Celebrations in Honor of Our Lady of the Snows

A Marian devotion in the mountains of L'Aquila

The Celebrations in Honor of Our Lady of the Snows take place every year on August 5th in the village of Marruci, a mountain hamlet in the municipality of Pizzoli, in the province of L'Aquila, in the heart of Abruzzo. The celebration commemorates the ancient legend of the summer snowfall on August 5, 358, on the Esquiline Hill in Rome, which gave rise to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major—a cult that has deep roots in Abruzzo, particularly in the L'Aquila area.

The Church of Sant'Antonio Abate and Our Lady of the Snows

The heart of the festivities is the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate and Our Lady of the Snows, a small 15th-century building situated in the hilly area above the localities of Vallicella and Santa Maria, just above the village of Marruci. The single-nave church preserves valuable 15th-century frescoes and is distinguished by its raised entrance, reached by two symmetrical staircases that form a sort of balcony over a niche dedicated to the Madonna. For centuries, the community of Marruci has cultivated a dual devotion: to Saint Anthony Abbot, protector of animals, celebrated in January, and to Our Lady of the Snows, celebrated in the height of summer.

The festival program

The August 5th recurrence retains a quiet, village-like character. The central moment is the Holy Mass celebrated in the late afternoon at the village church, with the participation of residents and families returning to their hometown for the summer. The liturgical part is followed in the evening by an open-air social gathering: in the most recent edition, the community gathered for the screening of a film set in Abruzzo, providing an opportunity to meet under the summer mountain sky.

Marruci and the surrounding area

Marruci is located in the Upper Aterno Valley, about fifteen kilometers northwest of the city of L'Aquila, in a territory that largely falls within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. The Our Lady of the Snows festival is an opportunity to rediscover an authentic village, far from the main tourist flows, where religious tradition intertwines with the life of a small mountain community. Organized by the Parish of Marruci together with the Fraternità Association, the event remains one of the most cherished appointments for the town's identity.