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Extraterritorial Archdiocese of Saint Aventine Dioecesis Extraterritorium Sancti Aventini Diocesi Extraterritoriale di San Aventino | |
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 Flag
 Coat of Arms
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Motto:
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| Anthem: Noi vogliam Dio, Vergine Maria We will love God, Virgin Mary  | |
| Location of Sanctus Aventinus (dark green) - in the Ecclesiastical State (dark red) – in Belisaria (dark grey) – in the Belisarian Community (light green) Location of Sanctus Aventinus (dark green) - in the Ecclesiastical State (dark red) – in Belisaria (dark grey) – in the Belisarian Community (light green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Sancti Aventini super Neptuno |
| Official languages | Latin Common Fabrian |
| Religion | Fabrian Catholicism |
| Ethnic groups (2015) | |
| Demonym(s) | Aventine Aventinian |
| Government | Autonomous Diocese-Administrtion |
| Julius IV | |
| Mauro Vasari | |
| Alessandro Abate | |
| Legislature | Consistory of the Island |
| Extraterritorial division of the Ecclesiastical State | |
• Arrival of Maximilian Superbus | 11 November 1668 |
• Burning of Queen Teresa I | January 10 1879 |
• Ecclesiastical Plebliscite | March 19 1879 |
• Acesion to the Ecclesiastical State | January 1 1880 |
| Area | |
• Total | 304 km2 (117 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0.001% |
| Population | |
• 2017 estimate | 375,400 |
• 2010 census | 350,388 |
• Density | 1,234.86/km2 (3,198.3/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | $11.45 billion |
• Per capita | $30,511 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $11.13 billion |
• Per capita | $29,671 |
| Gini | 27.8 low |
| HDI (2014) |  0.856very high |
| Currency | Fabrian florin (₣) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +772 |
| ISO 3166 code | FAB |
| Internet TLD | .sv |
Saint Aventine (Latin: Sancti Aventini; Common Fabrian: San Aventino), officially known as the Extraterritorial Archdiocese of Saint Aventine (Latin: Dioecesis Extraterritorium Sancti Aventini; Common Fabrian: Diocesi Extraterritoriale di San Aventino), is an overseas territory of the Ecclesiastical State, and an island located off the coast of north Scipia. It has a population of 375,000 and its largest city and capital is Sancti Aventini super Neptuno.
Saint Aventine's location off Northern Scipia has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, and a succession of powers, including the Aradians, Latins, Sydalenes, Templar-Companions and the Holy See have ruled the islands.
In November 1867, the Poor Companion-Soldiers of the Christ Saviour and the Apostolic Temple seceded direct control over the islands to a cadet-branch of the ruling xx family in Latium. Saint Aventine transitioned into the Kingdom of Ostra, and was ruled under King Amadeus I until 1879, following the Burning of Queen Teresa I. His wife was burned for witchcraft by the island's Church authorities and without an heir, the King succumbed to illness. The Templar-Companions filled the power-vacuum and issued a plebiscite on the islands becoming directly annexed by the Ecclesiastical State, this passed in 1879 and on January 1 1880, Ostra was annexed by the Church and renamed to Saint Aventine. In respect of the island's deep history with Fabrian Catholicism, the island saw dramatic development and renovation, culminating in 1890 with the declaration by Pope John Paul III of the island being "Sanctum de Fidei" (Sanctum of Faith).
Saint Aventine has a long Christian legacy and its Archdiocese of Saint Aventine is claimed to be an apostolic see because, according to Acts of the Apostles, St Paul was shipwrecked on "Ostura", now widely taken to be Saint Aventine, from the historical name of Ostra. Saint Aventine also contains the tomb of Saint Andrew and the tomb of its namesake. Catholicism is the official religion in Saint Aventine. Its status as a Sanctum de Fidei proscribes official recognition of minority faiths, though they are guaranteed the right to worship freely by the Ecclesiastical State.
Saint Aventine is a popular tourist destination with its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments and religious sites including the, Tomb of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Tomb of Saint Aventine and Basilica of Saint Aventine above Neptune.
Etymology
History
Pre-historic
Classical
Middle ages
Crusader state
Early modern
Sale to Maximilian Superbus
Kingdom of Ostra
Decline and Fall
In 1867, Prince Eugenius I succeeded his father as King, his wife Duchess Teresa of House Gentilis-Amelia was widely maligned by the Royal Court and the Templar-Companions for her reputation for adultery and loose morals. While King Eugenius was popular for his youth, energy and involvement with all classes of society, his rule was undermined by constant rumours of his wife’s infidelity and lavish lifestyle.
