A Testament of Popular Faith: The Passion of Romagnano Sesia

On Good Friday, we discover one of the many re-enactments of the Way of the Cross.

Since 1729, every odd-numbered year, the so-called Good Friday of Romagnano Sesia brings to life, through the streets of this town at the foot of the Valsesia Valley, the Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of Jesus Christ. The village is transformed into an authentic Jerusalem of its time, thanks to the participation of around 350 costumed actors, extras, mounted soldiers, and standard bearers. From Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday, a series of sacred and evocative scenes from the Holy Week drama unfold, rich in spiritual and emotional impact. This Sacred Re-enactment takes place through fifteen moving tableaux.


On Good Friday, two processions pass through Romagnano Sesia: one in the morning, featuring the traditional sound of distinctive rattles known as Tinebre and a band of drummers, and another procession in the evening.

Throughout the four days of the event, the various scenes are repeated between Piazza Cavour and Piazza Libertà, in the park of Villa Caccia. The scenes of the Garden of Gethsemane and the Crucifixion are staged in the Parco della Rimembranza.

The program begins on Holy Thursday with the depiction of the Sanhedrin's conspiracy and Judas Iscariot's pact, the Last Supper and the washing of the feet with the institution of the Eucharist, concluding with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in the Parco della Rimembranza.

The Good Friday morning re-enactment is particularly moving and includes: the procession in which the keys to the city are ceremonially handed over to the Governor in Piazza Libertà; the transport of the statue of the Dead Christ from the Church of Madonna del Popolo, near Piazza della Libertà, to the Abbey Church of San Silvano; and the procession of Our Lady of Sorrows. In the afternoon, scenes follow depicting the trial before the High Priest Caiaphas, Judas’s despair and suicide, and Peter’s denial.

Other tableaux include Jesus being dragged before Pontius Pilate and then to Herod, the Flagellation, Jesus’s ascent to Calvary, and the encounters with Simon of Cyrene and the Three Marys: the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Clopas.

The day concludes with the harrowing scene of the Crucifixion, followed by the Liturgical Reading of the Passio in the Abbey Church, and the solemn procession with the Dead Christ.

On Holy Saturday, in Piazza Cavour, the Sanhedrin scene is performed in which the council decides to ask Pontius Pilate to have guards watch over Christ’s tomb. Meanwhile, the Resurrection is re-enacted in the Parco della Rimembranza.

On Easter Sunday, the most significant scenes of the Sacred Re-enactment are performed once again.

The Passion of Romagnano Sesia is part of the cultural heritage of the Novara area.

Photo: Image of the event (from the website avvenire.it)

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