Among the highlights that will mark the Pope's visit the December 15it is a more confidential but highly symbolic step. Before going to the Palais des Congrès to close the conference on popular religiosity in the Mediterranean, the sovereign pontiff will stop at the antiquarium, in front of the paleo-Christian baptistery of San Ghjuvà.
Dating from the beginning of the 6th century, it is the only vestige of a cathedral group whose exact location remains unknown. Dedicated to Saint John and Saint Eufrase, it could even have housed the relics brought to Corsica by African bishops fleeing the Vandal persecutions of the 5th century. It is especially in this sector that the episcopal seat of the bishopric of Ajaccio was located, mentioned for the first time in a letter from Pope Gregory the Great dated 601.
It is there, where the Church encountered the ancient city of Ajaccio, where Catholicism infused Corsica, and on the memory of the first Christians that Francis will take the time to reflect. According to our information, a plaque commemorating his arrival could be installed on the site, and blessed by the universal bishop.
Recluse at the prefecture
But the picture will not be perfect. Recluse behind the walls of the prefecture since 1961, the Roman sarcophagus of the Good Shepherd will not be on its original site for this moment of consecration. Discovered in 1938 in the Saint-Jean district where it was probably imported, it is nevertheless a unique testimony to the early times of the Christian era. Winged genies, phoenixes and obviously good shepherd: with its motifs which make “the transition between the mythological legends of pagan religion and the illustration of the Bible and the New Testament”it is proof, according to specialists, of the “climate favorable to Christianity which brought into the ancient world the belief in the liberation of the soul and in beatitude in celestial eternity”.
For more than a year, the City has been negotiating to recover it so that it can be restored and installed in its antiquarium and officially inaugurate the site. A first missed meeting took place in December 2023. The maneuver, entrusted to a specialized company, ended short. Sealed in concrete on its base, the one-ton sarcophagus cannot be moved without risking damage. Discussions ensued between the City and the prefecture, against a backdrop of technical differences and fears for the integrity of the building. A new protocol is proposed by the heritage department to cut out the feet of the base, but the matter drags on.
After long negotiations, a new operation was to take place on the night of November 13 to 14, so as not to disrupt the operation of services. But a new event reshuffles the cards: the departure of Amaury from Saint-Quentin. “We were told that since there was a new prefect, the operation was put on hold until he made the decision”indicates a person close to the case.
According to consistent sources, an agreement in principle would have been delivered by the new state representative, Jérôme Filippini. “We must now wait for official validation”we explain to Corse-Matin. A confirmation that the priorities linked to the coming of the Holy Father have been postponed to more auspicious days. Moreover, the two restorers who were to work on the sarcophagus, also classified as a historic monument, are now no longer available until next spring, because they are being held on the construction site of Reims Cathedral. However, she will not welcome the pope.
