Devotion to the Martyrs Saints Fidentius and Terentius is a cornerstone of the cultural identity and faith of the community of Bassano in Teverina. On Saturday, 27 September 2025, the people of Bassano took part with heartfelt participation in a moment of great spiritual and civic importance on the occasion of the patronal feast. At the joint invitation of the Diocese of Civita Castellana and the Municipality of Bassano in Teverina, representatives from the Tuscia and Sabina Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, led by City Councilor Dr. Alessio Marzo, Knight of Merit, participated in the celebrations.

In the Church of Saints Fidentius and Terentius, the 10:30 a.m. Mass was presided over by the Most Reverend Marco Salvi, Bishop of Civita Castellana, and at 5:00 p.m. the solemn Mass was presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, who afterwards, at 6:00 p.m., also led the solemn procession with the statues of the patron saints. On the occasion of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025, “the Jubilee of Hope that does not disappoint,” the procession followed an extraordinary route.

At the conclusion of the morning Mass, Bishop Marco Salvi thanked the Tuscia and Sabina Delegation for its intense charitable activity carried out in the area of Orte. At the conclusion of the evening Mass, Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio graciously received the homage of the Constantinian Knights.

In his homily, Cardinal Coccopalmerio recalled the example of faith and witness of the patron saints, inviting the community to live each day with hope and solidarity:

“Fidentius and Terentius teach us not to be afraid to bear witness to the Gospel and to guard the faith as a precious gift.”

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Celebration, the traditional procession took place, accompanied by hymns and prayers, with the participation of civil and religious authorities of the territory and of citizens led by the Mayor, Dr. Alessandro Romoli, renewing a tradition that unites faith and community spirit. On the occasion of the Jubilee of Hope that does not disappoint, the Parish and the Confraternity of Saints Terentius and Fidentius, the Municipal Administration, the Festival Committee, and the Bassano in Teverina Musical Band “A. Bianchi” proposed an extraordinary sign of faith: an extended procession, longer than usual, through the streets of the town with the effigies of the martyred patron saints Fidentius and Terentius, together with the Holy Relics.

Starting from the parish church, the procession — in which, besides representatives of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the principal authorities of Tuscia also took part — wound its way through the entire historic center of the town: along Via Cesare Battisti to the Ortana road, continuing through Via San Giovanni and Via dei Santi Fidenzio e Terenzio up to the church at the cemetery, the legendary place where the saints escaped martyrdom. After a moment of prayer, the procession resumed along Via dei Santi Fidenzio e Terenzio, reaching Piazza della Libertà and the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

The municipal administration invited all residents of Bassano to take part in this important event, a sign of identity and community for the entire population, and encouraged them to display banners and flags along the procession route in a festive spirit. The feast concluded in an atmosphere of joy and devotion, with moments of fraternity and thanksgiving by the whole community.

Bassano in Teverina

Bassano in Teverina is a small municipality in Lazio, in the Province of Viterbo, on the border with Umbria, with about 1,100 inhabitants. It is located 22 km from Viterbo and 9 km from Orte, with an ancient history dating back to the Etruscan era, as shown by remains such as sections of squared-stone fortifications and a necropolis of chamber tombs at Poggio Zucco. Situated at 304 meters above sea level, overlooking the Tiber Valley, the village extends near the foothills of the Cimini Mountains.

Downstream from the historic center, not far from the Tiber, lies Lake Vadimone, described by Pliny the Younger as “a wheel laid to rest, with a perfectly circular shape… in color paler, greener, and deeper than the sea.” Today it is almost completely filled in but still fed by sulfurous springs. On its shores, the Etruscans performed rituals and festivals, while the Romans dipped their weapons in its waters to render them invincible. Romanization of this part of Etruria brought a reorganization of the road system: the territory was crossed by the Via Amerina, one of the few consular roads that remained in use until the Middle Ages. Another very important road crossing the territory under the old town was the “boat road” or “coastal road.” From its famous belvedere, one can admire a splendid panorama over the Tiber Valley and nearby Umbria. Strolling through the historic center, recognized by the Association of “The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy” as one of the most beautiful towns in the country, one encounters churches from various periods, testimony to its ancient times and history.

Church of Saints Fidentius and Terentius

There is little information about a church in Bassano in Teverina dedicated to the city’s two patron saints, Fidentius and Terentius, first mentioned in 1677 along with that of St. Roch, which was destroyed in the 19th century.

The church, with a gabled façade raised on five wide steps, has a plain and unadorned interior. Originally divided into three wide naves by four broad arches, it now appears as a single nave with apse and pitched truss ceiling. On the right wall is a detached fresco transferred to canvas (176 x 129 cm), perhaps from the ruined church of St. Roch. It dates to the 16th century and is attributed to an Umbrian-Latium master, unfortunately in very poor condition.

