THE ARK OF SAINTS SERGIUS AND BACCHUS VERONA - ITALY The marble Sepulchre with stories of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, made in 1179 by order of Abbott Bonifacius, and carried off from S. Silvester of Nogara church in 1730 by Maffei, was found near Villa Betti, and is now preserved in the first room of the Museo Civico di Castelvecchio at Verona. The ark - side 1 The ark has a double skewed cover and the tringular faces are cambered and have on the top two elegant acanthus curled leaves. A writing runs all long the top and bottom parts of the cover. The case has the top edge lightly jutting out, while the bottom edge, more accentuated, is the base of the scenes depicting, on the four sides, the martyrdom of the Saints. The ark - side 2 On the cover can be read - "SERGIVS ET BACHVS RE(QVI)ESCIT IN HAC Q(VISQUE) S(AN)C(TV)S". On the borders can be read - "ANNIS MILLENIS CENTENIS SEPTVGENIS - HIS D(OMIN)I CVNCTIS NOVENIS DENI(QUE) IVNCTIS - HA(N)C ABBAS SACRA(M) FECIT BONIFCIVS ARCAM". The ark - side 3 On the cover are depicted, on one side, two bowmen shootin to an eagle, and on the other side the two saints riding horses and with the martyrdom palm in their hands. On the case is told the Saints' story. They turn to worship the true God, whose blessing hand appears, while their comrades worship an idol depiced as a winged devil. They are then admonished by emperor Maximinus but, as they refuse to abjure, they are led prisoneer by two knights to governor Antiocus who condemn Bacchus to death by cludging, while Sergius id beheaded. On the last minor side the two saints are depicted commending abbot Bonifacius to the Christ. The ark - side 4

THE ARMS OF TRIESTE - ITALY The Estate and city of Triest (now Trieste, Italy) joined Austria in 1382 as a protection against Venice. The arms were officially granted in 1467 by Emperor Friedrich III after the siege by the Venetians. The arms (at the left) show a spear, symbol of St. Sergius, patron saint of the city on the arms of Austria. The upper half shows the Imperial eagle. The arms at the right are those of the present city, and uses only the spear in a red field. The spear of St. Sergius is not to be confused with a fleur de lis. According to the legend, Sergius was in Tergeste (now Trieste) as a tribun of the XV legion Apollinaris and converted to Christianism in this city. He was discovered and summned to Rome. When he said farewell to his friends, he promised them he would send them a sign telling them about his death, that he felt to be imminent. When in 301 he was killed with his companion Bacchus, from the sky fell in Tergeste his hallberd right in the centre of the Forum (near the present Cathedral of St. Giustus). The hallberd (in fact made in the XIV century) is now in the treausury of the Cathedral. In the city Statutes it is correctly called "St Sergius' spear" and was adopted as the cuty symbol around year 1139.