PhD Program in Historical studies
Easter rites in Cagliari
Holy Week in Cagliari is preceded by an ancient rite that takes place on Good Friday before Palm Sunday: the procession of the Misteri, overseen by the Archconfraternity of Santo Cristo (Holy Christ) in collaboration with three other associations. It is a procession in which seven wooden statuesOriginally, the Mysteries of Cagliari were also called passos, a Castilian term that is still used in Spain to refer to the simulacra of the Passion (called precisely pasos)., built in the mid-eighteenth century by the famous Sardinian sculptor Giuseppe Antonio LonisGiuseppe Antonio Lonis (Sernobì 1720 – Cagliari, 1805) is considered the greatest Sardinian sculptor of the eighteenth century. His works, with religious themes, are Baroque and Neoclassical, present in many churches in southern Sardinia., take part in, to represent the most salient moments of the Passion of Christ and the Sorrow of Mary. The Cross of Simon of Cyrene leaves with the pageants on Good Friday. This is the same cross that the following Friday will be used to stage the ritual of the Crucifixion.
On Holy Tuesday there is another procession of the Misteri, in which groups of statues similar to those of Good Friday (also made by Lonis) take part. The procession starts from the Jesuit Church of San Michele, located in the city district of Stampace, famous for hosting a place of worship dedicated to Saint Ephisius, the Patron Saint of the capital of Sardinia.
In Cagliari, as is the case in other localities of the island, the rites of Holy Week do not follow the normal chronology of the Passion of Christ. On Holy Thursday, for example, the ritual of the Crucifixion (s’incravamentu, in Sardinian), is held a day before it should be, staged with a statue of Jesus with jointed arms.
On Holy Friday two massive processions are held bearing Jesus on the cross procession and culminating with the deposition of the body of Christ. The ritual is repeated the next day in the Cathedral and in the parish church of San Lucifero (Saint Lucifer). On Easter Sunday, however, in the three historical parishes of Cagliari (Stampace, Marina and Villanova) the scene of the meeting (S’Incontru in Sardinian) between the statue of Mary and the statue of the Risen Christ is staged.