Vincenzo, Martyr of Craco
He is remembered in devotions by the people of Craco in the province of Matera, the Basilicata Region, Italy along with immigrants and their descendants from that town who settled in North America.
[1] After the Roman Emperor Aurelian died, Diocletian succeeded him and selected Massmiliano (Maximinianus in Latin and Maximilian in English) to rule over part of the empire.
In 286AD while Maximilian was on his way to Gaul (France) to quell a revolt of the Bagauds, a peasantry of Belgium, he stopped at the village of Otteduro (which today bears the name of Martigny, Valais, Switzerland) to rest his army.
We have arms in our hands, but we do not resist, because we would rather die innocent than live in shame.” Maximilian, amazed at this bold reply, again issued orders for every tenth man to be killed and yet even after this second slaughter the Legionnaires remained constant.
Stopping at various places during the course of its journey from Rome, the remains were carried all the way to Craco where it was received with great pomp and honor by the local clergy and townspeople.
The religious and civil festival of San Vincenzo was fixed for the fourth Sunday of October to coincide with the important annual fair which takes place after the harvest.
Although the Friary dedicated to St. Peter served as his home, the overwhelming majority of the population of Craco still calls it "the Convent of San Vincenzo."
Traditionally, the feast in Craco celebrating San Vincenzo began nine days before the fourth Sunday in October with the recitation of solemn afternoon novenas.
On one of those evenings, a small procession took place, with a statue representing the upright figure of the relic, starting from the Chapel and moving around the "Cross", then located at the entrance to the town.
On Friday evening, after the novena, the statue of the saint was brought into the Chiesa Madre [Church of San Nicola] located in the heart of the old town.
The feast in honor of San Vincenzo was always preceded on the Saturday before by a fair, a proud tradition carried out since the end of the 18th century until today.
In 1899 they formed a mutual aid society, the Società San Vincenzo Martire di Craco, in New York City.
The first celebration of the feast of San Vincenzo Martire in New York City's Little Italy was held on Saturday and Sunday October 24–25, 1901.
The Societa San Vincenzo Martire di Craco continued to maintain the traditional celebration of the feast on the fourth Sunday of October and was always preceded by a large banquet the evening before.
Individual devotees, all descendants of the Crachesi immigrants, continued sponsoring the religious celebration of a special Mass for San Vincenzo Martire at St. Joachim's Church.
St. Joseph's Church maintained the annual feast day celebration holding a special Mass on the fourth Sunday in October through 2014.
It resides there along with several historic Italian American statues of patron saints and the annual feast day continues to be celebrated there.