In 1868, King Eugenius introduced telegraphic communication to Ostra. Building a network of telegraph poles across the island through his own finances, this was followed by improved roads into the rural interior and the first textile mill being opened in Castra Leonis (now known as Sancti Aventini super Neptunus). The King however saw his relationship with the Templar-Companions slowly freeze as he opened the island to greater trade with Scipia, resulting in the arrival of Jewish, Pagan and several Muslim merchants.
By 1870, questions began to rise over the fertility of the King and Queen-Consort as rumours circulated that despite much effort, the Queen would not become pregnant. Rumours of this soon reached the lower-classes, who soon began to mock the Queen-Consort through graffiti and in social places such as taverns.
In 1871, Queen Teresa suffered a miscarriage during Easter celebrations before vast crowds, though she fully recovered within a few months, the consequences of the event were profound. Numerous landed aristocrats began to plot ways of succeeding King Eugenius in the event of him passing without a legal heir. In most cases these nobles conspired against each other, seeking out powerbases within the monarchical regime. King Eugenius failed to halt the conspiracies emerging around his succession, opting to focus on tax reform and improving port facilities to expand trade with Scipia. In 1872, the King authorised the construction of the island’s first Synagogue, the Templar-Companions opposed the construction and attempted to obstruct the construction project by claiming the land was their property. He overruled the Templar-Companions through a decree and the Synagogue was constructed within a month. His decision resulted in a concerted effort by the Templar-Companions to deter further non-Christian places of worship being built. In 1873, they prohibited non-Christian places of worship being built within 500 meters of Churches, Shrines, Grottoes, Tombs or Basilicas across all the islands, as was their right under the Pope Urban VIII-Superbus Agreement. Despite a prosperous economy, the monarchy was facing growing unrest over repeated rumours of the Queen’s behaviour. In 1874, a Jewish merchant was arrested after he publicly revealed he had sexual relations with the Queen throughout 1873, after they met at a Ball. This was followed by several other reports that she had similar relations with numerous foreign merchants throughout the first year of her husband’s reign.
Public opinion toward the Queen soured dramatically in 1876 after she publicly humiliated Archbishop Vittore Augusto Terraciano during Christmas Mass at the Royal Palace, the incident was widely reported by Templar-Companions to the lower-classes who accused the Queen of “being utter disrespectful toward a Prince of the Church and God’s greatest servant in the Kingdom.”
In January 1877, Queen Teresa again suffered a miscarriage, like the previous, it exacerbated tensions between members of the Royal Court, while the Templar-Companions claimed the Queen was “barren for her sinful activities with men of heretical inclinations.” 1877 rapidly saw the emergence of violence between court-members who struggled for power bases, while the Templar-Companions stepped up their campaign against the Queen.
Unable to halt the violence among his aristocrats, the King instead took to oppose the Order. In April 1877, he introduced a taxation on “Monastic Business Ventures”, effectively levying the Orders’ various businesses across Ostra. The Templar-Companions responded by barring the import of foreign wines and fabrics through their control of the Castra Leonis port. Throughout the Summer of 1877, the island saw extensive violence and destruction as the power-struggles between the aristocrats broke out into all-out war. Armed thugs would attack estates, farms and mines, causing extensive damage. Unable or unwilling to intervene, King Eugenius only spoke out meekly in opposition. The violence greatly disrupted the Kingdom’s economy, by 1878, the island had failed to export a single good.
Burning of Queen Teresa I
In November this crisis was deepened significantly after a Franciscan monk confronted the Queen outside a tailor, after exchanging words, one her guards stabbed the monk repeatedly. Eyewitnesses reported the Queen promptly spat at the monk’s body before departing. Pope John Paul III condemned the incident in a letter to King Eugenius, claiming that he “must do all within his spiritual and loving spirit to restrain his wife from further behaviour of questionable intent.” The Templar-Companions and the Franciscan Order proclaimed the monk a martyr and openly called for her removal from Saint Aventine.
In 1878, four men were arrested for claiming to have had relations with the Queen, while several servant-girls were brought before the Templar-Companions to reveal that she had relations with a resident merchant from Tarsas. The Order reportedly began efforts to arrest her for “gross acts in contravention of the Catechism”, until it was revealed the Queen was pregnant.
