Religious Celebrations

Sonnino - Via Crucis Passione Vivente by Mario Pieri

In April the town of Sonnino and its associations meet in the solemn celebrations in preparation for the Holy Week.

The municipality of Sonnino together with the Pro Loco, the Missionaries of the Preziosissimo Sangue and the Parish of San Michele Arcangelo organize the Living Passion.

A representation of the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, interpreted by skilled actors who use the entire village in the province of Latina as a real stage

In April in Rocca di Papa the Passion of Christ is staged, an unmissable event for the population approaching Easter.

It is a theatrical re-enactment of one of the most intense episodes of the life of Jesus.

The show is skillfully interpreted by professional actors who give moments of intense emotion.

An appointment followed solemnly by the whole population of the village in the province of Rome.

The patron San Vincenzo Ferreri of this small village of Sabina is celebrated on April 5th with great celebrations.

The day begins with the traditional mass in honor of the Saint, followed by a solemn procession through the streets of the town of Montebuono.

During the entire duration of the event it is possible to visit many craft stalls and watch some shows organized for the occasion, which envelop the small town of Montebuono in a festive atmosphere.

The Feast of San Filippo Neri patron of Cecchina are organised by the Pro Loco of Cecchina and include shows and festivities rich in plays, music, entertainment and comedy that involve all the citizens.

This patron saint's festival has its own parish centre and events take place using the areas of the Villa del Vescovo (Bishops Palace) and the area in front of the local train station.

This festival is a tradition that has been repeated over the years and a highly anticipated event, which is a success with each surprising new edition.

For example, in the 2017 edition many local businesses were involved, from the Cecchina middle schools that contributed to the creation of the programme booklet, to the dance schools that performed before the main scheduled evening events that included comedians, light music and even a vintage car rally.

Maria SS. Annunziata patron saint of Sabaudia is celebrated on March 25 in the church of the same name, with great religious celebrations.

An anniversary that involves the whole town in a festive atmosphere, which begins on the morning of Maria SS. Annunziata with the traditional mass in his honor,.

Then, the solemn procession through the streets of the village of the statue of the patron.

There are stalls and food stands for the occasion that dress the streets of the village of Sabaudia to the delight of adults and children.

Cassino- Abbazia di Montecassino by Ferdinando Potenti

Cassino celebrates its patron Saint Benedict on March 21, with great religious celebrations that involve the entire ciociarian village and many local associations every year.

The Feast of the patron San Benedetto begins with the traditional mass in honor of the saint, inside the imposing cathedral of Cassino and continues with the procession of the statue of the saint.

During the event, a myriad of activities and shows are organized, both within the town and in the splendid setting of the Abbey of Montecassino, where local historical groups stage historical re-enactments in costumes and theatrical performances.

The patron saint of Europe Saint Benedict is celebrated in Subiaco with great celebrations.

They begin on March 20 in the Sacro Speco, a place where he lived for 3 years, where the monks and abbot of the monastery come together in prayer to invoke the protection of Saint Benedict on the Roman village.

At the end of the solemn ceremony a procession is formed, opened by the municipal banner, which from the Sacro Speco reaches the Basilica of Sant 'Andrea, where the statue of the Saint is displayed.

The celebrations continue the following day with the traditional procession of the Saint's cart through the streets of the village of Subiaco.

The Benedictine Torch "Pro Europa Una", from Norcia and Cassino, joins each year the procession.

On the morning of 22 March the statue of Saint Benedict is brought back to the Sacro Speco, a gesture that marks the end of the festivities.

Settimana Santa a Sezze by Alfredo Sanguigni

In Sezze the sacred representation of the Passion of Christ is a parade on the evening of Good Friday through the streets of the historic centre, renewing an ancient tradition.

In fact, every year the Sezze parade sees the participation of around 400-700 citizens as actors and extras, who give life to 42 Paintings of the Old and New Testament, with splendid costumes and armour.

The three Brotherhoods of the Buona Morte (Good Death), the Sacconi and the Rosary also take part in the procession.

The impressive Good Friday procession begins in the evening in Piazza San Pietro (St Peter Square), in the centre of Sezze and follows a ring throughout the village until it returns to the square.

The realization of the Sacred Representation is made possible thanks to the commitment of the members of the Association of the Passion of Christ of Sezze who preserve and pass on an ancient cultural tradition.

The Passion of Sezze has its origins in the Middle Ages when it was celebrated by religious brotherhoods.

What we see today parading through the streets of the town is the work of a revitalisation of the 1930s when, thanks to an interest in artistic renewal, the Representation achieved success in just a few years.

It was also presented in Rome in 1950 in Via Fori Imperiali crowning the Jubilee and the Sacred Representation of Sezze has since returned to parade in Rome on the occasion of the Holy Year and on other key occasions.

The Passion of Sezze also marched in Assisi, Latina, San Giovanni Rotondo, Montecassino and in recent years also abroad, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela, and at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes .

But it is in the narrow alleys and ways of the town of Sezze that the procession knows its most impressive moments.