• About

    Festa di Santa Rosalia (Feast of Saint Rosalia) is one of the most important religious events in Sicily, held every year in the first half of July, in Palermo.

    The feast is dedicated to Saint Rosalia, also called La Santuzza (Little Saint), the patron saint of the city, and it commemorates the miraculous appearances of the Saint from 1624, when Palermo was hit by plague.

     

    SHORT HISTORY

    In 1624, the Viceroy of Sicily, Emanuel Filibert of Savoy, who resided in the city, brought to the port of Palermo a ship from Tunis, containing many gifts. Muhammad Calavà, the captain of the ship, and some of the crew, were suspected of being sick. Shortly after, the disease, carried by rats, spread rapidly all over the city.

    A 47-year-old woman, Girolama La Gattuta, suffering of strong fever at the Hospital of Palermo, had an angel vision. The angel told her to go to Monte Pellegrino and pray. Three days later, Girolama miraculously recovered, without going to Mount Pellegrino, but she fell ill again on May 7, 1624, when the plague hit the city.

    A few days later, Girolama climbed the Mount Pellegrino, drank some clear water that dripped from the walls of a cave, and miraculously healed. On this occasion, Girolama saw Santa Rosalia, who told her to dig in the cave for a treasure. On July 15, 1624, in the place indicated by Girolama, the bones of a woman were found. The bones were cleaned and brought to Palermo.

    In February, 1625, on the same Mount Pellegrino, Santa Rosalia appeard to a hunter named Vincenzo Bonello. The hunter wanted to commit suicide after he lost his wife to the plague. The Saint told him that only if her remains will be carried through the streets of Palermo in a procession, the city will get rid of the plague.

    When he heard that, Giannettino Doria, the Archbishop of Palermo, made a procession through the city, carrying the relics of the Saint. In a few days, the city was freed from the plague.

     

    The 395 edition of the FEAST OF SANTA ROSALIA will be held in the weekend of July 14-15, 2019. The procession will start on the night of July 14th from the Cathedral of Palermo, reaching Foro Italico, near the sea, culminating with an impressive firework display. The Archbishop and the Mayor of Palermo will lead the procession.

    The central point of the procession is a vessel-shaped chariot, built different every year, carrying the Statue of Saint Rosalia. The chariot is ten meters high and almost as long, decorated with roses and angels, and pulled by oxen.

    During the feast, on the streets of Palermo, you can find food that is part of the popular tradition of the city: pasta with sardines, babbaluci (snails boiled with garlic), sfincione (a thick Sicilian pizza), boiled octopus and watermelon.

  • Find a place to stay
  • Photos
  • Video

  • Map

    No Records Found

    Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.

    Google Map Not Loaded

    Sorry, unable to load Google Maps API.

  • Reviews

    Leave a Review

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this Event (overall):
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
     

    Drop files to upload


    Please drag & drop the images to rearrange the order

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.