Feast of the Most Holy Crucifix

The patronal feast of Rutigliano

The Feast of the Most Holy Crucifix is the most significant religious and civil event in Rutigliano, a town in the Metropolitan City of Bari, in the heart of Apulia. Every year, in mid-September, the people of Rutigliano gather around the venerated sculpture of Christ on the Cross, created by the sculptor Vespasiano Genuino and kept in the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Crucifix, built around 1612 by the Capuchin Friars Minor.

A tradition over three centuries old

The first procession typical of the feast dates back to September 15, 1709: since then, the community has carried the so-called Miraculous Crucifix in a procession through the streets of the town, linked to a suggestive popular legend claiming that the sculpture's head miraculously reattached to the body during a storm. Over the centuries, this devotion has built one of the most attended patronal feasts in the Bari hinterland, capable of drawing visitors and families originally from the town who have since emigrated elsewhere.

Religious rites and civil festivities

The program combines two souls. On one hand, the religious dimension, with Eucharistic celebrations, the Solemn Mass, and the processions that accompany the simulacrum of the Crucifix from the Sanctuary to the Mother Church and back. On the other, the civil festivities, enlivened by grand brass band concerts in the town squares, the sparkling illuminations decorating the streets, and the highly anticipated firework displays.

The most spectacular moment is "Grappoli di Stelle", the pyromusical show that has been lighting up the sky of Rutigliano to the rhythm of music for over twenty years, curated by the Firelight company of Valenzano in collaboration with Pirotecnica Chiarappa of San Severo. The festivities traditionally conclude with the grand batteria alla bolognese, a cascade of daytime fireworks that marks the farewell to the feast.

When it takes place

The feast is traditionally celebrated on September 13, 14, and 15 of each year, with an additional commemoration linked to the Finding of the Holy Cross. It is organized by the SS. Crucifix and Saint Nicholas Feast Committee together with the Diocesan Sanctuary and the Municipality of Rutigliano.