A City and its Patron Saint – Massa Celebrates the Franciscan Jubilee

Massa pays tribute to its patron saint for the Franciscan Jubilee Year

2026 marks the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy and of the city and Diocese of Massa. To celebrate this extraordinary anniversary, the Municipality of Massa and the Diocese of Massa Carrara-Pontremoli have joined forces in a shared project titled "A City and its Patron Saint": a calendar of events that, from April to October, transforms the most representative places of the Apuana city into stages for culture and spirituality.

The initiative, presented at a press conference on March 24, 2026, by Mayor Francesco Persiani, Councilor for Culture Monica Bertoneri, and Artistic Director Cincia Bertilorenzi together with the Diocesan Commission, was born with an ambitious goal: not just to commemorate the Saint, but to rediscover him in his complexity and relevance, restoring a shared identity to the community around the figure of the "Poverello" (Little Poor Man) of Assisi.

A journey through theatre, meetings, music, and cinema

The program weaves together different genres and languages: theatrical performances, historical and spiritual in-depth meetings, concerts, film screenings, and moments of collective participation. The inaugural show is "Fra'. San Francesco la superstar del Medioevo", written and performed by Giovanni Scifoni, staged at the Teatro Guglielmi. Notable guests of the meeting cycle include poet Davide Rondoni and historian Franco Cardini, alongside friars and speakers who recount the human and spiritual story of Francis.

The locations involved are all symbolic for the city: the Basilica Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle and Saint Francis of Assisi in Piazza Duomo, the 18th-century Villa della Rinchiostra with its garden, the Capuchin Convent, the Seminary Cloister, the Teatro Guglielmi, and the Teatro dei Servi. To these is added the dimension of the journey, with the "Walking with Francis" pilgrimage along the paths of faith.

A collaboration between civil and religious institutions

The value of "A City and its Patron Saint" lies in the alliance between the municipal administration and the Diocese, which in Massa, the capital of the Province of Massa-Carrara in Tuscany, have managed to build a unified cultural project. Most of the events are free to attend, while some theatrical performances require a ticket. The celebrations conclude on October 4, the day of the Saint's liturgical feast, intertwining with the traditional city festival and the fair that have always accompanied the patron saint's anniversary.