Festa di Santa Rosalia 2025

Festa di Santa Rosalia 2025 will take place from Thursday, July 10, to Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in the beautiful city of Palermo.

The religious feast, one of the most important in Sicily, was officially recognized as an intangible heritage of Italy by the Central Institute for Demo-Ethno-Anthropology.

The feast is dedicated to Saint Rosalia, also called La Santuzza (Little Saint) or Rusulia (in Sicilian dialect), the patron saint of Palermo.

Festa di Santa Rosalia commemorates the miraculous appearances of the Saint from 1624, when the city was hit by plague.

Festa di Santa Rosalia serves as a platform for showcasing Sicilian art, music, and cuisine, contributing to the cultural and economic vitality of the region.

In 2017, Palermo was recognized as the Italian Capital of Culture, and the Feast of Santa Rosalia played a significant role in the city’s cultural offerings during that year.

Festa di Santa Rosalia 2025 will be the 401 edition of the event.

WHAT ARE THE DATES FOR FESTA DI SANTA ROSALIA 2025?

Every year, the festival lasts six days, between 10 and 15 of July, with the first three days being reserved for the preparation of the great procession held on the evening of July 14.

Festa di Santa Rosalia 2025 will be held from Thursday, July 10, to Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

WHAT IS THE LOCATION FOR FESTA DI SANTA ROSALIA 2025?

Festa di Santa Rosalia 2025 will take place, as usual, in Palermo, the capital city of Sicily and the most populated city on the island.

Located in the northwestern part of the region, in the Gulf of Palermo, the city lies in a basin formed by three rivers, and is surrounded by a mountain range which bears its name.

Palermo is located 220 kilometers northwest of Catania, 225 kilometers west of Messina, and 265 kilometers northwest of Syracuse.

SHORT HISTORY OF FESTA DI SANTA ROSALIA

Festa di Santa Rosalia 2025

Santa Rosalia was born of a Norman noble family that claimed descent from Charlemagne.

She lived in the last years of her life as a hermit in a cave on Mount Pellegrino, where she died alone in 1166.

According to legend, in 1624, Emanuel Filibert of Savoy, the Viceroy of Sicily, 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 throughout the city.

Girolama La Gattuta, a 47-year-old woman suffering of strong fever at the Hospital of Palermo, had an angel vision. The angel told her to go to the Mount Pellegrino and pray.

Three days later, Girolama miraculously recovered, without making the trip to the mountain, but she fell ill again on May 7, 1624, when the plague hit the city.

A few days later, Girolama climbed Monte 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 mountain, 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, organised a procession through the city, carrying the relics of the Saint. In a few days, the city was freed from the plague.

The cave on Mount Pellegrino, where Santa Rosalia’s remains were found, has become a major pilgrimage site.

The Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia (Santuario di Santa Rosalia) is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year, especially during the feast.

The climb to the sanctuary is considered an act of devotion, and many people make the journey on foot, some even barefoot, as a form of penance or to fulfill a vow.

The image of Santa Rosalia is omnipresent in Palermo, from statues in public squares to paintings in churches and homes.

Her iconography, typically showing her in a hermit’s robe with a crown of roses, is a constant reminder of her protective presence over the city.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR FESTA DI SANTA ROSALIA 2025

Cathedral of Palermo – Festa di Santa Rosalia 2025

Festa di Santa Rosalia 2025 will begin with a solemn mass at the Cathedral of Palermo, where the relics of Santa Rosalia are housed.

Throughout the days of the feast, the Cathedral will become a focal point for pilgrims and devotees, who will come to offer their prayers and seek blessings.

The highlight of the Festa di Santa Rosalia will be the grand procession on the evening of July 14th.

The procession, led by the Archbishop and the Mayor of Palermo, will start in front of the Cathedral of Palermo.

Accompanied by the ringing of church bells, the sounds of traditional Sicilian music, and the cheers of the crowd, the procession is both a religious and a public celebration.

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.

The route of the procession is lined with thousands of spectators, many of whom light candles or throw rose petals as the chariot passes by.

The procession culminates with a spectacular fireworks display over the sea, symbolizing the end of the plague and the protection of Palermo under Santa Rosalia’s watchful care.

The feast continues the next day, on July 15, with the solemn procession of the relics of the Saint, contained inside a silver urn.

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