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Venus and Saint Peter: two patrons of beauty and strenght
It is said that, where today stands the church of San Pietro, on the extreme tip of the coast, many centuries ago there was a Roman temple dedicated to Venus, the goddess of beauty and sexuality.
According to the legend, she was born from the foam of the waves, and for the ancient Romans she was also propitiator of strength and victory.
For this reason, many temples were dedicated to the goddess throughout the peninsula.
Looking at the building of the present church of San Pietro, it is easy to imagine that those who originally conceived it felt the need to oppose the force of the earth to the energy of the waves, sometimes so large and powerful against that rocky shore.
The stone of the temple does not seem almost a construction of man, it seems to rise from the ground to rise towards the sky, to look far, merging nature and artifact into a harmonious, strong, daring ensemble.
A small miracle of architecture that in the Christian era transformed the myth into devotion for the saint who was called upon to found the Church on a stone, and on his own courage.
That’s how Venus became St. Peter in Portovenere.
