San Paolo, a miracle and the first Christian community on the Italian peninsula

St. Paul's imprisonment in Rome and his eventual martyrdom are known. But a few days before the apostle set foot in the capital of the Roman Empire, he landed on the shores of another city - and on a miraculous night he established the Christian community on the Italian peninsula.

Reggio Calabria, a city at the southern end of Italy, preserves the relic - and legend - of San Paolo and the column on fire.

In its final chapters, the Acts of the Apostles recount the excruciating journey of Saint Paul from Caesarea to Rome in 61 AD

After three months on the island of Malta following a shipwreck, San Paolo and those who travel with him again "sailed", first stopping for three days in Syracuse - a city in modern Sicily - "and from there we sailed around the it has come to Rhegium, ”says Acts 28:13.

The Scriptures do not describe what happened during the day of Saint Paul in the ancient city of Rhegium, now Reggio Calabria, before he sailed again for Puteoli and, finally, for Rome.

But the Catholic Church of Reggio Calabria has preserved and transmitted the story of what happened on the single day and night of the apostle in the ancient Greek city.

"St. Paul was a prisoner, so he was brought here on a ship, "retired Catholic profane architect Renato Laganà told CNA. "He arrived early in Reggio and at some point, people were curious about being there."

There is evidence that Rhegium, or Regiu, was inhabited by Etruscans, who worshiped the Greek gods. According to Laganà, nearby there was a temple for Artemis and people celebrated the feast of the goddess.

"St. Paul asked the Roman soldiers if he could speak to the people, "says Laganà. “So he started talking and at some point they interrupted him and said, 'I will tell you something, now that it is getting evening, let's put a torch on this column and I will preach until the torch runs out. ' "

The apostle continued to preach as more and more people gathered to listen to him. But when the torch went out, the flame continued. The marble column on which the torch stood, a fragment of a temple, continued to burn, allowing Saint Paul to preach on the Gospel of Jesus Christ until dawn.

“And this [story] has been passed on to us over the centuries. The most prestigious historians, scholars of Church history, have reported it as the 'Miracle of the Burning Column', "said Laganà.

The restaurant in Reggio is part of the commissions of the archdiocese for sacred art and of the Cathedral Basilica of Reggio Calabria, which now preserves the remaining relic of the "burning column", as it is called.

Laganà told CNA that he had fascinated the column since his childhood, when he attended a mass in the cathedral for the nineteenth centenary of the coming of St. Paul, celebrated in 1961.

When San Paolo left Reggio, he left Stefano di Nicea as the first bishop of the brand new Christian community. Saint Stephen of Nicea is believed to have been martyred during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Nero.

"With the persecution of the Romans at that time, it was not very easy to move the Church forward in Reggio," said Laganà. He explained that the foundation of an ancient temple became the first Christian church and Saint Stephen of Nicaea was buried there for the first time.

Later, however, the saint's remains were brought to a now unknown place outside the city to protect them from desecration, he said.

Over the centuries, several churches were built and destroyed, both by violence and earthquakes, and the miraculous column was transported from one place to another. Existing documents from the eighteenth century onwards trace the movements and construction of the various cathedrals of the city.

The section of the stone column has been in a chapel on the right side of the nave of the cathedral basilica since the church was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake that razed the city to the ground in 1908.

The marble relic was also damaged in one of the 24 allied air raids on Reggio Calabria in 1943. When the cathedral was hit by bombs, a fire started which left the column with visible black marks.

The city's archbishop, Enrico Montalbetti, was also killed in one of the raids.

Laganà said that the city's devotion to Sao Paulo has never waned. One of the traditional annual processions of Reggio Calabria, in which an image of the Madonna della Consolazione is carried around the city, always includes a moment of prayer in the place believed to have been preached by San Paolo.

The legend has also been the subject of numerous paintings and sculptures that can be found in the churches of the city.

These recurring images are a sign that "the miracle of the burning column is really part of the structure of the faith of Reggio Calabria," said Laganà.

"And of course San Paolo is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria," he added.

"So, it's an attention that remains ..." he continued. "Even if many people do not understand, it is our job to help them understand, explain, carry on this part of the tradition, which can help increase trust in our population."

He noted that "clearly Rome, with the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul, became the center of Christianity", but added that "Reggio, with the miracle of St. Paul, sought to draw only a little attention to the establishment [of Christianity] and continue what is at the heart of the message that St. Paul had. "