Italian
After 300 years the sacred relic was transferred to the church of Santi Teonisto in Campocroce di Mogliano Veneto.
MOGLIANO VENETO (TV). The relic of Saint Pulcheria has always been a fundamental part of the religiousness of the community of Mogliano Veneto.
The sacred relics of the Saint have a significant religious and cultural value, evaluated by the Superintendence of Fine Arts of Venice as having potential state archaeological and anthropological interest.
Two important local historians Don Giuseppe Polo and Professor Giuseppe Venturini attest, in the publication “Invitation to the history of Mogliano”, that the authenticity of the relic had already taken place by the Bishops of Treviso in 1674, 1757, and 1799, thus documenting an important historical reference for the territory.
The relic of Saint Pulcheria had been preserved for centuries in the eighteenth-century church of Villa Rigamonti, in Campocroce, an interesting complex that unfortunately has been abandoned for years and has been the target of numerous acts of vandalism that had focused on the place of worship and its sacred furnishings.
Citizens have been concerned about the integrity of the body and the entire community of Campocroce, together with the administration, has moved to secure this precious relic of the saint. The relic in the small church of Villa Ripamonti has always been a stop on the “rogations”, processions for good luck in the harvest, farmers entrusted her to bring rain in times of drought.
For the translation, the intervention of the Michielan Law Firm in Mogliano Veneto was fundamental for securing the asset in the church of Saints Teonisto and companions martyrs of Campocroce. After careful restoration, on Saturday, September 10, 2022, the relics of Saint Pulcheria were transferred with a touching ceremony and are now displayed for the veneration of all the faithful.
The story of Saint Pulcheria
Born in 399 AD in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Pulcheria was left orphaned at only nine years old. It was her grandfather, Theodosius the Great, who divided the empire between his two sons, Honorius and Arcadius.
At the age of two, Pulcheria’s father was entrusted with the command of the eastern part, until his death. Pulcheria took over the empire, until her brother Theodosius II reached adulthood. She soon became esteemed and famous for her religiosity. Upon her brother’s death, in order to remain on the throne, Pulcheria was obliged by the laws of the time to marry Marcian, the new emperor; with the promise that her chastity would be respected. Before her death, which presumably occurred in 452 or 453, Pulcheria devoted herself strenuously to charity and the construction of important churches.
The Holy Woman rested in the imperial basilica of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, in a red porphyry urn, together with her husband, already venerated by St. Gregory the Great. She is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, which commemorates her on September 10th, and by the Orthodox Church.
His remains were presumably moved in 1204 by the Crusaders or even sold by the Muslims after the burial place was destroyed. In 1672, the relics of Saint Pulcheria were taken from the Roman catacombs of Santa Priscilla, to be transferred by Cardinal Gaspare Carpegna to the wealthy Venetian family of the Donà delle Rose.
After the destruction of their possessions, which housed the relics, these were moved in 1799 to the small oratory of Villa Coletti Rigamonti, in Campocroce, where they were venerated until the closure and total abandonment of the complex. In 1964 the buildings were purchased by the United Institutes for Care in Treviso.
The Church of San Teonisto
The church of San Teonisto and Companions Martyrs is the parish church of Campocroce. The first mention of this sacred place is found in a parchment dated 1043, in which the “church of San Teonisto in Campocroce with an extension of 20 fields” was donated to the abbey of Mogliano. The status of chapel dependent on the monastery is confirmed in a document from 1077.
Of the original building, a frieze with pointed arches remains at the top of the side walls, traces of a Gothic window, and the remains of a large fresco on the southern exterior wall, depicting San Cristoforo, the patron saint of travelers (and not by chance facing the road).
The facade, designed by the engineer Alvise Motta, dates back to 1903. Inside, the paintings and frescoes are very interesting.
Now, after the restoration and proper arrangement of the black wooden case containing the remains, Santa Pulcheria finally rests in peace, among the artistic treasures of the parish church, surrounded by the religiousness of the faithful.
