Martyrs of Otranto | |
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Martyrs | |
Born | Unknown |
Died | 14 August 1480 Otranto, Italy |
Venerated in | Catholic Church |
Beatified | 14 December 1771 by Pope Clement XIV |
Canonized | 12 May 2013, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City, by Pope Francis |
Major shrine | Cathedral of Otranto |
Feast | 14 August |
Patronage | Otranto, persecuted Christians |
The Martyrs of Otranto, also known as Saints Antonio Primaldo and his Companions (Italian: I Santi Antonio Primaldo e compagni martiri), were 813 inhabitants of Otranto, Salento, Apulia, in southern Italy, who were killed on 14 August 1480 after the city had fallen to an Ottoman force under Gedik Ahmed Pasha. According to a traditional account, the killings took place after the citizens had refused to convert to Islam.