Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua

The Feast of Saint Anthony in Bagnoregio

In Bagnoregio, a small town in the Tuscia region of Viterbo province, the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua is one of the most cherished events for the community. The Franciscan saint, who died on June 13, 1231, and is among the most beloved figures in Italian popular devotion, is venerated here as the co-patron of the city alongside Saint Bonaventure, whose feast day is July 15th. Every year, around June 13th, the village gathers to honor his memory with a series of celebrations that intertwine faith, tradition, and social life.

Devotion and Procession

The religious heart of the festivities is June 13th, featuring a solemn mass and the traditional procession that winds through the streets of the historic center. It is a moment when the community, along with the many visitors who reach Bagnoregio, renews an ancient bond with the patron saint of the poor, travelers, and those seeking what has been lost. Local confraternities, parishes, and committees, elected annually to organize the celebrations, oversee the street decorations and accompany the procession.

The Popular Dimension

Alongside the sacred rites, the festivities retain a strong civil and convivial spirit, typical of Lazio's patronal feasts. In the evenings leading up to and following the event, the town comes alive with music, social gatherings, stalls, and opportunities to meet in the town squares. It is a chance to rediscover the hospitality of the Tuscia Viterbese and the flavors of local cuisine, in an atmosphere that unites different generations around a long-standing tradition.

Bagnoregio and the Tuscia

Celebrating Saint Anthony in Bagnoregio also means experiencing one of the most evocative villages in Lazio. The town is world-famous for Civita di Bagnoregio, the "dying city," perched on a tuff spur and connected only by a pedestrian bridge, but the main town and its hamlets preserve a heritage of churches, alleys, and religious traditions that mark the entire calendar year. The June feast, along with those of Saint Bonaventure and Saint Ildephonsus, is part of this identity fabric that makes the Bagnoregio community deeply connected to its roots.

A Community Event

The Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua is not a major international tourist event, but an authentic and participatory celebration, an expression of the devotion and sense of belonging of an entire town. For those visiting the province of Viterbo in mid-June, it represents the ideal opportunity to get to know the life of a Tuscia community and its popular religiosity, far from the more crowded circuits.