Friday, August 15, 2008

CONTESA DEL SECCHIO





Sant'Elpidio a Mare, Italy - 10 August 2008

Sant'Elpidio a Mare is a town and commune in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in the Marche region of Italy. It is famous for having one of the oldest and most prestigious historical re-enactments in the region of the “Contesa del Secchio”.

The town was originally named Cluana. The village of Cluana acquired Saint Elpidius' relics in the 7th century in exchange for the donation of a piece of land. The relics of Elpidius and his companions Eustace and Ennesius were consigned to the local inhabitants, and the town later acquired the new name of Sant'Elpidio a Mare.

The relics of Elpidius are considered to have saved the town from a Lombard siege; tradition states that the saint appeared in the sky asking the inhabitants to defend the village.

No comments: