(FURTHER NOTICE: This is a fan-made version of The Saint from The Twilight Saga, which means that I do not own the character or anyone in particular. The idea I made for him, is entirely not canon. I think????)
(ANOTHER NOTICE:... This might probably end up being a lecture on saints and stuff so uhh... If you don't like that, I provided some links. Mostly Wikipedia but eh)
»--•--«Seven devils all around me, Seven devils in my house»--•--«
Who Is He?
San Marco Di Volterra, also known as Saint Marcus, is a fictional saint in the world of Twilight that is known only as "The Holy Priest That Drove Vampires Out of Volterra." It is served as a plot device to further drive the storyline in New Moon as Bella Swan races Volterra to a "Sea of Red Coats" to save Edward from further exposing his vampire self to the public. St. Marcus Day is held on the 19th of March and is celebrated each year by the people of Volterra. The legend most likely developed out of the fact that the Volturi do not permit hunting withing the walls of Volterra. (also ain't the name already obvious hahaha. God I love Marcus UwU)
»--•--«
Any Basis on San Marco Di Volterra?
My bet goes on two saints in particular. Mark the Evangelist and Saint Joseph.
Mark The Evangelist, also known as John Mark or Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the winged lion. His feast day is usually widely celebrated in Italy. (I won't be mentioning Lithuania and Mexico right now)
Italy: The 25th of April is a national holiday throughout Italy, though not as Saint Mark's Day, but as anniversary of the liberation of Italy from the Nazi-Fascists in World War II (25 April 1945).
Sardinia: In Tresnuraghes, a small village in Sardinia (Italy), a traditional Sardinian feast is held. Local shepherd families in this predominantly pastoral community offer sheep and oversee cooking them in a gesture of thanks to Providence. Other families offer bread as thanksgiving or for favors desired. Hundreds of people, mostly from said village, but a large number of other people as well, eat and drink to satiation together.
Venice: The Feast of Saint Mark (Italian: Festa di san Marco), also known as the rosebud festival (Venetian: festa del bócoło), is a festival in Venice held on 25 April celebrating Venice's patron saint, Saint Mark. On this day, men traditionally give a single rosebud to the women they love. According to legend, the tradition originated in the 8th century, when a man of low social standing is said to have fallen in love with a noblewoman from Venice. In order to win her father's approval, he became involved in a distant war. He was mortally wounded in battle, but managed to pluck a rose from a nearby rosebush for his loved one. A companion was entrusted with returning the blood-stained rose to his lover.
This is probably why most people associate Saint Marcus to Saint Mark. After all, Saint Mark's Latin name is in fact, Marcus. Fr though, I'm Filipino so I have gotten used to the fact that Mark = Marcos while Marcus = Marco so Idk anymore haha
Saint Joseph's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Joseph or the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, is in Western Christianity the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus Christ, celebrated on 19 March. It has the rank of a solemnity in the Catholic Church. It is a feast or commemoration in the provinces of the Anglican Communion, and a feast or festival in the Lutheran Church. 19 March was dedicated to Saint Joseph in several Western calendars by the 10th century, and this custom was established in Rome by 1479.
Like, Saint Mark's feast day, it is also widely celebrated in Italy. Mainly, Sicily.
In Sicily, where Saint Joseph is regarded by many as their patron saint, and in many Italian-American communities, thanks are given to Saint Joseph (San Giuseppe in Italian). Giving food to the needy is a Saint Joseph's Day custom. In some communities it is traditional to wear red clothing and eat a Neapolitan pastry known as a zeppola (created in 1840 by Don Pasquale Pinatauro in Napoli) on Saint Joseph's Day.
According to legend, Saint Joseph interceded to relieve a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages. There was a severe drought at the time, and the people prayed for their patron saint to bring them rain. They promised that if God answered their prayers through Joseph's intercession, they would prepare a large feast to honor him. The rain did come, and the people of Sicily prepared a large banquet for their patron saint. The fava bean was the crop which saved the population from starvation and is a traditional part of Saint Joseph's Day altars and traditions.
