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S'Ardia de Santu Costantine (The Guard of Saint Constantine)
S'Ardia de Santu Costantine or de Santu Costantinu, often abbreviated in Santu Antine or Santu Antinu, is a traditional equestrial manifestation held every 6-7 July in the village of Sèdilo in central Sardinia. To the eyes of a stranger the Ardia may look like an horse race, but it's not a race at all, it's a religious vow made by the partecipants who asked a grace from Saint Constantine, in exchange they vowed to run the Ardia in honor of Saint Constantine. The Ardia it's a stylized representation of the battle of Ponte Milvius, where Constantine defeated his enemy Maxentius. The riders run at fool speed around Saint Constantine church, three times clockwise, three times counterclockwise, in a ritual similar to that of the Byzantine army (when an Emperor died his coffin was exposed in the public square, and the imperial army gave him the last goodbye walking three times clockwise, three times counterclockwise around the coffin).
In the Ardia there are three groups of riders, the first composed by Saint Constantine and his two lieutenants named Prima Bandela or Pandela (First Banner), Segunda Bandela (Second Banner), Terza Bandela (Third Banner); the second group of riders is composed by "Sas iscortas" (The Escorts) which have the task to protect the Emperor and his lieutenants from the assault of the third group named "Sos àteros" (the others), who represent the riders of the enemy Maxentius.
Facts :
- The cult of Saint Constantine is typical of the Orthodox Church, Constantine itself is not considered Saint by Catholic Church, instead is venerated in Sardinia because Sardinian church was Orthodox until the end of XIIth century, and many Byzantine traditions and Saints are still present and venerated in actual Sardinian church.
- The culf of Saint Constantine is documented in central Sardinia since VIth century A.D. ; in that area there were the main Roman-Byzantine military strongholds on the island, the cult may have been brought there by Byzantine soldiers.
- Only people from the village of Sèdilo can partecipate to the Ardia; to partecipate you have to sign in a log kept by the village priest; and since the list is very very long you could also wait for your turn even 30 years.
- Every year about 10-15.000 people from every corner of Sardinia go to Sèdilo for the Ardia
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