SAINT OF THE LEVANT

Apse Spire-G38

Standing on the apse, built facing East as in all churches, this saint seems to be holding something in his hand, but it has long since been lost. He is lashed by the Levant, the wind that blows from the East and which takes it name from the place where it comes from, that is where the sun rises. It is principally a summer wind, but brings mists and rain, and when it blows in the winter it causes perilous storms and waterspouts. It has been and still is a wind much feared by sailors from the Balearic Islands, where it originates, and those of the Adriatic Sea, where it often unleashes its fury. The saint looks towards that sea, of which the nearest point to Milan is the Gulf of Venice, the gateway to the East, with ships loaded with spices, fabrics and perfumes. Every day, this unknown saint enjoys the warm rays of the summer dawn, and is cooled by the East Wind. He looks into the eyes of each new day, without fear of storms: that is the attitude of a steadfast heart.