San Marino

Lore & Background

According to accounts first recorded centuries after he is suggested to have lived, Saint Marinus left the island of Rab in present-day Croatia with his lifelong friend Leo, and went to the city of Rimini as a stonemason. After the Diocletianic Persecution following his Christian sermons, he escaped to the nearby mountain Monte Titano, where he built a small church and thereby founded what is now the city and state of San Marino. The earliest historical evidence for a monastic community in San Marino dates to the 5th or 6th century AD. In 1291, San Marino appealed to the Bishop of Arezzo against contribution demands by the Vicario del Montefeltro, and jurist Palamede di Rimini decided in favour of San Marino, recognising its tax exemption. In 1296, Sammarinesi appealed to Pope Boniface VIII against further requests by Montefeltro podestas; a long process followed, and the verdict was probably in favour of San Marino's autonomy. In 1320, the community of Chiesanuova joined the country. In 1463, San Marino was enlarged by the inclusion of Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, and Serravalle; since then, borders have remained unchanged. In 1503, Cesare Borgia occupied the Republic for six months until Pope Julius II restored independence. On 4 June 1543, Fabiano di Monte San Savino attempted to conquer the republic, but his forces failed due to dense fog. After the Duchy of Urbino was annexed by the Papal States in 1625, San Marino sought formal protection of the Papal States in 1631, but this never amounted to de facto Papal control. The country was occupied on 17 October 1739 by Cardinal Giulio Alberoni, but independence was restored by Pope Clement XII on 5 February 1740. Napoleon's army in 1797 threatened independence, but regent Antonio Onofri gained Napoleon's respect; Napoleon promised to guarantee and protect the Republic, even offering to extend its territory, but the offer was declined. During Italian unification, San Marino served as a refuge for persecuted supporters, including Giuseppe Garibaldi and his wife Anita. San Marino and the Kingdom of Italy signed a Convention of Friendship in 1862. The government made U.S. President Abraham Lincoln an honorary citizen. In March 1877, a new postal agreement allowed San Marino to issue its first stamps. During World War I, San Marino remained neutral; Italy adopted a hostile view, trying to establish a Carab

In Their Own Story

The morning mist clings to the ancient limestone walls of the Three Towers, silencing the bustling world below. A lone sentinel stands guard at Guaita Tower, his shadow stretching across the cobblestones that have witnessed empires rise and fall. Far beneath, the Italian plains are already waking up, but here on Mount Titano, time moves to a different rhythm. The wind carries the faint scent of basil from a hidden garden and the distant chime of a bell calling for the morning assembly. In this pocket of history, the air feels heavier with memory, as if the very stones whisper tales of stonecutters fleeing persecution and diplomats securing peace.

Reader's Guide

San Marino is a member of the Council of Europe and uses the euro as its official currency, but is not part of the European Union. The official language is Italian, although the traditional regiolect is Sammarinese, a dialect of Romagnol. Its economy is based on finance, industry, services, retail, and tourism, and it ranks among the wealthiest countries in the world by GDP (PPP) per capita. It hosts the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. In 2025 San Marino was ranked 29th on the Human Development Index.

Did You Know?

• San Marino claims to have been founded in AD 301 and to be the oldest extant sovereign state and the oldest constitutional republic.
• The country's two heads of state, the Captains Regent, are elected every six months from opposing political parties.
• San Marino was the first currently-existing state to abolish the death penalty (in 1865), although it had not actually been used since the 1400s.
• The largest settlement is Dogana, in the municipality of Serravalle.