On the slopes of Mount S. Martino , along the ancient Roman Via Iulia Augusta, stands the cemetery basilica of San Calocero , one of the oldest testimonies of the spread of Christianity in Albenga and western Liguria.
According to tradition, Calocero was a soldier of Brescian origin who converted to Christianity and was martyred near the mouth of the Centa River. His body was buried on Monte Hill, once the site of a pagan necropolis, transforming the site into a center of Christian worship.
A church was built between the 5th and 6th centuries, later expanded to three naves. During the 8th century, under Abbot Marinaces of the Gallinaria Monastery, the saint's relics were re-arranged with a ciborium or iconostasis, several elements of which have been recovered, including a commemorative inscription.
In 1286, Abbot Giovanni di Diano prepared a new marble tomb for the martyr's bones, placing them under the central altar. In 1368, the Benedictines ceded the complex to the Diocese of Albenga , assigning it first to the Benedictine nuns, then to the Augustinians, and finally to the Poor Clares. With the transfer of the nuns and relics to the city in 1593, the area fell into long abandonment.
The first archaeological excavations were begun in 1934 by Professor Nino Lamboglia . Subsequent campaigns have revealed the complex's various construction phases and the monastery's rooms. More recent interventions have made public visits possible, allowing visitors to discover the thousand-year history of this sacred place up close.
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