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Walking through Koper, several places can connect us with Santorio and his life. On the main square we find the Armeria (Armoury) - the former weapons depot - where Santorio’s father Antonio once served. In 1548 he accepted the post of master of artillery in Koper, which brought him here from his native Friuli. His duties included, among others, the procurement of new weapons and gunpowder—at a time when firearms were becoming established—as well as training young men (most often poor sailors) who learned the skills of defense.
On the façade of the Armoury we also find Santorio’s bust, originally commissioned upon his death by his niece Elisabetta in the Servite monastery of Koper, to which he was closely attached. The bust was later moved to the façade of the cathedral, from where it eventually travelled to Vienna; the one on the Armoury today is a copy. A similar bust adorned Santorio’s tomb in the (now demolished) Servite monastery in Venice.
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