PhD Program in Historical studies
The Feast of the Madonna della Bruna in Matera
The Feast of the Madonna della Bruna (also called della Visitazione, “of the Visitation”) of Matera is famous for the huge triumphal wagon on which the effigy of the patron saint is carried in procession. The first pageant was built in the late seventeenth century. Each year, the ceremony ends with the stracciamento, i.e. the destruction of the wagon by the faithful. Such a custom was reminiscent of a certain episode that happened in the Middle Ages, when the wagon used to carry the statue of the Madonna in procession was destroyed by the inhabitants of Matera to prevent looting by the Saracens. The tourist who is still unsure about whether to participate in the next Feast of the Madonna della Bruna, held on 2 July, should note that the ceremony ends with the noise of the fireworks that light up the famous Sassi of Matera (the old houses formed in the rock, that in 1993 UNESCO has declared a World Heritage Site) by day.