The apse is completely frescoed, dominated by the figure of the Virgin and Child between the patron saints, seated on what appears to be a wooden Renaissance-style throne. Two angelic figures can be seen above the throne, but retouched, in a style contrasting with the more plastic Raphael-like figure of the Virgin. The saints are depicted in Roman soldier armor: Fidentius with the palm of martyrdom, Terentius with a banner bearing a red cross on a white field and a horse behind him. Above is the image of God the Father in glory among cherubim and Saints Charles Borromeo and Blaise.

On the keystone of the presbytery arch is a plaque with the inscription: “Confraternity of Saints Fidentius and Terentius — Restoration interventions 1793,” the date to which all the ornamental motifs of the apse probably belong.

Saints Fidentius and Terentius of Todi, Martyrs

There are two versions of the Passio of Fidentius and Terentius, according to which they came to Rome from Chalcedon in Syria, desiring martyrdom, during the reign of Diocletian and Maximian. Arrested and subjected to torture and the ordeal of fire, they emerged unharmed. As they were being led out of Rome to be beheaded in an unknown place, some bears devoured the soldiers, and an angel hid them in a crypt, from where they were later guided to Umbria. Captured again near Todi, in the city of Martana, they were beheaded on September 27. A church was built over their tomb, which still stands near Massa Martana.

This Passio is no more than a legend written around the 9th century, modeled on that of the Twelve Syrian Brothers and of Saints Maurus and Felix.

Lanzoni points out that Terentius of Todi may be the same saint as the Terentius of Luni and Pesaro. Delehaye, after noting that no information exists about these saints other than the legendary Passio, observes that on September 1 in Todi, Terentianus is commemorated, suggesting that the Terentius of September 27 may be no more than a duplication of the bishop of Todi.

The relics of the two saints were said to have been taken by Theodoric of Metz in 970, as reported by Sigebert of Gembloux in his Life.

Fidentius and Terentius are commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on September 27.

Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio

His Eminence Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, was born on 6 March 1938 in San Giuliano Milanese, in the Archdiocese of Milan, where he was baptized on 14 March. His mother, Giuseppina Ceppi, was from Sernio in Valtellina; his father, Alberto, was from Scontrone in Abruzzo.

After earning his classical high school diploma in 1957 at the State Liceo in Busto Arsizio (Varese), he entered the Milan Archiepiscopal Seminary at Venegono Inferiore, where he studied from 1957 to 1962. There he attended the first two years of the Faculty of Theology, earning a bachelor’s degree. Completing his seminary and academic formation, he was ordained a priest on 29 June 1962 by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Pope Saint Paul VI.

After a year of teaching at the minor seminary in Masnago (Varese), on 26 June 1963 he earned a licentiate in theology. Sent to Rome to specialize in canon law, he studied at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Gregorian University, and in 1968, under Jesuit Wilhelm Bertrams, earned a doctorate with a dissertation entitled “The Participation of Non-Catholics in the Worship of the Catholic Church in the Practice and Doctrine of the Holy See from the Beginning of the 17th Century to the Present Day.” At the same time, he enrolled at the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy, obtaining in 1970 a diploma in moral theology. He later studied law at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, where in 1976 he graduated under Prof. Orio Giacchi.

The most significant offices he held in the Ambrosian diocese were as assistant to the General Legal Office of the Archdiocesan Curia from 1966, and, beginning in 1980, as General Attorney. In 1985 he became Pro-Vicar General of the Archdiocese.

Eight years later, on 8 April 1993, he was appointed by Pope Saint John Paul II as Titular Bishop of Celiana di Numidia and Auxiliary Bishop of Milan. On 22 May, he received episcopal ordination in the Basilica of Saint Ambrose from the Metropolitan Archbishop, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. As Auxiliary Bishop he was mainly responsible for culture, ecumenism, and legal matters, making his expertise available also to the Lombard ecclesiastical region.

In the Italian Episcopal Conference he was a member of the Council for Legal Affairs from 1993 and later its President from 1999.

On 15 February 2007, he was called to Rome by Pope Benedict XVI as President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. Under his presidency, the 25th anniversary of the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law (1983–2008) and the 20th anniversary of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990–2010) were celebrated. He was also a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Since 2008 he has been Central Consultant of the Union of Italian Catholic Jurists.

He taught Canon Law at the Faculty of Theology of Northern Italy, both at the Venegono seminary and at the central Milan campus, starting in 1966. From 1981 he was Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was co-founder, with Jesuit Jean Beyer, of the journal Quaderni di Diritto Ecclesiale and is the author of numerous scholarly publications, especially on the identity of ecclesial law, the second book of the Code (particularly communion with the Church and the parish), communicatio in sacris, and penal law.

He is a Conventual Chaplain of Honor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and in 2010 received the international Empedocles Prize for law, economics, and ethics.

He was created and published as Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in the Consistory of 18 February 2012, of the Title of Saint Joseph of the Carpenters, with the deaconry elevated pro hac vice to a presbyteral title (4 March 2022).

He participated in the Conclave of March 2013 that elected Pope Francis.