Feast in Honor of Saints Cosmas and Damian

An ancient devotion in the heart of Sannio

The Feast in Honor of Saints Cosmas and Damian takes place every year in late September in Terranova, the most well-known hamlet of the municipality of Arpaise, in the province of Benevento, in the heart of Campania. It is the patronal feast that marks the life of the village: for a few days, a town of a few hundred inhabitants welcomes thousands of faithful arriving from Sannio, Irpinia, other Italian regions, and even from communities of emigrants abroad, all bound to the two anargyroi saints, the physicians who, according to tradition, healed without asking for money.

Devotion in Terranova dates back to 1672, the year the relics of the two martyrs arrived from Rome, housed in marble statues crafted in Serino. Since then, the small community has never interrupted the tradition: over three and a half centuries of pilgrimages, fulfilled promises, and ex-votos left before the altars.

The Sanctuary of Saints Cosmas and Damian

The heart of everything is the Sanctuary of Saints Cosmas and Damian, located in Piazza Santi Cosma e Damiano in Terranova. The current building dates back to 1934, when the old church dedicated to Saint Mary was demolished: the neo-Gothic facade features two spires above the Romanesque rose window and a bell tower on the left side of the apse, while the interior has three naves. A plaque in the right nave commemorates the indulgences granted by Cardinal Orsini, later Pope, for the feast day of the Saints on September 27. Next to the sanctuary is the chapel of the Confraternity of the Rosary, built in 1898, which houses an 18th-century wooden statue of the Virgin; the parish archive holds records dating back to approximately 1670. The hundreds of ex-votos are the most immediate testimony of the graces received by the devotees.

The religious program

The structure of the feast is well-established and repeats year after year with few calendar variations:

• The novena: nine days of preparation, with the Holy Rosary in the late afternoon, mass, and Eucharistic adoration.
• September 26, the liturgical day of Saints Cosmas and Damian: masses follow one another from morning to evening to welcome the continuous flow of pilgrims.
• September 27, the feast day of the holy martyrs: the solemn mass at noon, followed by the procession with the relics and sacred images through the streets of the village, accompanied by a brass band and civil, religious, and military authorities.
• The octave, in early October: a triduum to Our Lady of the Rosary and a second procession, which officially closes the festivities.

During the central days, there are five or six masses per day, and the sanctuary is never empty.

Bands, illuminations, and fireworks

The religious aspect is complemented by a civil program organized by the Feast Committee. The absolute stars are the lyrical-symphonic brass bands, a typical tradition of Southern Italy: in recent years, groups such as the Città di Grottolella Band and the Città de Montesarchio Musical Band have performed in Terranova. The evenings of the feast also feature performances of traditional Campanian folk music—tammurriata, bottari, traditional singing groups—along with exhibitions by local dance schools, cabaret, and concerts by artists from the Neapolitan scene.

The artistic illuminations transform the square and the climb toward the sanctuary into a scenery of luminous arches, while the fireworks display at midnight on the feast day is the most anticipated moment of the civil program.

The flavors of Sannio in the square

During the festivities, food and wine stalls offer typical local products: Sannio cured meats and cheeses, traditional sweets, and local wines, in a province that is among the most vine-covered in Campania. These are joined by traditional exhibitions—the agricultural machinery fair and craft displays—and photographic exhibitions set up at the info point, featuring historical images of the village and the ancient vestments of the Confraternity of the Rosary.

Why it is worth the trip

Arpaise is a small municipality near Benevento, on the ridge that separates Sannio from Irpinia. Off the mass tourism circuits, it offers an authentic glimpse of popular Southern religiosity during the feast of the Physician Saints: not a staged performance for visitors, but a community repeating gestures handed down for generations. For those visiting the province of Benevento in late September, it is one of the most significant events in the calendar of patronal feasts in the Campania Region.