Festa della Madonna del Pollino — Discesa

The return of the Madonna

After spending the summer on the mountain, the statue of the Madonna del Pollino returns to the village: this is the descent, celebrated every year on the second Sunday of September. The revered statue, which has been at the sanctuary on Monte Pollino at 1537 meters since the first Sunday in June, is brought back in procession to San Severino Lucano, where it will spend the winter months. It is the moment that closes the great devotional cycle of the year.

The rite of the descent

The return rite begins on Saturday. At dawn, members of the Confraternity place the statue of the Virgin on the canopy prepared for transport down the mountain; after mass, the procession sets off, accompanied by the bagpipers and accordionists of Pollino. As with the ascent in June, the tarantella becomes a devotional dance, and stops at the pisuoli mark the route, in an atmosphere that blends faith, music, and community.

A devotion between Basilicata and Calabria

The pilgrimage of the Madonna del Pollino transcends regional borders: the descent, like other events, is attended by faithful from all over Basilicata and neighboring Calabria. The sanctuary, in the heart of the Pollino National Park, is a spiritual reference point for a vast Apennine territory, and the Municipality of San Severino Lucano, in the Province of Potenza, jealously guards its tradition.

Intangible Heritage

The ascent, the July festival, and the descent form a single, grand rite recognized by the Central Institute for Intangible Heritage among the intangible heritage festivals and traditions of Italy. The September descent is its moving concluding act: the moment when the Madonna returns to her people.