Ontranto & The Bones of 813 Christian Martyrs

Ontranto is a coastal town at the bottom of the heel of the boot of Italy. It is amazing how blue and crystal clear the Adriatic Sea is along its coast. Our pictures don't do it justice. 

Saint Peter traveled through Ontranto from Antioch. However, Ontranto is most known for the brutal attack by Turkish Muslim forces from the Ottoman Empire in 1480, where 813 Christian men in the town were rounded up and given the ultimatum to renounce Christ and convert to Islam, or die. They refused and were beheaded on what would become known as the Hill of Martyrs (previously known as the Hill of Minerva). 

The Turks sold the most of the captured women and children from the town into slavery. They took over the town's Cathedral, turning it into a mosque, destroying the Christian images within. 

The Cathedral was reclaimed within the year, and the remains of the 813 martyrs were gathered and brought to the Cathedral to rest. They can be viewed in the Cathedral of Ontranto today, along with the beheading stone that is displayed in the alter. It is a haunting and humbling experience to be in the presence of the remains of so many Christian martyrs, particularly given the numerous cases of Christian martyrs today.

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