The "Christian cult of saints," initially only martyrs, is still today the result of remarkable studies not only in theological fields but also in anthropology, archaeology, art, and literature.
We are talking about a cultural phenomenon that originated in a time we can roughly place between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD, in a geographical area we will identify as the lands around the Mediterranean.
Relics were preserved and honored, exchanged and stolen, bought and sold. Many of them were plundered from Constantinople after the schism between East and West rendered them legitimate spoils, becoming in Europe the reason and pretext for the construction of memorable buildings and the flourishing of events and processions celebrated in the name of faith.
Clerics kneel together with kings, emperors, lawmen, illiterates, and peasants before the bodies of martyrs, bearers of the victory of eternal life over death, as the deep peace of that sleep, awaiting resurrection, awakens a sense of refreshment capable of infusing a healing power to all.
Many Passiones arise, repetitive and melodramatic psychodramas, which testify with vital exuberance the presence of the saint.
Behold, I announce to you the celebration of the memory of December 13, the day when Lucia dies in Syracuse, pierced, as a Christian, by the dagger of Pascasio, the city's prefect, and wishes to recount through the reading of the Passio, drawn from the ancient Greek manuscript Papadopulo, the story of this Christian martyr.
The text, completing a narrative that still retains its charm today, is accompanied by pieces of ancient music and images taken from paintings by artists from different eras as a testament to how the cult of this saint has continued through the centuries.
Moreover, the body of Lucia, after being transported from Syracuse to Constantinople as a gift to Empress Theodora, was brought to Venice by the Crusaders in 1204, and here in the sanctuary dedicated to her, it still rests and dialogues with artists and faithful from all regions of the world.
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