The legend of the transfer of St. Simon’s remains to Zadar In the thirteenth century a merchant was returning from the Holy Land to Venice and was carrying with him the remains of St. Simon. To all he met he lied saying that he was carrying the body of his brother. Because of a storm, he had to seek shelter in the port of Zadar and sought the hospitality of priests, burying the body on the grounds. The merchant died during the first night of his stay, and the priests realised from the documents he was carrying that the body of St. Simon was actually buried in their garden. After this the remains were ceremoniously transferred to the Mother of God’s Church. Legend of St. Grisogono Grisogono was a Roman knight of the third century A.D. at the time of Emperor Diocletian. Because of a liberal standpoint in his sermon, he was thrown into prison. Even in the dungeons he did not remain idle. Through his letters he comforted St. Anastasia who was held under house arrest by her heathen husband. Diocletian offered him a high-ranking position, should he renounce his Catholic faith, but when he refused, the Emperor ordered his head severed and the body thrown into the sea. In a dream, the priest St. Zoilo saw St. Grisogono, who told him of the whereabouts of his body. Having retrieved the body from the sea, by some miracle, the head was rejoined to the body and the corpse was then transferred from Aquila to Zadar. In Zadar, thanks to his pleadings, many a miracle has occurred and it is for this reason that he is esteemed as a patron saint of the city. Legend of St. Anastasia The legend speaks of a Roman woman, the wife of a patrician, who was held under house arrest because of her wish to remain a virgin. After her husband’s death she moved to Aquila in the company of St. Grisogno, where she witnessed his martyrdom. According to legend she was tortured in the time of Diocletian’s exile. She was burnt at the stake. The relics transferred to Constantinople in the fifth century, were obtained by Donatus, the Bishop of Zadar in 804 A.D. from the Emperor Niceforos as a token of reconciliation between Byzantine and Zadar. They were transferred to Zadar in a stone sarcophagus to St. Peter’s Church, which, since that time, carries the name of St. Anastasia’s Church.
