St. Justus of Trieste

**Saint Justus of Trieste** (Italian: *San Giusto di Trieste*) was a third-century Christian martyr who became the patron saint of Trieste. According to his *passio*, he was a citizen of Trieste known for his charitable works who was accused of being a Christian during the Diocletian persecution. When brought before the Roman governor Mannacio, Justus refused to renounce his faith or sacrifice to the Roman gods. On November 2, 293 AD, he was condemned to death by drowning. Weights were tied to his arms and legs before he was thrown from a small boat into the Gulf of Trieste, off the present-day promontory of Sant'Andrea. According to tradition, on the night of Justus's death, the priest Sebastian was told in a dream that the martyr's body had been washed ashore—the ropes miraculously having come undone. Sebastian and fellow Christians found the body at Riva Grumula and buried him near the shore. In the fifth century, his relics were transferred to a hill overlooking the city, where a Christian basilica was built in his honor. This site eventually became the Cathedral of San Giusto, which still bears his name today. Saint Justus's feast day falls on November 2, the date of his martyrdom, but because this coincides with All Souls' Day, the celebration in Trieste is observed on November 3, which is a regional public holiday. A bronze statue of the saint by artist Tristano Alberti was placed underwater off Grignano in 1984 and later moved inside the cathedral, displayed in a transparent cylinder filled with water to commemorate his martyrdom by drowning.