“Willing to die a thousand times for Him…”
by Alfredo Mantovano, Catholic jurist, senator of the republic and fellow countryman of those martyrs
Antonio Primaldo is the only one from whom the name has been transmitted. His other companions in martyrdom are eight hundred unknown fishermen, artisans, shepherds, and farmers from a small town, whose blood, five centuries ago, was scattered only because they were Christians.
Eight hundred men, who suffered at the moment, five centuries ago, the treatment reserved in 2004 for the American Nick Berg, captured by Islamic terrorists in Iraq while doing his job as an antenna technician and killed with the cry of “ Allah is great! ”.
His executioner, after having cut off his jugular, passed the blade around his neck, until he ripped off his head, and showed it as a trophy. Exactly as the Ottoman executioner did in 1480 with each of Otranto’s eight hundred.
Monument to Catholic heroes next to the walls of Otranto
The mass execution has a prologue, on July 29, 1480. It is the first hours of the morning: from the walls of Otranto a fleet of 90 galleys, 15 mahonas and 48 galleys begins to be distinguished on the horizon, becoming increasingly visible, making a fleet of 90 galleys, 15 mahonas and 48 galleots, with 18 thousand soldiers on board.
The army is guided by the lower Agometh; who is under the command of Muhammad II, called Fatih, the Conqueror, that is, the sultan who in 1451, just at 21 years old, he had promoted to chief of the Ottoman tribe, which in turn had imposed himself on the mosaic of Islamic emirates a century and a half earlier.
In 1453, leading an army of 260,000 Turks, Muhammad II had conquered Byzantium, the “ second Rome ”, and from that moment cultivated the project of exuding the “ first Rome ”, true Rome, and to transform St. Peter’s Basilica into a stable for his horses.
In June 1480 he deemed the time to complete the work ripe: he removed the siege on Rodi, courageously defended by his knights, and directed the fleet towards the Adriatic Sea.
The intention is to make landfall in Brindisi, whose port is wide and comfortable: from Brindisi it plans to ascend through Italy until reaching the headquarters of the papacy.
But a strong contrary wind forces the ships to touch land 50 miles further south, and to disembark in a town called Roca, a few kilometers from Otranto.
Otranto was – and is – the easternmost city in Italy. The importance of its port had made it assume the role of bridge between east and west, consolidated culturally and politically by the presence of an important monastery of Basilian monks, that of Saint Nicola in Casole, of which today there are a couple of columns on the road that leads to Leuca.
Chapel of the relics of the 813 martyrs, in the church of Santa Caterina a Formiello, Otranto
In its splendid cathedral church, built between 1080 and 1088, in 1095 the blessing was given to twelve thousand crusaders who, under the command of Prince Boemondo I of Altavilla, they left to liberate and protect the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.
Returning from the Holy Land, precisely in Otranto, Saint Francis of Assisi touched port in 1219, received with great honors.
When the Ottomans disembarked, the city was able to count on a garrison of only 400 armed men, and for this the garrison captains rushed to ask the King of Naples for help, Ferrante de Aragón, sending him a letter.
Surrounded by the siege, the castle, within whose walls all the inhabitants of the neighborhood had taken refuge, the Agometh basin, through a messenger, he proposes that they surrender with advantageous conditions: if they do not resist, men and women will be released and will not receive any injury. The answer comes from one of the notables in the city, Ladislao De Marco: he makes it known that if the besiegers want Otranto they should take it with their weapons.
The ambassador is ordered not to return any more, and when the second messenger arrives with the same proposal that they surrender, he is pierced by the arrows.
To clear up all mistakes, the captains take the keys to the city gates and visibly throw them into the sea from a tower, in the presence of the people.
During the night, a large part of the garrison soldiers hangs from the city walls with ropes and escapes. To defend Otranto there are only its inhabitants.
The siege that follows is a hammering: Turkish bombers shoot down the city, hundreds of thick stones ( many are still visible today on the streets of the historic city center ).
After fifteen days, at dawn on August 12, the Ottomans concentrate fire on one of the weakest points on the walls, open a gap, break into the streets, They massacre whoever is shot, they arrive at the cathedral, in which many have taken refuge.
They break down the door and scatter into the temple, catch up with Archbishop Stefano, who was in pontifical attire and the crucifix in hand.
To be intimidated not to name Christ anymore, since from that moment Muhammad was in command, the archbishop responds by exhorting the assailants to conversion, and for this reason his head is cut off with a scimitar.
On August 13 Agometh asks for and obtains the list of captured inhabitants, except for women and boys under the age of 15.
Altar representing the martyrdom and the miracle, Santa Caterina to Formiello
This is what Saverio de Marco tells in the “Compendious history of the eight hundred martyrs of Otranto” published in 1905:
“ In the number of about eight hundred, a miserable priest, a native of Calabria, named Giovanni, apostate of faith, was presented to the pasha next to him. He used his satanic eloquence in order to persuade Christians who, abandoning Christ, burned Islamism, certain that Agometh’s good grace, who would have left them alive, with the support and all the goods they enjoyed in the homeland; otherwise they would all be killed. Among those heroes was one named Antonio Primaldo, tailor by profession, old but full of religion and fervor. He replied on behalf of everyone: “ We all want to believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God, and be willing to die a thousand times for Him’”.
Adds the first of the chroniclers, Giovanni Michele Laggetto, in the “ History of the Otranto War of 1480 ” transcribed from an ancient manuscript and published in 1924:
“ And turning to the Christians Primaldo said these words: ‘ My brothers, until today we have fought in defense of our homeland and to save life and for our earthly rulers; now is the time for us to fight to save our souls for the Lord, who having died for us on the cross, it is convenient for us to die for Him, by remaining safe and constant in faith, and with this earthly death we will gain eternal life and the glory of martyrdom ’. At these words they all began to shout with one voice with great fervor that they wanted a thousand times to die with any type of death rather than deny Christ ”.
Agometh decrees the death sentence of all eight hundred prisoners. The next morning these are driven with ropes around their necks and with their hands tied behind their backs, to the Minerva hill, a few hundred meters outside the city. Keep writing From Marco:
“ They all repeated the profession of faith and the generous response given before; therefore the tyrant ordered that the beheading be carried out and, before the others, the head was cut off to the old Primaldo, who found it very hateful, because he did not stop acting as an apostle among his own, even more, before bending his head on the rock, he affirmed to his companions that he saw heaven open and angels cheering; that they remain strong in the faith and that they look at the sky already open to receive them. He bent his forehead, his head was cut off, but his body stood up: and despite the efforts of the assassins, he remained standing still, until all were beheaded. The obviously loud prodigy would have been a lesson for the salvation of those infidels,if they had not been rebellious to the light that illuminates every man who lives in the world. A single executioner, named Berlabei, courageously believed in the miracle and, declaring himself a loud Christian voice, was sentenced to the penalty of the stick ”.
During the process for the beatification of the eight hundred, in 1539, four eyewitnesses reported the prodigy of Antonio Primaldo, who remained standing after the beheading, and the conversion and martyrdom of the executioner. This is stated by one of the four, Francesco Cerra, who in 1539 was 72 years old:
“ Antonio Primaldo was the first killed and without a head he stood firm, nor could all the efforts of the enemy bring him down, until all were killed. The executioner, astonished by the miracle, confessed that the Catholic faith was the true one, and insisted on becoming a Christian, and this was the reason why by order of the pasha he was sentenced to death by palo ”.