While much of the country celebrated, the Templar-Companions questioned the news, specifically whether the child was the King’s. According to records kept by the Templar-Companions, the King approached the Master-General of the Order in Ostra and confessed that he was impotent, and he was aware of his wife’s infidelity but worked to keep her image as a perfect lady strong due to love. However, historians debate whether it was the Order that released information of the King’s condition or an upstart court member.
The Order issued a request for the Queen to be examined by a physician, which received backing from the Papacy. The Physician revealed she was three months pregnant, which coincided with her relations with four arrested merchants from Yisrael. The Order deemed the child a bastard and of half-Jewish parentage. She was detained after her examination.
The Templar-Companions charged her with adultery and heresy (which until 1889 included having relations with non-Christians). The Jewish merchant, Benyamin Egan was promptly detained after she identified him by accident in a confiscated letter. She was also accused directly for the murder of the Franciscan Monk as a secondary charge. On January 5, she was also accused of witchcraft after a Scipian woman was detained conducting folkish medicine, she claimed she aided the Queen in becoming pregnant as a gift to her husband. Servants and maids were presented as witnesses collaborating the Scipian woman’s claim.
On January 8, Queen Teresa was found guilty of adultery, heresy, murder and witchcraft. She was sentenced to death by burning. Requests by her aristocratic allies and friends for the Pope to intervene were ignored. The King failed to intervene and became reclusive during this period onward until his death in 1880.
On January 10, Queen Teresa was burned at the stake in the Palazzo della Madonna before a crowd of 3,000 people. When offered publicly the opportunity to confess and repent, she cursed at the priest and spat. Following her execution, her possessions were carried from the Palace by Templar-Companions and burnt in a Bonfire of the Vanities at the Quadratum divini Redemptoris. Within a week of her executed, Pope John Paul III issued an order barring all Monastic Orders from using death by burning as a punishment.
Papal Plebiscite
Following the Queen’s execution, the Kingdom fell into anarchy. With the King confined to his room and unwilling to leave, the court-nobles escalated the violence against one another. In response to the chaos, the Templar-Companions armed with their members and seized control of Castra Leonis, with the Master-General proclaiming himself “Protector of the People.”
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The Order requested the Papacy authorise the use of force to restore order and stability to the island, receiving the Pope’s permission on 19 January. Mobilising the Soldier-Companions and members of the peasantry, the Order deployed armed mobs across the island, arresting court nobles and often, killing them in stand-offs and confrontations. By February 1, over 200 people had been killed in the violence among the various factions, but with the Order in complete control of the island for the first time since 1663. Controversially, the Order began seizing estates and businesses off court-nobles without living or legal heirs, historians at the time claimed that the Order removed heirs from the island or killed them, while keeping the nobles alive until the lands were confiscated.
In late March, King Eugenius fell ill and rapidly declined in health before passing away on April 11 1879. Pope John Paul III, who wrote to him regularly during the King’s reclusion, expressed sadness in a homily to Cardinals, saying, “it was his wife’s heretical and sinful persuasions that brought such sadness and depression upon good King Eugenius, that he left this world for the Kingdom of God through a broken heart.”
The King’s death led to a profound constitutional crisis for Ostra, without a legal heir and the royal court subjugated by the Templar-Companions, there was no viable successor to the throne. Despite the King having a sister, at that time residing in Castellum, Princess Octavia was not viable owing to the Salic-Primogeniture system.
Crisis was seemingly prevented with the reading of the King’s last-will and testament. It read that in the event of his death with no spouse or heir, he would bequeath his Kingdom, titles and lands to the Fabrian Catholic Church. The King’s personal secretary confirm the will as legitimate, and the Papacy accepted the will.
However, Pope John Paul III unwilling to cause a crisis of legitimacy within Ostra requested that a plebiscite be held. The Ostran people would be required to decide whether they agreed to King Eugenius’ wishes or opposed them, which would result in Ostra remaining independent.
On March 19, the vote was held with universal suffrage. To combat illiteracy, the two options were marked by symbols, with the yes being a Christian cross. Of the 111,301 people who voted, 93,583 supported the yes option.
On May 10 1879, Ostra was annexed by the Ecclesiastical State. It was renamed to Sanctus Aventinus in honour of the islands’ patron saint, while the Templar-Companions were granted political and spiritual control of the island.
Modern
Geography
Saint Aventine is an archipelago in the central southern Periclean (in its western basin), some X km (50 mi) north of Yisrael. Only the largest islands – Sancti Aventini (Saint Aventine) is inhabited. The smaller islands (see below) are uninhabited. The islands of the archipelago lie on the Aventine plateau, a shallow shelf formed from the high points of a sunken basin that was lost during rising waters of the last ice age.
