The Phenomenon of
Vodnjan (Dignano)
Italiano
About 10,000 mummies, conserved with
different chemical substances, have been found all over the world. But
sometimes, human bodies or remains have been preserved without being
enbalmed. There are six of such undecayed human bodies in this church:
1. St. Sebastian
Sebastian was born in Milan. His father was
from Narbone in France, his mother from Milan. Although he was a Roman
officer, he neither accepted the decadence of that time nor the class
structure of slaves and free-men. He was a Christian. The Emperors
Maximilian as well as Diocletian, named him the commander of their
bodyguards because of his capabilities. That allowed him to travel all
over the Court. Sebastian became famous when the Emperor condemned to
death two young Christian brothers Marc and Marcellinus. The family and
friends had one month to turn them away from Christianity. Sebastian
said to Marc and Marcellinus: "Christ's knights, do not renounce the
everlasting crown in exchange for some false promises". Sebastian
converted many Romans to Christian faith. Even Cromatius, the
administrator of Rome, destroyed the pagan idols nd himself gave freedom
to the slaves.
When the Emperor learned of Sebastian's
activities, he summoned him to the court. Sebastian remained firm in his
beliefs, so he was sentenced to be tortured with arrows. Once covered
with arrows "like a porcupine", the soldiers left him. A lady called
Irena released him. When he recovered, his friends advised him to flee
to save his life, but he instead went to the Temple of the San God. In
288 (?) A.D., he was accused by the Emperor of being responsible for the
death of innocent people, he was whipped and strangled to death. His
body was then thrown into a sewer. The Christians buried him on the
place where he was killed, via Appia, Rome, near the catacombs in 282
(?).
His head, spinal column, scapula and neck
muscles (left over when his head was torn off his body) are preserved
here in this church. The literature and iconography about St. Sebastian
are voluminous, and he is very well-known all over the world. St.
Sebastian was named the protective saint against the
plague.
2. Blessed Lion Bembo
He was born in Venice at the beginning of
XII century. He was a priest at the Doge's palace in Venice. He later
became the Venetian ambassador to Syria and was elected bishop. During
the religious riots, he was tortured physically so severely that it was
impossible to recognize him when he came back to Venice. He spent the
last years of his life in the garden of the St. Lawrence monastery,
where he died in 1188. A girl by the name of Catherine Franconellis was
cured from blindness on his grave in the year of 1210, and after that
people started going to his grave, and many were cured.
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Paolo Veneziano, Il
Beato Leone Bembo, tempera su tavola, anno 1321 |
His grave was excavated one hundred years
later, and his body was found intact and in the form it is in today.
According to the decision of church authorities, his body was laid in
the wooden sarcophagus, its lid was painted by Paolo Veneziano in 1321,
and it is now a part of the Collection of Sacral Arts in this church.
3. St. Nicolosa Bursa
She was born in Koper (Istria). Since
1465, Nicolosa was a nun in the Benedictine monasterv of St. Servolo in
Venice. As she was a woman of great capabilities, the nuns elected her
to be Abbess. In the year of 1505, the patriarch Antonio Surian
nominated her to be in charge of renavation of the of St. Johannes of
Laterano monastery. The monastery became very well known for Nicolosa's
holyness; and many aristocrats brought their daughters to the monastery
in order to be educated there. Many of them did not want to leave the
monastery afterwards. Nicolosa performed many miraculous deeds. She
died, as she predicted on 23th of April 1512 and was buried in the
monastery cemetery.
In the year of 1526, fourteen years after
her death, the nuns had to move to St. Anne's monastery and wanted to
take St. Nicolosa's remains with them. To their great surprise, they
found out that Nicolosa's body and uniform were intact and a very
pleasant scent emitted from her grave. Her body was brought to Holy
Cross church to be observed. Even three days later no changes could be
noticed, so the Patriarch gave instructions that the body be kept in the
monastery and treated with great respect. It was laid in a sarcophagus
of stone and was exposed for 163 years. In the year of 1700 the body was
transported to the monastery chorus, and exposed by the window of
rostrum, where a lot of people carne to see it. Later on, the body was
placed in the monastery chapel. In 1810, Adelaide Zorzi gave the body to
the painter Gaetano Gresler, since the authorities closed all the
monasteries in Venice.
According to the expert's opinion, St.
Nicolosa's mummy is the best preserved human body in Europe. Her skin is
still elastic. In this church there are manuscripts attesting to more
than 50 miraculous recoveries thanks to the force of her holy body.
4. St. John Olini
He was a priest in the church of St. John the Baptist in Venice. During
the big plague epidemic when people tried to avoid even the members of
their own families, he unselfishly helped whoever he could. He was
called "the living Saint". In 1300, he died at the age of 85 and was
buried in the church of St. Sebastian. Many people appealed to him for
help during his life, as well as after his death. Many of them recovered
from uncurable diseases right on his grave. For all those miracles John
was beatified as a saint by Pope Bonifatius IX. The Charter of his
beatification is kept in a frame near his human remains.
In addition, Tintoretti painted his
portrait. The painting is part of the Saint Biagio "Collection of Sacred
Art". St. John's body is very well preserved: fingers, nails, nose,
ears. His right hand seems to be "in gesture" over his body.
5. St. Barbara
There is only one leg from St. Barbara's
body preserved in this church. She was born in Nicomedia (Asia) probably
in the year 270 A.D.. Her mother died when she was a little girl. Her
father was a pagan who collaborated with Romans, when they occupied the
city, and he persecuted the Christians. As a mature girl, she disagreed
with life in luxury, and she didn't want to have slaves. From those
facts her father discovered that she was Christian. Consistent with his
animosity toward Christians, he had her beaten and arrested. As he could
not turn her away from her faith, he brought his own daughter to trial.
The legend says that the soldiers could
not wound her, so they dragged her naked all over town. At that moment,
an angel came and covered her with a white tunic. Her father was furious
watching all this, so he killed her with a sword. She was only 18 years
old. At that moment, as a vatican codex says, her father was struck by
lightning, and turned into ashes. In the year of 1225, her body was
transported to the Rieti Cathedral in Italy and beatified by Pope Oton
III. In the Middle Ages St. Barbara was named protective saint of
miners, and later on to all those who had to deal with fire. St. Barbara
is esteemed all over the world.
6.
St. Mary of Egypt
She was born in Egypt. At the age of 12 she
escaped from home, and went to Alexandria where she lived as a prostitute
for 17 years. One day she joined a group of pilgrims on their way to
Christ's grave out of curiosity. On the Day of the Holy Cross she wanted to
enter the cathedral with the others, but couldn't until she kneeled and
repented her sinful life. She converted and from that moment forward she
lived in the desert as a repentant sinner. Her example of repentence brought
a great respect all over the world. Many writers and painters have described
her in the most poetic way. She died in 511 A.D.
The Reliquary of the undecayed tongue of St. Mary from Egypt, XV. C., part of
the Collection of Sacral Arts at the Church of Saint Biagio. |