Feast of the Assumption of Mary

A festival born with the sanctuary

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary is celebrated every August 15th at the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Gurva, in the municipality of Calasca-Castiglione, in the Anzasca Valley, within the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Piedmont). The sanctuary was built in 1641 on a massive boulder overlooking the Anza stream gorge: it was on that very day that veterans of the local militia gathered to inaugurate it, giving rise to the Traditional Militia of Calasca. Since then, the Feast of the Assumption and the uniformed armed corps have been linked by an unbroken thread spanning nearly four centuries.

The Traditional Militia of Calasca

The heart of the day is the Militia, a formation of about ninety participants wearing period uniforms and carrying historical weapons. Their duty is to honor the Madonna Assunta as a guard of honor: a devotion that, year after year, renews an ancient vow. The Militia participates in three closely linked August celebrations: the feast of Saint Valentine the Martyr (the patron saint and protector of the Militia), the Feast of the Assumption on August 15th, and the repositing of the statue in the following days, when the image is returned to its place until the following year.

The August 15th program

The festival combines sacred rites with popular tradition. At the sanctuary, religious celebrations take place, featuring a solemn mass and a procession carrying the statue of the Assumption. The most intense moments are marked by blank-fire volleys from period weapons, which echo through the valley during the entrance, the reading of the Gospel, and the consecration. The day is accompanied by drills and parades of the Militia and performances by the Brass Band in their classic parade formations.

• Religious services: Solemn mass and procession with the statue of the Assumption
• Militia drills: Parades and marches of participants in historical uniforms
• Blank-fire volleys with period weapons during key liturgical moments
• Brass Band providing musical accompaniment throughout the day

Among the hamlets of the Anzasca Valley

The setting is that of the mountain hamlets of Calasca-Castiglione — Antrogna, the municipal seat, Calasca, and La Gurva — overlooking the Anzasca Valley at the foot of Monte Rosa. The Feast of the Assumption represents one of the defining events for this corner of the Ossola region: an opportunity to discover a heritage of faith, costume, and military memory that the municipality of Calasca-Castiglione and the Militia preserve as a common treasure of the Piedmontese community.