Festa di Sant’Eustachio 2023

Festa di Sant’Eustachio 2023 will take place on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, in the beautiful city of Matera.

The Feast of Saint Eustace is a religious celebration which takes place twice a year in Matera, on May 20 and on September 20, to celebrate the patron saint of the town, Saint Eustace.

The feast on September 20 is preceded by a Novena (a period of 9 consecutive days), during which religious services take place and marriage vows are renewed on the occasion of the 25th and 50th anniversaries.

THE SAINT

Saint Eustace was a Christian martyr and soldier saint, who lived in the 2nd century AD. Prior to his conversion to Christianity, Eustace was a Roman general named Placidus, who served the emperor Trajan.

While hunting a stag in Tivoli, near Rome, Placidus saw a vision of a crucifix between the stag’s antlers, and he immediately converted to Christianity and changed his name to Eustace.

In 994, Matera was occupied by the Saracens, the people invoked the saint and the town was freed from the invaders. Since then, Saint Eustace became the patron saint of the town.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

On September 20, 2023, around 6.30 pm, the Holy Mass will be held in the Cathedral of the Madonna della Bruna and of Sant’Eustachio, the Cathedral of Matera.

Around 7.30 pm, the procession dedicated to the saint will start, and his statue will be carried through the streets of the historical center of Matera, accompanied by people and musical bands.

The procession will start in Piazza Duomo, will continue on Via Duomo, Via delle Beccherie, Via del Corso, Via Rocco Scotellaro, Via Lucana, Via Domenico Ridola, Via San Francesco d’Assisi, will reach Piazza del Sedile, and back on Via Duomo to Piazza Duomo.

Around 10.00 pm, in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, a fireworks display will close the festivity.