February opens with the feast dedicated to the cult of a saint very dear to the Christian faith. Between West and East, venerated by both Catholics and Orthodox alike, è San Biagio the Saint to whom the date of February 3 is honored. A devotion that finds its roots in distant times, getting lost among legends and miracles spread everywhere in our peninsula. So let's try to follow the traces of its history.
Who was?
The few news that we have of the life of the Saint are mostly the result of a long one oral tradition handed down over time. Testimonies told and then collected in the written text of Camillo Tutini which speaks to us of the life of San Biagio. Originally from Armenia, the Saint was a doctor and bishop combining the scientific knowledge of the time with faith. Her healing works they say guided by the hand of Christ and for this you define miracles attributed to his person. But the goodness of the Saint soon found the contrast of the contemporary society. It was persecuted by the Romans because of his creed dying just three years afterEdict of Constantine with which freedom of worship was recognized. Son of his time and of a society still devoted to the polytheistic cult, San Biagio suffered numerous physical punishments. Among these we often remember the martyrdom that saw the use of iron combs for carding wool. He died beheaded in 316 AD
Blessings and alimony
San Biagio is part of the so-called "holy helpers"Or those saints invoked for the healing of particular evils. In fact, let us remember that he was a special doctor because he was guided by the hand of Christ. Numerous therefore i Miracles attributed to these healing abilities of his. The best known is certainly the one referring to a young boy who had ingested a fish bone stuck in his throat. It is no coincidence that San Biagio is considered the patron saint from winter ailments, especially gods sore throat. We will then easily understand why in many Italian cities on February 3 there is a special blessing which has as protagonists breads and sweets various. Soft foods, better if filled with crumbs in the case of bread and frothy in the case of sweets. But what do these foods have to do with gluttony? The soft texture was said to help stop bleeding from sore throats.
This is why the blessing of the remains of the Panettone Christmas. So in the Milanese city it was said: "San Bias el benediss the throat and el nas". A tradition that continues today and that has some variations. In Lanzara, in the province of Salerno, it is customary to prepare special meatballs, called precisely "meatballs of San Biagio". In Abruzzo the panicles, some loaves in the form of a hand to remember the moment in which the Saint placed his miraculous hand on the head of the boy who had ingested the fish bone. Even the Molise follows a similar tradition by packaging i pour us, round cakes and le pandex, breads of San Biagio.
The mystery of the Basilica of San Biagio
San Biagio is patron saint of the city of Maratea where is the basilica where his relics are kept. The sacred building stands on top of the Monte San Biagio, where the ancient Maratea is located. Tradition has it that a temple dedicated to the Goddess Minerva but there is no archaeological evidence to confirm. Today you can admire a basilica consisting of a presbytery, perhaps considered the constituent nucleus of the church, the naves, the facade and the bell tower. But it is definitely there Directed Chapel the most important part in devotional terms. Here indeed the urn with the relics of the saint is kept and always here the miracle of "heavenly manna". It is said that the walls of the chapel oozed a yellow liquid that the faithful collected to treat the sick. It was then that the future Pope Pius IV, in 1563, recognized this liquid as a welcome and unexpected blessing offered by San Biagio to the devotees.
But that's not all. On the sides of the same chapel there is one Cannon ball remained unexploded during the attack on the ancient castle of Maratea in 1806. A special event soon attributed to the saint's ability to perform miracles. But why are the relics of San Biagio found in Maratea? It seems that they arrived here in 723 with a load that from Sebaste, now a Turkish city, was to reach Rome. A violent storm, however, surprised the special transport which for this reason stopped in Maratea where it remained forever.
