On 4 October, Petronius, patron saint of Bologna, and Francis, patron saint of Italy, will be celebrated together. Many centuries lie between the two, from the fifth century—when Petronius was a prominent bishop in the city, faced with the decline of the Roman Empire — to the early thirteenth century, when Francis lived and worked. So, is a dialogue impossible? Yes and no: Petronius was rediscovered shortly before Francis' birth, and the Vita sancti Petronii (we have more than one, written between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries) brings the two saints closer together, and not only chronologically. They are historical figures and myths, great protagonists of real events, but also figures who have been perpetually rethought, reinterpreted and “adjusted" according to the needs that from time to time have led people to return to them.
In collaboration with Il Mulino.
