San Marino

You remember San Marino, right? That tiny enclave in Italy’s Apennine mountains? And it’s not just San Marino—it’s the Most Serene Republic of San Marino. I’m sure being a Most Serene Republic must be lovely. 3 September is Foundation Day in this neck of the woods. Foundation Day? San Marino says it’s the oldest constitutional republic in the world, as its Foundation Day celebrates the beginnings of the republic in 301. The founder? Marinus of Rab, a Christian stonemason fleeing persecution in Rimini. Oh, and the constitution—from 1600—is the oldest written constitution still in effect. Impressive stuff.

With its out-of-the-way location—not to mention a history of poverty—the country has pretty well succeeded in remaining independence (a few interruptions, yes)—and its independence was recognised by the papacy in 1631. And as an independent republic, San Marino housed refugees in the 19th century—people in danger of persecution because they supported Italian unification found a safe haven here as the unification process moved forward. When unification took place, Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian national hero, respected San Marino’s wish to remain separate from the newly unified country that surrounded the enclave. Also impressive? Napoleon III refused to take the country because he declared it “a model republic.”

And did you know that Abraham Lincoln was an honorary citizen of San Marino? He was evidently pleased by it, writing that “government founded on republican principles is capable of being so administered as to be secure and enduring.” And so it has been.

I’m so interested to learn that San Marino has multiple heads of state and frequent elections—this comes from customs of the Roman Republic. Another interesting fact? The Sammarinese army still has a Crossbow Corps. (These days, of course, it’s ceremonial and consists of 80 volunteers.) And from the sublime to the ridiculous—San Marino entered Eurovision for the first time this year.

I’d just like to say, too, that while San Marino declared war on Austro-Hungary in World War I, it remained neutral in World War II—being a tiny country surrounded entirely by Italy it was the best it could do.

How tiny? These days the population is around 30,000. The current Captains Regent are Federico Pedini Amati and Rosa Zafferani. The patron saint is St. Agatha, who is also the patron saint of: Sicily, bellfounders, breast cancer (she had her breasts cut off as one of the tortures endured for her faith) bakers, fire, jewellers, martyrs, natural disasters, nurses, rape victims, single laywomen, sterility, torture victims and wetnurses.

I had trouble tracking down a Sammarinese poem—I’m certain that there are poems, but I’m guessing they are not easily accessible based on a reasonably exhaustive search over the past few months. Something I did find online here that interested me was an excerpt from a 1769 travel guide. I thought you might enjoy it.

excerpt from a 1769 travel guide

The road from La Catolica to Pezaro skirts the territories of this small republic, concerning the government of which we referred ourselves to the description given of it by Mr. Addison, who went in person to get a thorough knowledge of it. This little state was on the point of losing its liberty, by cardinal Alberoni's enterprise against it, during his legation in Romania (* about 1750). The management and execution of this project would do honour to the cardinal's bravery, had it been against a people, whom a slender regard to the Roman purple would not have restrained from offering at a defence. The cardinal's red vestment, and a Te deum, in which he was seized with a panic, gave a sanction to this enterprize: Benedict XIV, disowned it, yet he kept the original charters of this republic, the cardinal having purloined them; and they were lodged in the Vatican Archivio.

I knew at Rome a petty Curial, or limb of the law, born at San Marino, who had sacrificed his small fortune purely to recover the most essential of those charters, which accordingly he had got safely conveyed back among the records of his country. I likewise frequently saw at Rome, among the Minims of la Trinita di monte, another member of the same republic, the very counter-part of Rabelais's Parnurgus, a complete master of the Latin and Greek, and even of the vulgar Greek; well versed in geometry, chymistry, and especially botany; he had travelled over the greatest part of Asia, even as far as the kingdom of Thibet, always footing it, and without equipage or so much as money. He lived at Rome from hand to mouth, placing all happiness in liberty and chearfulness, which he looked upon as incompatible with dependance. The first time I saw him was in the laboratory of la Trinita di monte , where, with all the vehemence of pulpit elocution, he was holding forth, facing the apothecary of the convent, who, according to the constitution of those places, was one of the society, on miracles and conversions, the marvellous of which increasing in a climax, at length set the pious brother a weeping and sobbing most cordially. In the opinion of this odd creature, the world afforded nothing comparable to ancient Rome, except his dear republic of St. Marino: it was indeed the only thing he could speak of with any seriousness. He proposed, after a few more perambulations, to go and end his days in his Ithaca, and devote his abilities and discoveries in promoting its happiness.