Posted on 01/23/2008 6:36:50 AM PST by NYer
St Peter of Argos’ relics have been found after being “lost” for over five hundred years.
The relics of the saint were returned by Vatican clerics to the residents of Argos –in Greece’s Peloponnese – after a Catholic bishop took them to Rome in the 15th century.
Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports local churchmen, who began searching for the relics of Saint Peter in the early 1990s, finally traced them to a monastery chapel near Rome.
“We had looked everywhere for them,” local Bishop Iakovos said.
Thousands of faithful thronged the streets and church bells sounded as the relics were carried into the local cathedral and put on display.
SOURCE
Argos saint’s remains returned by Vatican (Kathimerini - Greece’s International English Language Newspape 21/01/08)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
St Peter of Argos (OrthoWiki)
Ping!
Either the relics were taken to Rome by a catholic bishop in the 15th century or, according to the Greek paper, they were taken during the "occupation of the Peloponnese by the Franks."
My guess is that as the Turks conquered the last remaining holdouts of the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453, local Greeks preferred to hand over valuable relics to Italians who would honor them rather than risk desecration of the relics at the hands of janissaries.
“My guess is that as the Turks conquered the last remaining holdouts of the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453, local Greeks preferred to hand over valuable relics to Italians who would honor them rather than risk desecration of the relics at the hands of janissaries.”
Argos is not far from my maternal village. Its a nice town. The Frankokratia had ended before the fall of The City in 1453. Those Latin priests had left long before the Turks arrived. As a matter of fact, the Latin Church never made any real headway in any part of the Morea. My suspicion is that the Franks likely simply stole the relics when the Byzantines drove them out. It may well have happened in the 13th century after the Sack of The City by the Latin Crusaders. Whatever the reason, the relics are back where they belong now and for that Christians should rejoice. Next time I go down to the old country I’ll stop by to venerate them.
I’ve read Orthodox articles that refer to all Crusaders (or even to all Westerners) as “Franks.” Could that be the case here?
It seems that I am incorrect. His relics were still in Argos in the 1450s so it wasn’t 13th century Latins who took them. Looks like this one will remain a mystery.
“I’ve read Orthodox articles that refer to all Crusaders (or even to all Westerners) as “Franks.” Could that be the case here?”
Well, maybe. The period we call the “Frankokratia”, the Rule of the Franks refers to a time when the Morea was ruled by mostly Norman knights, but the term was also applied to Venetians, Genoans, Pisans, etc.
A number of people fled the onslaught of the Turks and went to a part f Italy called Magna Graeca so its possible that the relics were spirited away by one of these refugees.
There were probably a number of new Greek colonies in Italy after the conquest of Constantinople - presumably any towns or families who preached resistance to the Sultan during the last stand decided to get out of Dodge.
I’m not sure about Sardinia, but there are tons of Greek, Albanian and Croatian villages along the Italian Adriatic and in Sicily. My maternal family is from a town founded by Albanians fleeing the Ottomans, and my mom and aunt still speak to each other in Albanian as well as Italian.
The Albanian Catholics have their own hierarchy based in Sicily (?). I’ve heard they have a special Divine Liturgy in NYC occasionally also...I’ve been meaning to go.
Don't these Catholic Bishops know anything. Always look in the sock drawer FIRST!
LOL! I suspect Bishop Iakovos was the Orthodox bishop trying to locate the relics, not the Catholic bishop who had them.
Was the town named Ururi? Do you know in which Province it is located?
Montecilfone (Munxufuni) in Molise. But I am very familiar with Ururi...it is very near by!
oops...forgot the province....it’s Campobasso. (which I believe Ururi is in, no?)
What a small world!!! I spent so many years going back and forth to a small town there. The Province is Molise and Campobasso is the regional capital. I recall someone commenting that Albanese was spoken in the village of Ururi. Have you traveled there?
Indeed! I’ve been to Montecilfone several times, and Termoli as well (which are north of the map and not visible). My grandmother is buried in Montecilfone.
Yes, Ururi, Montecilfone, and Portocannone are the three town I know of where Albanese is spoken. People are very proud of their heritage there today...they have all kinds of folklore festivals and my mom gets a magazine from there published in Arberesht.
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