- The
History of the Martyrs:
The
three brothers, Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino sons of Christian parents Vitale and Benedetta,
were born in the III century d.C., in the town of Vaste in the
region of Puglia (southern Italy). They
were persecuted by the Romans and accused to provoke the general downfall in which the
roman empire had
fallen. In 250 d.C. the emperor Decio I emanated an edict according to
which every person suspected of Christianity had to
offer incense to all roman divinities and to himself too. All those who
were so brave to refuse to submit to the empire and to adore the emperor,
were punished with death. At the end of 251, under the
empire of Treboniano Gallo, Decio's successor, a platoon of Roman soldiers
arrested the 3
young brothers, guilty to have broken the rules with their faithful
brehaviour to the cristian religion.
- They were first questioned
by Nigellione, the sobstitute of the emperor delegated for southern Italy.
Then they were brought to Rome to face the trial of the prefect Licinio in the jail Memertino.
Licinio tried to force them to give up their faith for Christ. The roman
authorities, concerning that they belonged to one of the most notable
family of the Empire, gave them the change to save their life exepcting
subjugation to the pagan religion. That's why they were transferred to Pozzuoli,
near Neaples, where not even the headmaster Diomede was able to convince
them. Their last destination was Sicily, ruled in that period by Tertullo,
a young roman patrician. They landed in the island the 25
August of 252. The 3 brothers suffered a first trial in Taormina and,
after a long
painful pilgrimage, they stopped first by Trecastagni, located down hill
in the eastern side of the Mountain Etna, to get, at the end, to Lentini
(3 September of 252).
- In
that moment Lentini was controlled by Alexander, the vicar of Tertullo.
During his assence he had to keep the rule to force the brothers to give
up the christian religion. Alexander, belonged to a very prestigious
family and his cousin the noble Tecla, at that time, struck from paralysis
to the legs from over 6 years, she required, with great risk for Alexander,
to have the possibility to meet the 3 brothers. When they saw the
beautiful young lady paraliysed they promised to pray for her. During the
same night the apostle Andrew appeared in her dream and when she woke up
she was completely recovered. Since that moment, thanks to the complicity
of the bewildered Alexander, she went, every day to visit, assist and feed
the 3 brothers.
- This
is what happened since the day of their execution: Tertullo realised that
was not northed to wait for a subjugation to the pagan religion that would
have never become real, they were forced to be whipped while they were
walking in the street in front of the hostile population. At the end the
hang men cut the tongue of Alfio and he died drained of blood, Filadelfo
was burnt on a grid, Cirino was dipped in a boiler of hot oil. This
happened on the 10 May of 253, Alfio was 22, Filadelfo 21 and Cirino 19
years old.
- Their
dead bodies were tied with ropes and dragged to a forest, to be, at the
end, thrown into a dry well, close to the house of Tecla. The noble woman,
converted to the christian religion, with the help of her cousin Giustina
and 11 christian servants, 5 women and 6 men, during the night between the
10 and the 11 of may took the bodies out of the well, to put them in a
small cave. This cave still exists, as the tomb of the 3 martyrs, in the
christian church of Sant'Alfio, erected in Lentini in the 261 a.C. when
the persecutions were over.
- From
that moment till nowadays the Martyrdom has always been remebered with a
solemn celebration that involves the whole population of Lentini (9-10-11
May of every year).
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- The
Church and the Martyrs:
the brief life of the three Saints was over, but their
blood had not been poured in vain: it was the seed of that "Church Leontina" that had the privilege to be raised to
"Episcopalian center", privilege that kept till 790 a.C.
- The
first bishop of Lentini was Neophyte, new name of Alexander, vicar of
Tertullo, that accepted to be converted to the Christian religion. He was consecrated
by Saint Andrew in 259. The ones that followed are: Rodippos (290), Crispo (305),
Teodosio Maratonide (338), Feliciano (372), Herodion (407), Teodosio
(438), Crescenzio (496), Luciano I (538), Alexander (600), Shiny (643),
Luciano II (649), Costantino (787), that closed the series historically
proved.
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- ****** It was note this last, intimidated by the dangers
of an imminent Moslem invasion, to want in big secret the transfer of the
sacred relics in his convent of Fragala ' to the principle of the 9°
century. and since then the lentinesis didn't have any more ' news.
Actually to the 22 September of 1516 when some workers, in him to demolish
a wall of the monastery of Fragala ', they found a lot of cloth hidden in
a cassette containing human bones and a manuscript in Greek ancient.
Informed the abbot, these him premuro ' to have the document that I
confirm translated ' to be those bones the human rests of the 3 young
people brothers that had been martyred to Lentini. Great it was the joy of
the monks that, after a solemn procession they preserved the relics in
their church under the time altar consecrated to the 3 martyrs. Well soon
The news came in Catania and then to Lentini, where he decided to send 5
priests and 1 secular to the Abbey of Fragala ' to sound the humors of
that monks and at the same time studying the topography of the convent in
the case had to be opted for a recourse to strength. The mission didn't
have a happy result unfortunately: on the their required the monks didn't
pronounce each other openly, they guaranteed laws, they asked to feel
first their superior. To the return to Lentini this taken of position was
illustrated from defeats him ambassadorial to their fellow citizens that,
desirous to have to the more ' the rests of the own protecting Martyrs,
voted soon to unanimity ' in meeting to arm a consignment to have with
strength what you/they had not succeeded in getting with the strength of
that natural law that gave the law to them to the possession of the sacred
relics. This, came on the behavior of the night of on August 29 to the
command of Giovanni Musso, in front of the Convent of Fragala '. After
having knocked repeatedly and reassured the monks of their intentions, the
lentinesis, vain visas peaceful attempts access, decided the action of
strength. Shortly they entered in the courtyard. To the monks, afraid for
that abrupt invasion of armed, they participated once more the noble
purpose of their mission, that other was not to return in possession of
the relics of their protecting Saints; relics that at the end they were
them delivered by the abbot. September 2 nd 1517 therefore, 80 riders
entered to the gallop to Lentini, welcomed by the applauses, and they
brought, supported from between servant of God the cassette with the
relics of the Saints Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino. This was delivered to
the priests of the church of Lentini and after a solemn procession guarded
in the Church of the Martyrs. But if the city lentinese had been satisfied
in its aspirations, the church leontina, can not close this chapter dell
asua noble history with that action of strength ' extra legems '. I send '
varied gifts to the monks of Fragala ' and subsequently, medium to the
bright harangue of defense of Don Costantino, envoy expressly from the
senate Lentinese in Vatican, churches and it got from the top pontiff Leo
X the confirmation of the titolarita ' of the possession of the relics and
the remission of every censorship.
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