Feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (San Salvatore in Lauro Sanctuary)
A September of devotion in the heart of Rome, featuring a novena, relics, and a procession to Piazza Navona
About Feast of Saint Pio at San Salvatore in Lauro
A popular festival in the heart of the Historic Centre
In the Ponte district, along the route connecting Piazza Navona to Via dei Coronari, the San Salvatore in Lauro Sanctuary has for decades guarded the Roman memory of Padre Pio. Each year, in the second half of September, the Municipality of Rome — in the heart of the Lazio Region — hosts one of the most heartfelt and crowded religious celebrations on its calendar: the Feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, which culminates on September 23rd, the anniversary of the saint's passing in 1968.
The sanctuary and the relics
San Salvatore in Lauro is the diocesan reference point for the Padre Pio Prayer Groups: there are over six hundred in the Lazio region alone. The church houses a collection of relics of great devotional value — the mantle, gloves, bandages, stole, and the relic of the blood of the stigmata — along with a sculptural group depicting Christ the Redeemer with Padre Pio. During the festival days, the sanctuary remains open for many hours, and the line of faithful waiting to venerate the relics stretches out into the square.
Novena, adoration, and key days
The festival is not just a single day but a journey of over a week. September 23rd is preceded by a widely attended novena, experienced daily with Eucharistic adoration in the afternoon and Holy Mass in the evening. Two dates mark the path:
- September 20th — anniversary of the stigmatization: solemn exposition and veneration of the blood relic, followed by a solemn mass in the evening;
- September 22nd — memorial of the transit, with a prolonged prayer vigil before the relics;
- September 23rd — liturgical feast of Saint Pio: masses throughout the morning and the main celebration in the evening.
The procession and the Civil Protection
The most spectacular moment is the procession accompanying the solemn mass on September 23rd: Prayer Groups, confraternities, and associations walk through the streets of the centre to Piazza Navona, where the blessing of the Civil Protection vehicles takes place. Saint Pio is, in fact, the patron saint of the Italian Civil Protection, and since 2004, volunteers have participated regularly in the festival with their vehicles lined up along the square: an unusual and very Roman encounter between popular devotion and civil service.
A square transformed into an open-air church
The influx of faithful from all over Italy is such that the solemn mass cannot be celebrated inside the sanctuary: the square in front is equipped with giant screens and thousands of chairs, becoming a large open-air church for the evening. In recent years, the main celebration has been presided over by prominent cardinals and bishops, a testament to the importance the event has assumed in the life of the Diocese of Rome.
How it concludes
The festivities do not end on the 23rd: the following Sunday is dedicated to the solemn thanksgiving mass, which fulfills the year's vow and returns the sanctuary to its ordinary rhythm, consisting of the monthly memory of the saint and the continuous welcome of pilgrims.
Why it is worth visiting
Those visiting Rome in September will find a dimension of the city that escapes tourist circuits: not an event built for the public, but an authentic popular devotion, experienced in one of the most beautiful corners of the Historic Centre. Admission is free and participation is open to everyone, believers and the curious alike.
Feast of Saint Pio at San Salvatore in Lauro — edition 2026
Feast of Saint Pio 2026
The San Salvatore in Lauro Sanctuary confirms its most important event for 2026: the feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, whose liturgical day falls on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026. Preparation begins in the middle of the month with the novena, while the festivities conclude the following Sunday with the thanksgiving mass.
As every year, the main celebration on September 23rd is held in the square, in front of the sanctuary, to welcome the thousands of faithful arriving from all over Lazio and Italy, together with the over six hundred Padre Pio Prayer Groups of the Diocese of Rome and the Civil Protection volunteers, of whom the saint is the patron.
All celebrations have free admission. The detailed program with the names of the celebrants will be published by the parish in the preceding weeks.
Programme Feast of Saint Pio at San Salvatore in Lauro 2026
The novena (September 13th to 22nd)
- Daily: Eucharistic adoration in the afternoon (traditionally at 4:30 PM) and Holy Mass at 6:00 PM
- Sanctuary open morning and afternoon for the veneration of Padre Pio's relics
Sunday, September 20th — anniversary of the stigmata
- 11:00 AM: Solemn exposition and veneration of the saint's blood relic
- 6:00 PM: Solemn mass
Tuesday, September 22nd — memorial of the transit
- 6:00 PM: Solemn mass, followed by exposition and prayer vigil
Wednesday, September 23rd — liturgical feast of Saint Pio
- Holy masses throughout the morning (traditionally at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, and 12:00)
- Afternoon: Procession with Prayer Groups, confraternities, and associations to Piazza Navona, with the blessing of Civil Protection vehicles
- 6:00 PM: Solemn mass in the Piazza di San Salvatore in Lauro, with giant screens and thousands of seats
Following Sunday — conclusion
- 6:00 PM: Solemn thanksgiving mass to close the festivities
The indicated times follow the established schedule of recent years: the parish will publish the final 2026 program on its website in the weeks leading up to the feast.
Highlights Feast of Saint Pio at San Salvatore in Lauro 2026
- Relic of the blood of the stigmata exposed for veneration on September 20th
- Procession to Piazza Navona on September 23rd, one of the most attended religious pageants in the Historic Centre
- Blessing of Civil Protection vehicles, a tradition established in 2004: Saint Pio is their patron
- Solemn open-air mass in the square, with giant screens and thousands of chairs
- The sanctuary's heritage of relics: Padre Pio's mantle, gloves, bandages, and stole
- Over 600 Prayer Groups from Lazio gathered in the same place
Prices Feast of Saint Pio at San Salvatore in Lauro 2026
Practical information — Feast of Saint Pio at San Salvatore in Lauro
Location
San Salvatore in Lauro Sanctuary, Piazza di San Salvatore in Lauro, Ponte district — a few steps from Via dei Coronari and Piazza Navona, Rome (00186).
How to get there
The Historic Centre is a pedestrian and limited traffic zone: it is best to arrive on foot. Buses run along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and the Lungotevere (stops: Corso Vittorio Emanuele / Chiesa Nuova or Zanardelli). From Roma Termini station, you can take a bus towards Argentina and continue on foot for about ten minutes. Metro: Line A, Spagna or Lepanto stops, then continue on foot or by bus. Driving is strongly discouraged: use park-and-ride facilities and public transport.
Admission
Celebrations are free and open to all. For the solemn mass on September 23rd, the square is equipped with chairs and giant screens: it is advisable to arrive well in advance as seats fill up quickly.
Tips
Dress appropriately for a place of worship. During peak days, long queues for the veneration of relics and temporary changes to pedestrian traffic in the Piazza Navona area are possible.
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Where does it take place — Feast of Saint Pio at San Salvatore in Lauro
Santuario di San Salvatore in Lauro
Piazza di San Salvatore in Lauro 15, 00186 Roma