San Marino

In this tiny republic nestled between Emilia Romagna and the Marche regions of Italy off the Adriatic Coast, the religious situation is not very different from that of the Italian society that surrounds it, with 95% of the population belonging to the Catholic Church. Yet myth and history have created a distinctive situation characterized by a close connection between faith and freedom, and religion and politics, which is not, however, immune to the growing pluralism and secularization of society.

San Marino is the oldest and second smallest republic in the world, with a territory of 60 square kilometers and a population of 24,000. Legend has it that it was founded around 300 on Mount Titano by Marinus, a stonecutter from Dalmatia and a group of early ...