Susa, Diocese of
Susa is a city and diocese in Piedmont, in the Susa Valley, in the province of Turin.
The present diocese comprises the entire territory of the Susa Valley and has a population of 51,800, of whom 51,200 are Catholics distributed across 62 parishes, served by 108 diocesan priests and 8 regular clergy. There are 4 male and 4 female religious communities.
It is the ancient *Segusium*, seat of King Donno, a contemporary and friend of Caesar and an ally of the Romans, who recognized his royal rank and authority. When Italy was divided into regions by the Romans, Marco Giulio Cozio I, son of Donno, was appointed prefect of his own region, replacing the royal title. In honor of Augustus, returning from Gaul in 9 BC, Cozio erected the magnificent triumphal arch, which can still be admired today. Upon the death of Cozio II, the Segusian Kingdom was definitively annexed to the Empire and included in the province of
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Susa, Diocese of
*Sussanensia, Missale benedicimus*, 30-40°. First parish Mass.
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Susanna
St. Susanna depicted as a sheep pursued by two wolves. Fresco on the façade of the arcosolium of Celerina (mid-4th century) — Rome, Catacomb of Praetextatus.
At Salbertrand there is a portal of the type used in the Dauphiné. Among the oldest Novalesa (v.) and the Abbey of the Sacred Mount of St. Michael (v.).
— See plate CVII.
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Susanna
Protagonist of a story that forms part of the biographical traditions about the prophet Daniel (v.), daughter of Helcia (often associated with the Helcia of Jer. 29:3), wife of the Israelite Ioakim in Babylon, praised for her beauty and virtue.
The name appears in the Septuagint as Σουσαννά, from the Hebrew *šûšan* ("lily"); it may be an Aramaized form in *nā*, while the flower was *šûšanā*.
The tragic situation in which she found herself closely reflects certain special conditions of Judaism in exile. The various deported groups, except in matters of their political status as subjects and tributaries and in business dealings with outsiders—regulated by local law—governed themselves according to their own laws and leaders. Among the Jews, the "elders," already authoritative in the past tradition, ended up being the true guides of the exiled communities, as seen in Ezekiel (8:1; 14:1; 20:1) and in Jeremiah, who reproaches them for abuses (29:22-23).
Two elders governed the community to which Ioakim belonged; since he was wealthy, he made his house available to the two leaders for hearings. In the afternoon, his wife Susanna would go into the garden attached to the house with some young servant girls; on such occasions, the two elders would observe her and ended up lusting after her. When they discovered each other’s desire, they made an agreement with the precise intention of satisfying their passion. The opportunity arose one day when Susanna dismissed the maidservants to bathe alone; immediately the two approached her and gave her a choice: either submit to them or face a false accusation, which they would swear to in court; the dismissal of the young girls would serve as strong evidence against her. Susanna perceived the danger but declared that she preferred to die rather than offend God. She cried out. The elders also cried out; people gathered. But the two formulated the accusation: the woman was sinning with a young man, who, caught in the act, had fled quickly. Susanna was brought to trial, condemned to death for adultery, and led to execution. At this point, a sudden change of scene occurred: the young Daniel, who was among the crowd, proclaimed the injustice of the matter; listened to by the people, he persuaded them to resume the trial (such popular judgment was in keeping with the customs of the time), in which the two elders contradicted each other and were themselves condemned. Susanna was acquitted and exalted.
The original story was Semitic, but only the Greek version remains. The passage is therefore "deuterocanonical." In the Greek Bible, the story is generally prefixed to the Book of Daniel under the title *Susanna*; the event is assumed to precede Dan. 1:1. In the Latin version, however, it is appended at the end as chapter 13.
The ethical and exemplary value of the story is evident, offering the model of the virtuous woman who prefers death to sin and "cries out" in the face of danger. The artistic and narrative moments reveal a refined technique in how the story is conducted, from tension to swift resolution.