Numerous bays along the indented coastline of the islands provide good harbours. The landscape consists of low hills with terraced fields. The highest point in Malta is Mons Benedictus, at 253 m (830 ft), near Concordia Sagittaria. Although there are some small rivers at times of high rainfall, there are no permanent rivers or lakes on Saint Aventine. However, some watercourses have fresh water running all year round at Castra Legionis near San Gennaro Minore, and at San Lucca Superiore, and at Vespis Valley in Lavanum.
The northern coastline of the island is defined by steep cliffs and winding mountains from the sea, these have since become popular tourist destinations.
Phytogeographically, Saint Aventine belongs to the Scipio-Fabrenian province of the Periclean Region within the Boreal Kingdom. Accordingly, the territory of Saint Aventine belongs to the ecoregion of "Periclean Forests, Woodlands and Scrub".
Climate
Government and politics
Saint Aventine is a constitutional theocracy whose system and public administration are closely modelled on the Ecclesiastical system. Officially, the Pope of the Fabrian Catholic Church is the head of state, under the title of Supreme Sovereign. However, all power is vested in the office of Cardinal-Protector and the Council of the Island, unlike the Ecclesiastical State, further power is vested in the democratically elected Council of the Island, compared to the Consilium Civilis on the mainland.
The Cardinal-Protector is the nominal head-of-government and is held by the incumbent Archbishop of Saint Aventine, who is appointed by the Pope upon the predecessors death and is held for life. The Cardinal-Protector is aided in government by the General Consistory of State, which includes other senior clerics from the islands and laypersons appointed by the Cardinal-Protector. The General Consistory of State exists as the equivalent of a cabinet or council of ministers.
The Council of the Island consists of 65 members, all elected from the 65 Diocese of Saint Aventine. The chamber though de-jure an advisory body, does hold significant powers compared to the system used in the Ecclesiastical State, though it is non-partisan like metropolitan Fabria. The Council of the Island is charged with overseeing the budget, with the authority to do so, granted by the Cardinal-Protector annually, it oversees the running of infrastructure, tourism and the economy, being granted the power to propose legislation that require the consent of the Cardinal-Protector to enter law. Foreign policy, policing, criminal and civil justice is controlled by the Ecclesiastical State.
Another prominent but mostly ceremonial position is that of the Prefect of the Shrines, which is held by the islands' Grand Master of the Order Commandery of the Poor Companion-Soldiers of the Christ Saviour and the Apostolic Temple. The position holds some political power, primarily over security of the island, in 2017 Ecclesiastical State granted command of the islands' police to the Prefect of the Shrines, ending over a century of metropolitan control. The Prefect of the Shrines as a result became commander of the Islands' Sanfidesti and the islands' prison system.
Economy
Saint Aventine is classified as an advanced economy together with Metropolitan Fabria according to the Belisarian Community. Until 1890 Saint Aventine depended on cotton, tobacco and its shipyards for exports. Once under Church control, they came to depend on Sanctus Andrea Dockyard for support of the Ecclesiastical and Latin Navies. The military base benefited craftsmen and all those who served the military. This later evolved into mining and religious pilgrimages.
Currently, Saint Aventine's major resources are limestone, a favourable geographic location and a productive labour force. Saint Aventine produces only about 35 per cent of its food needs, has limited freshwater supplies because of the drought in the summer and has no domestic energy sources, aside from the potential for solar energy from its plentiful sunlight. The economy is dependent on foreign trade (serving as a freight trans-shipment point), manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles) and tourism. In 2011, the Metropolitan government announced plans to construct a solar-farm and off-shore wind farm to reduce the islands' dependence upon coal and gas imported from Fabria. In 2016, the Aura Caelesti Wind-Farm was completed, providing energy for over 20,000 homes.
Saint Aventine has a financial regulator, the Saint Aventine Moral and Pious Financial Services Authority (SAMPFSA) - which operates as a subsidiary of the Fabrian Moral and Pious Financial Standards Authority (FMPFSA), with a strong business development mindset, and the island has been successful in attracting gaming businesses, aircraft and ship registration, credit-card issuing banking licences and also fund administration. Service providers to these industries, including fiduciary and trustee business, are a core part of the growth strategy of the island. Saint Aventine has made strong headway in implementing BC Financial Services Directives including UCITs IV and soon AIFMD. However, Saint Aventine has repeatedly been decried as a tax-haven and money-laundering center operating under the protection of the Fabrian Magisterium. It has been investigated by the BC six times between 1998 and 2018, with results of each investigation being subject to great controversy.
