San Marino 2023 2€ UNC

Saint Marinus or Saint Marino was an ancient Roman Christian of the 4th century. He came from a family of converts who lived on an island off the Dalmatian coast and worked as a stonemason. It is said that he heard that Ariminum (present-day Rimini), in Italy, was undergoing an intense process of reconstruction and traveled there with his colleague Leo. Upon arriving, he learned that several Christians from wealthy families had been sentenced to compulsory labor for refusing to sacrifice to the gods, and he did what he could to comfort them. Three years later, his friend retired and went to Montefiascone, while Marino was ordained a deacon by Bishop Gaudentius of Ariminum in recognition of his achievements. When he was already old, he retired to a hermitage in the center of a forest located approximately 16 kilometers from Ariminum, where he would die. On this site, a city was built and named after him. According to legend, it would be the original nucleus of the present Republic of San Marino. His relics are housed in his main church.