Easter Arches

An ephemeral masterpiece reborn every Easter

The Easter Arches are the beating heart of San Biagio Platani, a small town in the Sicani Mountains in the province of Agrigento, Sicily. Every year, for Easter, the historic town center turns into a monumental open-air gallery: along Corso Umberto I, gigantic ephemeral structures are built entirely from natural materials, redesigning the urban space and telling a collective story rooted in the centuries.

The two brotherhoods

The tradition stems from a friendly rivalry between two ancient brotherhoods, heirs to the companies of the Most Holy Sacrament and the Most Holy Rosary:

• Madunnara, based in the Mother Church, devotees of the Madonna;
• Signurara, based in the Carmine Church near the Calvary, devotees of the Risen Christ.

Each brotherhood creates its own section of the path, giving life to a passionate yet non-antagonistic competition that changes theme and appearance every year while maintaining the classic structure: the entrance (the facade of a church), the avenue (the nave), and the central arch (the apse).

The art of bread and nature

The arches reach thirteen meters in height and are built with reeds, agaves, willows, laurel and rosemary branches, palms, cereals, dates, and oranges. They are embellished with nimpee, artistic chandeliers decorated with dates and pasta, and cuddure, bread sculptures shaped like angels, doves, and bells. Mosaics of cereals, flowers, and citrus fruits depict sacred faces in a triumph of craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation.

Origins and meaning

The tradition dates back to the 18th century, in an era of great poverty, when the villagers found in ephemeral art a way to celebrate the Resurrection and forget daily hardships. Under the central arch, on Easter morning, the most awaited moment takes place: the symbolic meeting between the statue of the Risen Christ and that of the Madonna. The works, dismantled at the end of the festival, are partly preserved in the Museum of the Easter Arches.

Between tradition and contemporary art

In recent years, the event has opened up to a dialogue with contemporary art, thanks to the collaboration with Farm Cultural Park and the urban regeneration project supported by PNRR funds. San Biagio Platani has thus become a small laboratory where folk traditions meet the creativity of international artists, confirming this festival as one of the most authentic and original experiences in inland Sicily.