“Il festivo,” which takes place in Palermo on the evening of July 14 in honor of Santa Rosalia, is a big street party that unifies the city’s citizens through a procession that symbolically purifies the metropolis from the evils that have long afflicted it. The events of the party are a mix of folklore, religion,…
Tag: Santa Rosalia
September 4 and La Santuzza
Palermo’s patroness, Santa Rosalia, is recognized on September 4, the day she died in 1166, with a solemn pilgrimage to her sanctuary (pictured) at the top of Mount Pellegrino. The facade you see covers the opening to a large cave, where, in 1624, a sleeping hunter had a vision of the little-known, medieval-era saint. In…
Santa Rosalia and Her Miracles
Santa Rosalia, pictured here in front of Palermo’s cathedral, is doing her magic, and Palermo is having a Renaissance. On Tues., April 25 at 6:30PM at the Italian American Museum in NYC, I look forward to telling you what that means. Please join us! Along with Eszter Vajda of You, Me & Sicily, I will…
Barefoot in Palermo for La Santuzza
On September 4, 1166, Rosalia, a young woman who had sworn her life in service to Christ, died. The example she set and her protection of Sicily’s capital city is celebrated annually in Palermo with a solemn procession up Mount Pellegrino to her sanctuary. It’s a long, steep climb done by many barefoot to illustrate…
A Solemn Procession for the City
On July 15, after a day of masses, prayers, and concerts at the Cathedral, at 7 PM from the Cathedral on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the Archbishop and Mayor of Palermo will lead a solemn procession featuring the silver urn containing the sacred relics of Santa Rosalia. With the intention to reenact the purification of…
Thanks to a Lost Hunter
During the late spring and summer of 1624, Palermo was under siege from a plague that cursed more than 10,000 inhabitants. Things were looking pretty bleak until in early July, when a lost hunter had a vision (as illustrated by this image, located at the saint’s sanctuary on Mount Pellegrino): Santa Rosalia appeared to him…
W Santa Rosalia!
The activities celebrating “La Santuzza” are in full swing in Palermo. The citizens are already cheering, “Viva Palermo e viva Santa Rosalia!” in honor of Il Festino on Thursday, July 14 and Friday, July 15.
Santa Rosalia Purifies the Evils
“Il festivo,” which takes place on the evening of July 14, is a big street party that unifies Palermo’s citizens through a procession that symbolically purifies the city from the evils that have long afflicted it. For this annual celebration, each year Palermo commissions a new statue to represent its patron saint, Santa Rosalia. Like…
Rosalia’s Cave
Palermo’s patron, Santa Rosalia, is recognized on September 4, the day she died in 1166, with a pilgrimage to her sanctuary at the top of Palermo’s Mount Pellegrino. Pictured is the sanctuary’s chapel that is housed inside the cave where a hunter in 1624 had a vision of the little-known, medieval-era saint. In the vision,…
Healing Bones
“Viva Palermo e viva Santa Rosalia!” July 14 and 15 marks the Feast of Santa Rosalia in Palermo. Last night was Il Festino, an event that I’ve blogged about in the past. Different from the revelry of Il Festino, on the 15th, citizens practice a solemn tradition: the clergy parade the saint’s bones through the city…