Felino is one of the patron saints of the city of Arona, which is located on the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore, and is celebrated together with Graziano, Carpoforo and Fedele in the traditional festivals held every year in March. We can obtain information on these saints and their importance within the city from a document dating back to the 10th century: according to the story, Felino was a Roman soldier stationed in Perugia, there he was converted to Christianity, and consequently martyred during the persecutions of Decius. His body was buried not far from the place of martyrdom, but in 979 the remains were moved to Arona, donated to the monastery under construction, which then took its name from the relics.

Tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

The statue of Pietro Possenti created in 1812 was replaced by a copy of it which today we can admire at the top of the G68 spire; we know with certainty that the statue was finished in 1812 thanks to some archive documents from Veneranda Fabbrica. San Felino is represented as a young Adonis, according to the dictates of the neoclassical sculpture of the time: proportionate, with the young face framed by curls. Like other statues of martyrs, he too is represented half-naked, partially covered only by a cloth tied at the waist. The gaze is turned to the right while the respective hand was most likely holding an object which could be the palm of martyrdom or a spear.