425 years ago today, on October 8, 1600 (September 2, 1600 lunar calendar), San Marino established a written constitution. On October 8, 1600, San Marino, the oldest surviving republican constitutional state in the world, officially adopted its written constitution, which is still in use today. San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving state in the world. Founded in 301 AD by a Christian stonemason from the island of Rab in northern Dalmatia named Marino to escape the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. At that time, it was legally part of the Roman Empire, and the creation of San Marino did not conform to its legal entity. San Marino formulated a republican statute in 1263, and its current name has been determined since the 15th century. San Marino established a written constitution on October 8, 1600. This small country was recognized by Napoleon's France in 1797 and by other European countries at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Although it is a sovereign state, San Marino remains dependent on Italy in every respect. From the time of Italian unification in the 19th century, San Marino was completely surrounded by Italy. It is called "the state within the state".