Oristano, the restored statues of the “Four crowned holy martyrs” return to the church

Saturday 6 July, at 19pm, of Church of Santa Lucia in via Parpaglia, The Gremio dei Muratori of Oristano presents the restoration of the wooden statues of the “Four holy martyrs crowned” presumably dating back to 1700.

Protectors of the city of Como, of sculptors, stonecutters and bricklayers, the saints Vittorio, Severo, Severiano and Cappoforo, in Oristano celebrates on November 8th in the church of Santa Lucia, headquarters of the Gremio del Muratori.

According to the "passio" of these martyrs, when Diocletian went to Pannonia to have marble quarried for his buildings, distinguished among the workers four valid workers, Vittorio, Severo, Severiano and Cappoforo, to whom to entrust the most important jobs. The four they were secretly Christians.

Some workmates, driven by their example, yes cthey converted and they hugged the Christian faith and they were baptized by Bishop Cyril of Antioch who was exiled in those places.

Returned to Rome in 306 AD, during the construction works of the temple of Aesculapius, ordered by Diocletian at the baths of Trajan, they were caught making the sign of the cross often. Having refused to carry out the Emperor's command, they were handed over to the soldiers and accused of being Christians and disobedient. Brought before Diocletian, the four workers confessed their Christian faith and reiterated their reluctance to participate in the construction of a temple for pagan worship, for which they were condemned to flagellation, during which they died. Their bodies were left unburied, but Saint Sebastian, with the help of Pope Miltiades, collected them and buried them at the third mile of the Via Labicana.

Since the 4th century they were venerated in Rome under the name of “Four Holy Crowned Martyrs” and their cult would have been located in the Basilica dedicated to them on the Celio.

In Oristano they are still celebrated today in the Church of Santa Lucia, in via Parpaglia, home of the ancient Guild of Masons who venerate them with particular devotion on November 8 on the date of their deaths.

The Gremio of Masons, since 1615and he is concerned not only with keeping the oratory of Santa Lucia tidy and dignified, taking care of its maintenance, but every year, also thanks to the sensitivity of the members and the faithful, it pays solemn tribute to the great Siracusan Saint Lucia (December 13) and to the Holy Martyr Antiochus, the third Monday after Easter.

The scrupulous restoration work, which lasted a few months, it was created by the Arborense Restoration laboratory of Rita Fodde and Anna Sanna and it was made possible thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione di Sardegna, the Melis Insurance Group of Oristano and the collaboration of the Superintendency of Archaeological Heritage, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Cagliari and Oristano and the Municipality of Oristano.