Catania’s walls dated back to the Archaic period: remains of walls have been found in various parts of the city; however, as the events that have affected the city centre over the centuries show, the walls were not sufficient to protect the city from enemy attacks. Therefore, it was necessary to seek supernatural protection, first from pagan gods, then from the God of the Christians through the intercession of the saints: this is how we can interpret the discovery of votive pits near the city limits, a sign of sacrificial rituals dating from the 3rd century BC. Catania then enjoyed a long, only occasionally interrupted, period of peace which culminated in the invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries: between the 4th and 6th centuries, when the city’s walls did not offer sufficient protection against possible invasions, the threat of which was becoming more and more pressing, Catania’s need for protection was satisfied by the transfer of the martyr Agatha’s mortal remains to a site by the city walls.
Catania fu provvista di mura sin dall’età arcaica: resti della cinta muraria sono stati identificati in diversi punti della città; tuttavia, come testimoniano gli eventi che coinvolsero il centro urbano nel corso dei secoli, la cinta muraria non bastò a preservare la città dagli attacchi dei nemici. Si rendeva necessario, quindi, il ricorso a una protezione soprannaturale, prima assicurata dagli dei pagani, poi dal dio dei cristiani tramite l’intercessione dei santi: è così che possono essere interpretati i ritrovamenti di fossette votive a ridosso dei confini cittadini, segno di rituali sacrificali databili nel corso del III sec. a.C. Catania godette in seguito di un lungo periodo di pace, interrotto solo occasionalmente, e che culminò con le invasioni del V e del VI secolo: tra il IV e il VI sec. d.C., quando la città disponeva di una cinta muraria non bastevole a fronteggiare eventuali invasioni, la cui minaccia si fece sempre più concreta, il bisogno di protezione dei Catanesi fu colmato dal trasferimento lungo la cinta muraria dei resti mortali della martire Agata.
Le mura e il sacro: difesa e devozione nella Catania antica
Cristina Soraci
2023-01-01
Abstract
Catania’s walls dated back to the Archaic period: remains of walls have been found in various parts of the city; however, as the events that have affected the city centre over the centuries show, the walls were not sufficient to protect the city from enemy attacks. Therefore, it was necessary to seek supernatural protection, first from pagan gods, then from the God of the Christians through the intercession of the saints: this is how we can interpret the discovery of votive pits near the city limits, a sign of sacrificial rituals dating from the 3rd century BC. Catania then enjoyed a long, only occasionally interrupted, period of peace which culminated in the invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries: between the 4th and 6th centuries, when the city’s walls did not offer sufficient protection against possible invasions, the threat of which was becoming more and more pressing, Catania’s need for protection was satisfied by the transfer of the martyr Agatha’s mortal remains to a site by the city walls.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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