La Santa

Lore & Background

The name probably derives from the shortening of mamma santissima. In mafia slang, the expression is used to refer to mafia chiefs. Mamma santissima literally means 'most holy mother' and refers to the Virgin Mary, who is regarded as the protector of the 'Ndrangheta. The Santa was an innovation in the traditional stratification of the 'Ndrangheta introduced in the early 1970s to maximize the power and invisibility of the most important bosses. Security concerns led to the creation of a secret society within the secret society. Membership in the Santa is only known to other members. Contrary to the 'Ndrangheta code, it allowed bosses to establish close connections with state representatives, even to the extent that some were affiliated with the Santa. These connections were often established through the Freemasonry, which the santisti – breaking another rule of the traditional code – were allowed to join. The rank of santista was established at the end of the 1960s by Girolamo Piromalli, leader of the Piromalli family in Gioia Tauro, and by the chiefs of several other families. They were eager to modify the traditional rules of the 'Ndrangheta in order to enter the public works market and start illegal activities such as drug trafficking, which were prohibited by the 'Ndrangheta’s traditional code but promised to be very profitable. According to Gaetano Costa (the former boss of the Messina 'ndrina), 'it was Mommo Piromalli who – given the enormous interests which the existed in the Reggio Calabria area (the railroad stump, the steelwork centre, and the port in Gioia Tauro, etc.) – entrusted himself with the rank of santista, in order to assert his higher authority and hence directly control the public works. He said that this rank had been given him directly in Toronto, where there was a very important 'ndrina.' It was precisely on account of these innovations that the new institution was opposed by the more traditionalist bosses, such as Antonio Macrì from the Ionic town of Siderno, the 'Ndrangheta’s charismatic leader of the 1960s, and Domenico Tripodo, who was the dominant figure of the Reggio Calabria clans. Only at the end of the so-called First 'Ndrangheta war, which took place in 1974-76 and led to their deaths and the consequent rise of the De Stefano brothers as the new leaders of the Reggio Calabria 'Ndrangheta, was the new institution fully recogn

In Their Own Story

On February 29, 2020, an audio visualizer for "La Santa" was uploaded to YouTube. This release happened simultaneously with the other visualizer videos for every song included on YHLQMDLG, serving as the primary visual accompaniment for the album's tracks upon launch. The commercial performance of the single began immediately following the album's release. On the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated March 14, 2020, "La Santa" debuted at number 53. In the same issue date, it reached a peak position of number 6 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart. Internationally, the track also found success in Spain, where it climbed to number 7.

Reader's Guide

Notable Santisti include Girolamo Piromalli, Paolo De Stefano, Antonio Nirta, Giuseppe Nirta, Francesco Nirta, Natale Iamonte, Santo Araniti, Antonio Mammoliti, and Rocco Gioffrè.

Did You Know?

• The Santa was originally set up as an exclusive body restricted to 33 people.
• The rank of santista was established at the end of the 1960s.
• The Santa allowed bosses to establish close connections with state representatives, even through Freemasonry.