Banking and finance
Transportation
Mining and industry
Tourism
Saint Aventine is a popular tourist destination, with 1.9 million tourists per year. Three times more tourists visit than there are residents. Tourism infrastructure has increased dramatically over the years and a number of hotels are present on the island, although overdevelopment and the destruction of traditional housing is of growing concern. An increasing number of Aventines now travel abroad on holiday, though according to the Aventine Tourism Office, a vast majority of Aventines travel to Metropolitan Fabria.
In recent years, Malta has advertised itself as a medical tourism destination, and a number of health tourism providers are developing the industry. However, no Maltese hospital has undergone independent international healthcare accreditation. Saint Aventine contains some of the most highly-developed and acclaimed Ecclesiastical Clinics, including the Santa Maria della Mare Sanitarium and the Sanctus Franciscus Rehabilitation Institute, which ranks among the top in the world for drug rehabilitation.
The biggest source of tourism for Saint Aventine is religious pilgrims, who visit the island for the tombs of Saint Andrew the Apostle and Saint Aventine and for the various shrines, grottos and churches built to honour the islands' status as the site for Saint Paul's shipwreck. Over 800,000 people from Metropolitan Fabria, Latium and Sydalon visit the island annually for religious purposes.
Demographics
Saint Aventine conducts a census of population and housing every ten years. The census held in November 2015 counted an estimated 96 per cent of the population. Native Aventine people make up the majority of the island. However, there are minorities, the largest of which are Fabrians, many of whom are retirees or emigrants. The population of Saint Aventine as of 2017 was estimated at 375,000. As of 2015, 17 per cent were aged 14 and under, 68 per cent were within the 15–64 age bracket whilst the remaining 13 per cent were 65 years and over. Saint Aventine's population density of XX per square km (XX/sq mi) is by far the highest in the Belisarian Community and one of the highest in the world.
The population's age composition is similar to the age structure prevalent in the BC. Since 1967 there was observed a trend indicating an ageing population, and is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Saint Aventine's old-age-dependency-ratio rose from 17.2 per cent in 1995 to 19.8 per cent in 2005. However, efforts both in metropolitan Fabria and Saint Aventine have seen decreases in the age-ratio with successful, albeit controversial family planning policies. The old-age-dependency-ratio fell to 15.5 per cent in 2015, while estimates for 2025 indicate that the ratio will fall to 13.4 per cent.
Aventine legislation recognises both civil and canonical (ecclesiastical) marriages. Annulments can only be recognised by Ecclesiastical courts in line with policy in Metropolitan Fabria. Saint Aventine voted against divorce legislation in a plebiscite on June 10 2012, much to the opposition of the Metropolitan Fabrian government and Magisterium. Abortion in Saint Aventine is illegal. A person must be 16 to marry. The number of brides aged under 25 decreased from 1471 in 1997 to 766 in 2005; while the number of grooms under 25 decreased from 823 to 311. There is a constant trend that females are more likely than males to marry young.
At the end of 2017 the population of the Aventine Islands stood at 375,403 and is expected to reach 394,222 by 2025.
Language
The official languages of Saint Aventine are Latin and Common Fabrian. Since the annexation of the islands by the Ecclesiastical State in 1880, the number of non-Metropolitan speakers has declined rapidly. The mass migration of poor farmers from Fabria in the 1890s saw the percentage of Fabrians increase by over 200%, by 1920 they formed the majority. According to the 2015 census, 98.41% of the population speak Common Fabrian as their first language and 88.97% speak Latin as their second language. While 1.59% speak Common Fabrian as their second language, these speakers are drawn exclusively from the islands' migrant minorities.
Approximately 1.26% speak Sydalene, the percentage was historically higher until the mass migration of Metropolitan Fabrians made the Sydalene community a minority. Sydalene is spoken exclusively by the Sydalene community, though several hundred Fabrians reportedly speak Sydalene as a third language after Latin.
Other languages spoken include Allumanic English, Yiddish, Modern Hebrew, Hellenic and Vannoisian. Together they constitute 1.36% of the population and are spoken primarily by migrants or resident clerics.
