Vita Sanctorum Marini et Leonis

The Vita Sanctorum Marini et Leonis is the oldest surviving written record of the lives and works of the two saints Marinus of Rimini (c. 276 – c. 366) and Leo of Montefeltro (d. 366). At the same time, this hagiographic work can be read as the founding legend of the Republic of San Marino. It is said that the two fled to Mount Titano during the Persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian in the 4th century. There, Leo built the monastery and church of Montefeltro, while Marinus initially lived as a hermit and later preached Christian teachings. He converted and baptized the local Felicissima, who subsequently convinced her brother to transfer the land at the top of the mountain to Marinus – the foundation of the later Republic of San Marino, whose values were closely linked to the liberal values of the two saints from the very beginning. The important manuscript from the monastery of San Colombano di Bobbio is an invaluable source of this history, which has survived its own turbulent history to this day only through several fortunate occurrences.