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About
Palio di San Paolino 2023 will take place on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, in the beautiful city of Lucca.
Palio di San Paolino is a historical reenactment event dedicated to Saint Paulinus of Antioch, the patron saint of Lucca, held every year on July 12, in the main square of the city, Piazza San Martino.
SHORT HISTORY
In 1169, during the war with Pisa, the government of Lucca, concerned about the constant assaults from the neighboring town, asked the old ally Genoa for help. To strengthen the defence of Lucca, Genoa sent a certain number of crossbowmen. In a relatively short time, the local soldiers became experts in handling the crossbow.
In the 14th century, Castruccio Castracani delli Antelminelli, Lord of Lucca, introduced a prize to reward the strongest crossbowmen of the city. From that moment on, Palio di San Paolino was held regularly on the occasion of the main festivities of the city.
The rules of the Palio were established by a document named ordo pro balistari, dated June 26, 1443, preserved today in the State Archive of Lucca. The document is the oldest regulation for an archery competition in Europe.
On October 10, 1970, a group of people wishing to rediscover the ancient tradition of crossbowing, formed the Company of Crossbowmen of Lucca (Compagnia Balestrieri Lucca).
Today, Palio di San Paolino takes place according to the rules written six centuries ago, even though, because of technical reasons, some changes were necessary.
The competition is held between the crossbowmen from the city’s terzieri (the three districts of Lucca): San Paolino (red), San Salvatore (green) and San Martino (black).
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
The Palio will begin on July 11, with the opening ceremony and a traditional historical parade. The parade will culminate in Piazza San Martino, where the draw of the order in which the crossbowmen will compete will take place. Subsequently, a mass will be held in the Basilica of San Paolino, for the blessing of the Palio.
On July 12, the Palio will take place in the evening, starting with 9.30 pm, in Piazza San Martino, in front of the Cathedral of San Martino. The participants will challenge each other using antique Italian crossbows. At the end of the competition, the judges will reward the first four classified crossbowmen.
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