Ethnic groups
As of the 2015 census, the ethnic composition of Saint Aventine was 95.41% Fabrians, 2.26% Sydalene, 1.21% Yisraeli, 0.89% Vannoisian, 0.12% Arthuristan and 0.12% North Scipian.
According to the 2015 Census, the Sydalene, Vannoisian minorities were present either through migration; the Vannoisians being retirees in this regard, or Catholic pilgrims or clerics. Of the 4,000 Sydalenes living in Saint Aventine, 8,500 are descendants from Sydalene families present on the islands from prior to 1880. The 4,542 Yisraelis are officially registered as mostly asylum-seekers who have opted to remain and settle on Saint Aventine rather than secure citizenship in Metropolitan Fabria. Due to the islands' status as a Sanctum de Fidei, it has a major stop-off for Yisraeli Christians fleeing the low-level conflict between it and Christian Sydalon. There are an estimated 450 Arthuristan nationals living permanently in Saint Aventine as expatriate retirees.
In January 2014 Saint Aventine started granting citizenship to non-Fabrians for a ₣650,000 contribution plus investments, contingent on residence and criminal background requirements.
Religion
The predominant religion in Saint Aventine is Fabrian Catholicism. The first article of the Constitution of Saint Aventine establishes Catholicism as the state religion and it is also reflected in various elements of Aventine culture, although entrenched provisions for the freedom of religion are made, in many cases they are poorly executed.
There are more than 370 churches in Saint Aventine, or one church for every 1,000 residents. The parish church (Latin: Paroeciali; Common Fabrian: Chiesa Parrocchiale) is the architectural and geographic focal point of every inhabited town and village, and its main source of civic pride. This civic pride manifests itself in spectacular fashion during the local village festas, which mark the day of the patron saint of each parish with marching bands, religious processions, special Masses, fireworks (especially petards) and other festivities.
Saint Aventine is an Apostolic See; the Acts of the Apostles tells of how St. Paul, on his way from Sydalon to Fabria to face trial, was shipwrecked on the island of "Ostura", which many Bible scholars identify with Ostra - an historical name for the island, an episode dated around AD 60. As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul spent three months on the island on his way to Rome, curing the sick including the father of Publius, the "chief man of the island". Various traditions are associated with this account. The shipwreck is said to have occurred in the place today known as Sancti Petri Advenæ. The islands' saint, Saint Aventine is said to have been made the island's first bishop and a grotto in Concordia Veritas, now known as "St Aventine's Grotto" (and in the vicinity of which evidence of Christian burials and rituals from the 3rd century AD has been found), is among the earliest known places of Christian worship on the island. The grotto was destroyed in 1809 by an earthquake, efforts to restore it have failed consistently.
The island also houses the Tomb of Saint Andrew the Apostle, after his body was transferred from Fabria in 1701 following the Great Fire of Fabria. His body is held with the Basilica of Saint Andrew above Neptune, which has led the islands to become a major site for Christian pilgrimage. Being the location of Saint Paul's shipwreck and the body of Saint Andrew led to the island being bestowed the status of a Sanctum de Fidei (Sanctum of Faith), usually applied to specific buildings or compounds - making Saint Aventine the only geographical body to be bestowed the title. As a result of its status, there is strict constraints on the presence of non-Catholic religious buildings, languages and the right of residency or citizenship. In 1881, a year after its status was bestowed by Pope John Paul III, it was ruled that the sovereignty of the islands under the Ecclesiastical State would be non-negotiable and any attack upon the island would be considered as an attack on all Christendom.
Further evidence of Christian practices and beliefs during the period of Latin persecution appears in catacombs that lie beneath various sites around Saint Aventine, including St Eustus' Catacombs and St Virginia's Catacombs in Castra Vetera. There are also a number of cave churches, including the grotto at Sancta Maria supra Iunoni, which is a Shrine of the Mercy of Our Lady where, according to legend, St. Luke painted a picture of the Madonna. It has been a place of pilgrimage since medieval times. The Shrine of the Mercy reportedly contains the bones of Pope Urban V who died on the island in 1496, though archeological studies have been banned by the Magisterium.
The patron saints of Saint Aventine are Saint Paul, Saint Andrew and Saint Aventine. Although not a patron saint, St Eustus is greatly revered as the second canonised Aventine saint after St. Aventine, the islands' first acknowledged saint (canonised in the year 1434). Pope Paul X canonised him on 14 May 1929.
Various Fabrian Catholic religious orders are present in Saint Aventine, including but primarily the Templar-Companions, Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans and Sister-Servants of the Poor and Dispossessed.