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upheavals had often dismpted the lives of town and city folk, village peascntry had
known little of such conflicts, the pattem of daily life defined by the stmggle for
survival, the teachings of the Catholic Church and the weight of tradition. As a result
of their ovm trials and tribulations the villagers had created a morality, civilisation,
language and religion which served to defend and glorify them.'^ Of great pride to the
people of San Giovarmi Bianco was their possession of the religious relic la Sacra
Spina (sacred thorn), part of the crovm of thorns said to have been placed on the head
of Jesus Christ during his cmcifixion. Credited with the power to cause miracles and
to form buds at various times, the relic was (and still is) an important source of
inspiration to the village's population.
The Milesi family, one of the better known and respected families of San
Giovanni Bianco, shared the village's pride in the relic. Early family records indicate
that a certain Don Giovanni Battista Milesi, parish priest from 1709 to 1734, first
documented the giving of la Sacra Spina to the village in 1764.' The people of San
Giovanni Bianco participated in many religious festivals throughout the year and
donated substantial sums to the Church's coffers. Even during the periods of greatest
economic hardship, as occurred in the 1850s, village records indicate many
parishioners, including the Milesis, contributing towards the constmction of a Catholic
church (a generosity which would find similar expression among Italian speakers in
AustraUa)."* The 1850s were, however, difficuh times for the peasants of San Giovanni
Bianco with many facing the prospect of financial min. Failed crops, the loss of work
opportunities in Ticino and concem over political events then taking place on the
Italian peninsula ~ an unsuccessful uprising against the Austrian powers in 1848 had
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