Feast of Saint Dominic Abate

Saint Dominic Abate, the Lord of Snakes

On the last Sunday of May, the village of Castelpizzuto, in the province of Isernia, celebrates the Feast of Saint Dominic Abate, a figure venerated throughout central Italy as a protector against snake bites and poison. The festival is a direct descendant of the famous rite of the Serpari of Cocullo, in Abruzzo, and shares its religious and folk origins.

Origins: The Vow of 1888

The tradition dates back to 1888, when the archpriest Bonaventura Caranci, bitten by a rabid dog and miraculously healed, introduced the cult of the saint to Castelpizzuto, invoked as the one who saves from rabies and poison. In the past, the statue was covered with snakes caught in the fields around the village: this practice ceased around the early 1920s, following a dramatic incident that remains in local memory.

The Festival Today

The day begins with the arrival of pilgrims, followed by the procession of the three statues through the streets of the historic center, accompanied by a band playing religious music and by the sacred chants of the inhabitants. A small horseshoe is attached to the statue, referencing the hagiographic legend of the saint's mule, which devotees touch for protection. Until recently, on the eve of the festival, amateur actors from the village staged the Opera of Saint Dominic, a drama about the saint's life and miracles.