Festa Patronale di San Francesco di Paola

Pescopagano celebrates San Francesco di Paola

Pescopagano, a village in high Basilicata in the province of Potenza, perched on the border with Campania and Irpinia, dedicates one of the most important festivals of the year to its patron and protector saint, San Francesco di Paola. The founder of the Order of the Minims, a Calabrian hermit known for his humility and miracles, is venerated with great devotion by the community of Pescopagano.

Processions and band concerts

The festival intertwines religious and popular moments. The heart of the celebrations is the procession with the statue of the saint through the village streets, accompanied by the choral participation of the faithful. There are also band concerts, a typical expression of patron saint festivals in the South, which fill the squares with the music of great brass bands.

The evocative Flight of the Angel

Among the most characteristic and ancient elements of the festival is the Flight of the Angel, a centuries-old aerial representation in which a participant, suspended by a rope, crosses the square in honor of the saint: a spectacular moment deeply linked to the popular religious culture of the village.

An early summer event

Organized with the support of the Municipality of Pescopagano, the festival of San Francesco di Paola marks the beginning of summer in the village and attracts emigrants and visitors, in an atmosphere of faith, music, and conviviality that expresses the most authentic soul of high Basilicata.