Corpus Christi and the Misteri (Mysteries) of Campobasso

The Mysteries of Campobasso have a long history, which goes beyond the boundaries of the capital of Molise. Since the Middle Ages, in Europe, on the occasion of the major ecclesiastical solemnity, theatrical performances with a religious theme inspired by the Holy Scriptures or the lives of the saints (known in Italy as in Spain as Misterios, autos historiales or comedia de Santos) were held. The hagiographic legends were represented mainly on the occasion of Corpus Christi (a liturgical ceremony that celebrates the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist), the Thursday after Pentecost (a moveable Feast which falls on the fiftieth day after Easter). Originally, these enactments provide for the participation of living characters. Beginning in the seventeenth century, however, under the impulse of the Church of the Counter-Reformation, the actors were gradually replaced by statues and statuary groups, in order to adapt to the new dictates of ecclesiastical ceremonies and prevent errors caused by excessive familiarity with the faithful.

The ceremony of the Misteri that still is held in Campobasso on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) is one of the last Italian testimonies of these ancient rites. It provides for the parade of 13 processional “machines”, called Misteri or ingegni, composed of living characters and symbolic objects. The sets are arranged on sacred quadrangular wooden platforms from Campobasso (on which an iron structure is mounted), which are transported by a minimum of 12 to a maximum of 18 people on their shoulders with the aid of long shafts of wood. The Misteri weigh between 400 and 600 kilograms and are 4 to 6 metres high. The paintings depict a religious scene, a hagiographical account or a biblical story with the use of actors (children and adults) and objects. The construction of the Misteri which are used nowadays was undertaken by local artist Paolo Saverio di ZinnoPaolo Saverio Zinno (1718-1781) was born and died in Campobasso, but was trained in Naples. A great wood sculptor, head for a few years of the Brotherhood of Santa Maria della Croce (Saint Mary of the Cross), he reached the peak of his career with the reconstruction of the Mysteries of Corpus Christi. His wooden sculptures, all of sacred character, are now preserved in various churches of Molise, Campania, Puglia and Abruzzo. and is dated to the late eighteenth century. The latter was undertaken under commission of three brotherhoods from Campobasso (Trinitari, the Trinitarians, Crociati, the Crusaders and the Congrega di S. Antonio Abate, the Congregation of Saint Anthony Abbot), for which he created a skeleton in a fixed vertical position (with the help of slings), on which the characters that make up each mystery are placed at different heights. On the highest part, seemingly suspended in space, some children personify angels, devils, saints and Madonnas; on the other hand, adults, who represent the remaining characters are usually placed on the base of the machine.

<<<—previous page   back to index—>>>