Feast of the Transit of Saint Rose (Dies Natalis)

The Dies Natalis of Viterbo's patron saint

On March 6, 1251, Rose, the young Franciscan tertiary who became the beloved patron saint of the City of Popes, died in Viterbo at only eighteen. The Feast of the Transit, or Dies Natalis, commemorates that very day: in Christian tradition, a saint's death is their true «birth into heaven», and Viterbo celebrates it with days of prayer, Eucharistic services, and a procession winding through the heart of the historic center. It is a distinct event from the main patronal festival in September, when the Facchini transport the famous Macchina di Santa Rosa: here, the atmosphere is more intimate and spiritual, yet the public participation is equally intense.

The procession of the Heart of Saint Rose

The most anticipated moment of the feast is the procession with the relic of the Heart of Saint Rose, kept in a precious reliquary and carried on the shoulders of the Facchini di Santa Rosa, accompanied by the mini-facchini. In the 2026 edition, the procession set off in the late afternoon from the Sanctuary of Saint Rose to reach the Basilica of San Francesco alla Rocca, passing through Via Santa Rosa, Piazza del Teatro, Via Matteotti, and Piazza della Rocca. The procession includes the diocesan clergy, representatives of the historical pageant with 'boccioli' and 'rosine' (young flower-bearers), the city's flag-wavers and musicians, chivalric orders, and civil and military authorities. An event within the event is the extraordinary exit of the Poor Clare nuns, custodians of the saint's incorrupt body, who leave their cloister to accompany the Heart along the streets of Viterbo.

An ancient tradition renewed

Viterbo's devotion to Saint Rose dates back to 1258, when Pope Alexander IV solemnly moved the young woman's body from the church of Santa Maria in Poggio to the monastery that now bears her name. The relic of the Heart has been carried in procession in September since 1921, while the March procession on the day of the transit was inaugurated in an extraordinary form during the 2025 Jubilee year, with the Heart carried by the Facchini from the church of La Crocetta to the sanctuary, and was repeated in 2026 for the Franciscan Jubilee, marking the eighth centenary of Saint Francis's death.

The program of celebrations

The festival spans several days, from March 3rd to 6th: daily Eucharistic celebrations in the Pilgrim's Hall of the Monastery of Saint Rose and at the House of Saint Rose, Mass at the Saint Rose Hospital with the blessing of the 'ciambelle' (donuts) donated to the pediatric ward, culminating on March 6th with the Dies Natalis Mass in the morning and the procession of the Heart in the afternoon, followed by a solemn celebration presided over by the Bishop of Viterbo.

In the heart of Tuscia

Supported by the Municipality of Viterbo and promoted by the Diocese together with the Monastery of the Poor Clares and the Sodalizio dei Facchini, the feast is one of the most authentic expressions of the religious and civic identity of the capital of Tuscia, in northern Lazio. For those visiting Viterbo in early March, it is an opportunity to discover the medieval quarter, the sanctuary where the saint's body rests, and a popular devotion that has united the entire city for nearly eight centuries.