Feast of Sant'Antonio Primaldo and the Eight Hundred Martyrs of Otranto

Martyrs of Otranto, orate pro nobis

August 14th is the Feast of Sant'Antonio Primaldo and the Eight Hundred Martyrs of Otranto. In 1480 the Ottoman Turks invaded the Kingdom of Naples, laying siege to the city of Otranto in Apulia. Taken by force, the townspeople were raped and slaughtered. Eight hundred survivors were marched up a nearby hill and offered a chance to live if they renounced their faith and convert to Islam. To a man, the captives refused. Stepping forward, a tailor named Antonio Primaldo proclaimed: 

"Now it is time for us to fight to save our souls for the Lord. And since he died on the cross for us, it is fitting that we should die for him." 

Beheaded on the spot, Primaldo's body did not fall until the last captive was slain. They were canonized in St. Peter's Square, Rome on May 12, 2013.

In celebration, I’m posting a prayer in Italian to the Martyrs of Otranto. The photo of the reliquary with bone fragments of the Eight Hundred Martyrs of Otranto was taken at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (259 Oliver St.) in Newark, New Jersey. Evviva Santi Antonio Primaldo e compagni!

Prayer to the Martyrs of Otranto

Preghiera O Dio, fortezza dei tuoi fedeli, che hai suscitato nel popolo idruntino i santi martiri Antonio Primaldo e compagni e li hai resi gloriosi testimoni del tuo nome, concedi a noi, sostenuti dal loro esempio e dalla loro intercessione, la forza di superare ogni avversità per amore di colui che ha dato la sua vita per noi. Il tuo Figlio e nostro Signore. Amen