Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

You may wish to see an introductory page to this section or pages on Sulmona first.

Piazza Maggiore, the site of the Easter Day Ceremony known as La Madonna che scappa (The Fleeing Madonna): S. Filippo with a medieval portal from S. Agostino, Palazzo Anelli (XVIIIth century) and an 1823 fountain; in the background the Maiella Massif

As it was the holy week, some part of the little time I was at Beja (on the road to Seville) was occupied in seeing Roman catholic functions and ceremonies. They are much more superstitious in those things here than in Italy, and add cruelty to superstition, in permitting the penitents to flog, and torment themselves in other ways, about the streets. The farther you get from Rome, the more such kind of penances are intermixed with religion.
Cristopher Hervey - Letters from Portugal, Spain, Italy and Germany, in the years 1759, 1760, and 1761
Palermo, April 8, 1787. {Easter Day.) The morning rejoicings in the blissful Resurrection of the Lord commenced with break of day. Crackers, wild-fires, rockets, serpents, etc, were let off by wholesale in front of the churches, as the worshippers crowded in at the open doors. The chiming of bells, the pealing of organs the chanting of processions, and of the choirs of priests who came to meet them, were enough to stun the ears of all who had not been used to such noisy worship. (..) Rome, May 1788. The Lord Christ is just this moment making his resurrection with a frightful din. Guns are firing from the castle, the bells are all ringing, and from all ends and corners you hear petards, crackers, and volley-firing.
J. W. Goethe - Italian Journey - translation by Charles Nisbet

Easter Day 2023: (left) a junior member of Confraternita (Brotherhood) di S. Maria di Loreto at S. Maria della Tomba; (centre) standard of the brotherhood; (right) the Bishop of Sulmona on his way to celebrate Mass at S. Maria della Tomba; the image used as background for this page shows a detail of the flag of the brotherhood with the letters N.G.V.M. (Natività della Gloriosa Vergine Maria) which can be seen also at S. Lucia, the small church of the brotherhood

In Spain the festivities of the Holy Week were much more important than those of Christmas and this tradition passed on to the Spanish territories of Southern Italy. At Sulmona the peak of the celebrations occurs on Easter Day and the ceremony is organized by a local brotherhood which is said to have been founded in 1560. You may wish to see a page on the procession of Madonna de' Noantri through the streets of Trastevere and to read a description of Festa della Madonna dell'Oriente at Tagliacozzo by Edward Lear.

Piazza Maggiore: baldaquin for the statue of the Risen Christ and the medieval aqueduct behind it

(left) The procession enters Piazza Maggiore; (centre) statues of St. John the Apostle and of the Risen Christ; (right) statue of St. Peter

(left) St. John and St. Peter on their way to S. Filippo; (right) St. John reaches S. Filippo

(left/centre) The saints knock at the door; (right) after three attempts the Virgin Mary appears in a mourning mantle (the statue was carried to the church on Saturday evening)

The Virgin Mary between St. John and St. Peter crosses Piazza Maggiore

Still image from the Regional TV broadcast of the event: the porters prepare for the last part of the ceremony

Still image from the Regional TV broadcast of the event: the Virgin Mary sees Christ and her mourning mantle falls showing her bright green costume of the same colour of that of the brotherhood; the porters begin to run

Still image from the Regional TV broadcast of the event: a porter slips but the other ones manage to keep running and carrying the statue; had they not been able to do so, the event would have been regarded as an ill omen for the forthcoming harvest

Still image from the Regional TV broadcast of the event: the ceremony goes on without the fallen porter

Still image from the Regional TV broadcast of the event: the statue reaches that of Christ

End of the ceremony: the statue of the Virgin Mary is carried inside S. Chiara

Go to:
Introductory page to this section
Alba Fucens
Amatrice
Amiternum
Antrodoco
Atri - the Town
Atri - the Cathedral
Avezzano
Borgocollefegato and the Cicolano
Carsoli
Celano
Chieti
Chieti - Roman memories
Cittaducale
Lanciano
L'Aquila - the Vale
L'Aquila - Historical outline
L'Aquila - S. Maria di Collemaggio
L'Aquila - S. Bernardino
L'Aquila - Other churches
L'Aquila - Other monuments
Leonessa - The Town
Leonessa - The Churches
Luco and Trasacco
Montereale
Penne
Pescara
S. Benedetto dei Marsi and Pescina
Roman Sulmona
Medieval Sulmona
Renaissance Sulmona
XVIIIth century Sulmona
Tagliacozzo
Teramo
Appendix - Other excerpts and illustrations from Lear's book covering minor towns and sites