A formal and solemn act
The Statutes are the formal and solemn act that holds the regulating principles of Sammarinese life in its institutional, working and civil dimensions. The ones currently in force date from the end of the sixteenth century and consist of six books written in Latin. They organise political life, set out rituals and observances, codify ancient practices.
From the Arengo to the changing of the guard
The Statutes themselves require respect for the Arengo, the ancient assembly of the fathers, which lives again during the investiture of the Heads of State: on 1 October and 1 April each year, citizens directly address their petitions to the Regents. To the same text traces back the rule of six-monthly rotation of the two Captains Regent, a principle alive since the origin of the Republic, in keeping with the founder Saint Marinus' warning never to concentrate power in a single person.
The Statutes also lay down the rules on the changing of the guard at the Public Palace, the raising and lowering of the flag, the palio of the Crossbowmen and Arquebusiers, the events that mark State observances and the national holidays.
| Area | Subject |
|---|---|
| Constitutional order | Six-monthly rotation of the Captains Regent, institution of the Arengo |
| Magistracies | Powers of the Consuls, Captains and judges |
| Ceremonial | Changing of the guard, flag-raising, investiture ceremony |
| Holidays | Saint Agatha, palio of the Crossbowmen, State observances |
| Civil life | Property, inheritance, regulation of the trades |