Marinus | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Pompeo Batoni, 1740 | |
| Hermit | |
| Born | c. 275 Arba,Dalmatia,Roman Empire |
| Died | 366 (traditional) Monte Titano,Roman Italy |
| Venerated in | [1] |
| Majorshrine | Basilica of Saint Marinus |
| Feast | 3 September |
| Attributes | Depicted with a stonemason's hammer and tools; two oxen near him.[2] |
| Patronage | bachelors;deacons; falsely accused people;San Marino |
Marinus (/məˈriːnəs/;Italian:San Marino) is aChristian saint, who according tohagiographical accounts recorded centuries after his lifetime was the founder of a chapel and monastery in 301 from whose initial community the state ofSan Marino later grew.[3]
Tradition holds that he was astonemason by trade who came from the island of Arba (todayRab), on the other side of theAdriatic Sea (in what is now part of modern-dayCroatia, then part of theRoman Empire), fleeing persecution for hisChristian beliefs in theDiocletianic Persecution.
Known only by the single nameMarinus (lit. of the sea), he was ordained a deacon byGaudentius of Rimini;[4][5] later, he was recognised and accused by an insane woman of being her estranged husband, so he quickly fled toMonte Titano to build a chapel-monastery and live as a hermit.[6]
Another version of the story says that hearing that the town of Rimini (Italy) was being rebuilt, he travelled there and was astonished to find among the workmen many Christians of formerly high position who had been sentenced to hard labour because of their refusal to sacrifice to the gods. He sought to comfort them and to alleviate their sufferings, so far as was in his power.[7]
In his old age Marinus withdrew to a hermitage and decided to seclude himself on Mount Titano, living the life of a hermit in holy contemplation. As his reputation for his sanctity grew, others started to follow him there, until finally a lady from Rimini and the owner of Mount Titano decided to give him the mountain as a gift.[8]
Marinus was canonised as a saint, and later, the State of San Marino grew up from the centre created by the monastery.[6] His feast day/memorial day is 3 September, commemorating the day, in 301, when he founded what became known asSan Marino, which is also the state's national holiday. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths.
According to legend, he died in the winter of 366 and his last words were: "Relinquo vos liberos ab utroque homine" ("I leave you free from both men"). This somewhat mysterious phrase is most likely to refer to the two "men" from whose oppressive power Marinus had decided to separate himself, becoming a hermit on Mount Titano: respectively theEmperor and thePope. This affirmation of freedom (first and foremost fiscal franchise) from both theEmpire and thePapal States, however legendary, has always been the inspiration of the republic.[9]
According to American historian William Miller, the account of Marinus and the origin of San Marino "are a mixture of fables and miracles, but perhaps contain some grains of fact". The earliest historical evidence for a monastic community in San Marino dates to the 5th or 6th century AD, when a monk named Eugippus recorded that another monk had lived in a monastery in the area.[3]
The earliest manuscripts mentioning Marinus and his life date to the 10th century.[10] Another principal source of the events of Marinus's life was compiled in theActa Sanctorum.[9]
