing for the life of his peo- ple, he prayed to God asking f o r h e l p . A t t h a t v e r y m o m e n t , V e r i s s i m u s f e l l from his horse, unable to speak or move. A distraught and terrified Felicissima ran to the Saint, begging him to save her son: he could ask anything in change, and she was to grant it. Marino, with humbleness, said the only thing he wanted was that herself and her son became Christians and get baptized. F e l i c i s s i m a a g r e e d , a n d V e r i s s i m u s ' h e a l t h w a s r e s t o r e d . T h e R o m a n woman and her family con- verted to Christianity and also gifted Monte Titano to Marino and his community. S a i n t M a r i n o w a s t o l i v e there, with his people, until the day of his death, on the 3 r d o f S e p t e m b e r o f a n unknown year, perhaps 336 AD. The 3rd of September is, still today, an important day in the Republic of San Mari- no, to celebrate its freedom and the beginning of its cen- turies-long history. GIULIA FRANCESCHINI The castle of San Marino (Photo: Rudi1976/Dreamstime) San Marino, the Republic created by a Saint LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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