PhD Program in Historical studies
The Holy Week in Abruzzo
The most important Holy Week processions in Abruzzo are held in Chieti and Lanciano. The protagonists of the two processions are the symbols of the Passion, carried in procession to the beat of poignant funeral marches by hooded brothers. The most famous march is the Miserere by Francesco Saverio Selecchy (1703-1788). This work is also performed during the Good Friday procession in L’Aquila: a procession that stands out from the others because of the presence of symbols and statuary groups made by a contemporary artist of the caliber of Remo BrindisiRemo Brindisi (Rome 1918 – Lido di Spina, Ferrara, 1996) was an Italian painter of international renown. He was director of the Accademia di Belle Arti of Macerata, the President of the Triennale of Milan. Among his works, there is the cycle History of Fascism (1957-1962).. In Abruzzo, as well as in Apulia, the slow pace of the faithful is punctuated by the strident sound of the raganella (in Apulia troccola): a rudimentary wooden instrument used during the Easter season instead of bells. The bases on which the Mysteries of the Passion and the other statues of Holy Week rest, known in Sicily as the Vare and in Spain as the pasos, in Abruzzo are called talami. The famous procession of the same name that takes place in OrsognaThe sacred procession of the Talami of Orsogna (Chieti) is the representation of six episodes from the Bible by living characters placed on wooden platforms (once carried on the shoulders, dragged in procession today with the help of tractors)., in the province of Chieti, on Easter Tuesday. Worthy of note is the Holy Week in SulmonaThe most important event that takes place in the town of Ovid is undoubtedly the Easter rite of the Madonna che scappa (Our Lady who runs). On this occasion, the Confraternity of Santa Maria di Loreto stages the frantic rush of the Virgin Mary, who, in disbelief, rushes to meet the Risen Christ, in the picturesque scenery of Piazza del Mercato.. Equally worthy of mention also the rite of the Desolata of Teramo, which takes place in a suggestive atmosphere at the dawn of Good Friday, and the living representation of the Passion of Christ which is held in the splendid and realistic scenario of Gessopalena (Chieti).