This also another reason why he might also associate with Saint Marcus. That being the date and the concept. March 19? Yes. Red Clothing? Double Yes. However, this is in Sicily, not Volterra. From what I know, The San Marco festival is heavily well known in Volterra. But is is safe to assume that he fills in the role for the movies to avoid real world allegories.
»--•--«
History
Aight this section is VERY headcanon heavy. Some of the words here tend to get a bit silly at times so I have no idea what I was cooking. But what I do know is that over the course of this, I am still writing and improving. The storyline will change. I think... Idk q-q.
Saint Marcus was born in 1188 to farmers. Unfortunately, Marcus was born with a curse. The Curse of The Seven Devils. Each represents a deadly sin. It is said that it can be controlled but will grow stronger as he grows older. He will give in eventually. And because of that, he is heavily shunned. One evening, vampires attacked and killed his parents in the process, leaving Marcus orphaned and he ran away from Volterra. That is when he is found by a monk after a long pilgrimage underneath a bridge and is taken into a monastery where he was raised to train vampires and further control his curse. As Marcus turned 19, he was given a spear to use for any upcoming battle. And there, he left the monastery and began a journey to return to Volterra. On the way, he further overcomes his seven devils one and one and when he reaches Volterra, he slays all the vampires, tainting his cloak with red. After that, with the power of God on his side, he banished the vampires from Volterra. The people called him a hero and there he stayed. However, it didn't last long. Marcus disappeared, leaving behind the thing that banished vampires from existence. The Holy Spear. It is now kept in the safe hands of The Order of San Marco. As for him? He became a saint. But no one knows what happened after he disappeared. The best guess? He succumbed to his seven devils and became the very thing he swore to destroy. But we the people of Volterra will remember him as the hero who saved us.
»--•--«
alright, so there are many flaws to this because to be honest, do you guys think that Saint Marcus would go Doom Slayer on Vampires? Probably. But regardless, I love the idea of him having a curse of sin but can still overcome it and banish vampires out of Volterra. Him succumbing would be some sort of reference to the fact that the original Saint is not who we think it is. The true Saint Marcus isn't benevolent, but a soulless monster. (not really Marcus is baby).
»--•--«
Appearance
A reference. Just in case.
First Layer: The first layer consists of a smoky black robe which is double buttoned. The collar resembles a priest collar except it's a dark sienna instead of white. It has a gold trimming on the sleeves and bottom part of the robe. It's held tight by a red belt. Underneath are red arm warmers, pants and red knee-high boots
Second Layer: His hood, cape, and chest-high cloak is Maximum Red with gold trimming, tied with a three ruby chains.
Description: The Uniform worn by San Marco Di Volterra. Now worn for the representative of San Marco during the festival. A snug fit but very comfortable. The red robes represent the blood shed by vampires who tormented Volterra.
On the left of what the uniform actually looked during the 13th century. Complete with the spear. However, the uniform has long been worse for wear and has now been modified to the snug costume of today on the right. As for the spear...
»--•--«
The Spear
I got too lazy to re-do so you'll have to see this again lmao. Anyways, Saint Marcus' spear is a well known artifact during the San Marco Festival. It is used in every procession. Nowadays, the spear has been modified to be used as a pole to hold tapestries during processions. But, deep down. The spear medium sized and it's made of gold . The laurel and red gem that is usually part of The Volturi crest is lodged in the cross. To avoid suspicion but to still be subtle. It's kinda obvious. The representative isn't going to wear the Volturi necklace but The Volturi's influence has always been there. The spear is proof of it.
»--•--«
Misc and Conclusion
so, I got a little goofy so I made a little procession thing:
The spear will be held by the representative, who will also wear the uniform. It will be paraded around Volterra until it reaches The Volterra Cathedral where the statue resides. Usual start of mass starts except the representative will be last. Once the representative places the spear, all clergy bows and the mass starts. The representative is among the people so they won't participate. However, they will sit among the altar boys. Mass ends and the statue, now with the spear will be paraded around Volterra until they reach the square. Once it's there, the festival starts.
Anyways, this is a little long. This is basically more of a ramble on how I execute my version of Saint Marcus since idk if anyone talks about that plot device hahaha. Anyways, I hope you guys like it. Or not idk I would much rather sleep lmao take care also... damn bro i am so late :"D
