PhD Program in Historical studies
The Corpus Christi of Valencia
Corpus Christi is a liturgical ceremony of medieval origin (thirteenth century), in which the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is celebrated. It is held on the Thursday after Pentecost (a movable feast which falls on the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday). From the beginning, the feast of Corpus Christi has been interpreted by the Church as an opportunity to stage episodes inspired by the Holy Scriptures or the lives of the saints, first with the help of actors and then with puppets, statues and statuary groups and scenic apparatuses.
Corpus Christi, in addition to being an extraordinary religious spectacle, was the occasion on which European cities accounted for and put to the test the delicate balance between the various social and institutional components. In the past, especially during the Baroque era, the celebrations envisaged the setting up of extraordinary stage sets, of which today in many places, only a few traces remain. This is not however the case in Valencia. The origin of the Valencian procession dates back to the Middle Ages. In the first centuries of the Early Modern period, Corpus Christi has become one of the most important religious festivals in the city. After a period of downsizing, which occurred since the nineteenth century and became more acute in the years of the Second Republic and the Civil War (1936-1939), in the second half of the twentieth century the procession of Valencia has returned to its former glory (especially thanks to the Asociación de amigos del Corpus de la ciudad de Valencia). So, even today, an impressive number of people in costume who impersonate characters and episodes from the Old and New Testament participate in the Corpus Christi of Valencia. This makes the sacred procession of Corpus Christi of Valencia one of the most authentic ones that are celebrated in Europe, one that more closely resembles the mysteries: the ancient medieval representations of religious themes staged by living characters. It is a spectacle without equal, in which zoomorphic representations of the devil (the same ones who participate in the parade that takes place on the eve of Corpus Christi) are contraposed to the effigies of saints who, according to tradition, would defeat them. To participate in Corpus in Valencia is a unique experience, where you can relive the atmosphere of the Middle Ages and the wonders of the Baroque. In this parade, a central place is occupied also by enigmatic Cirialots. On the eve of the procession of Corpus Christi in Valencia, however, an equally impressive parade staged a fashion, which also involves Giants and Dwarfs.