At the time of Saint Leo
A plunge into the Middle Ages in the footsteps of Saint Leo
Congress-Conference
Regione Calabria
On Saturday 15 February 2025, the Church of San Leone Vescovo di Saracena (CS) will host an important cultural event dedicated to the figure of the patron saint of the Pollino town and the historical context in which he lived.
The conference, entitled ‘At the time of Saint Leo. Church, society, monasticism and Arab incursions between Sicily and Calabria in the early Middle Ages', will offer an in-depth look at the historical, religious and social reality of the time, through the interventions of scholars and experts.
After the opening greetings of Father Stefano Mendez, parish priest of the parishes of San Leone Vescovo and Santa Maria del Gamio, there will follow reports by:
- Gianfranco Castiglia, PhD student and lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Calabria
- Giovanni Russo, historian and translator, author of the essay La solitudine rocciosa on Italo-Greek monasticism
- Antonio Loiacono, author of the essay Storia degli arabi in Calabria (History of the Arabs in Calabria), former PhD student at the University of Messina and member of the Italian Society for the History of Religions.
Introducing and coordinating the proceedings will be journalist and essayist Luigi Pandolfi.
The conference represents the concluding stage of the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the dedication of the Church to Saint Leo, culminating with the audience granted by Pope Francis in the Vatican last 30 October, a moment of great significance for the community.
The population of Saracena, deeply attached to the figure of its patron saint, celebrates him every year with two traditional festivities: 20 February, with the evocative torchlight procession and bonfires on the eve, and the second Sunday in August. An opportunity to strengthen the link with its historical and spiritual identity through an event of great cultural value.
