Festa Patronale di San Rocco e Sant'Elena

The Patron Saint and His City

Ferrandina, a village in the Matera province overlooking the Basento valley, experiences its most heartfelt moment of the year with the Patronal Festival of San Rocco and Sant'Elena, celebrated around August 16th. It is the festival that brings the entire community together and draws residents, returning emigrants, and devotees from neighbouring towns in a blend of faith, tradition, and popular celebration.

The Handover of the Keys

The rite that most characterises the festival is the handover of the city keys: for one day, symbolically, it is San Rocco who assumes full powers over the village, in a gesture of collective entrustment that tells of the deep bond between the community and its patron saint. The religious ceremony culminates in the solemn mass in Piazza Plebiscito, presided over by the Archbishop of Matera-Irsina.

The Procession and Music

After the mass, the statue of the saint is carried in procession along the main streets of the historic centre, accompanied by popular devotion and an ancient rite: women who follow the procession barefoot, carrying wax ex-votos in small baskets, as thanks or to ask for a grace. The civil festival is entrusted to the musical bands — including «Ernesto De Martino» and «Armonie Lucane» — and to the grand evening concerts that liven up the square until nightfall.

Atmosphere

Experiencing the San Rocco festival in Ferrandina means immersing yourself in an authentic Southern Italian Ferragosto, where the sacred and the profane coexist naturally: the festive lights, the aromas from the stalls, the solemnity of the liturgy, and the energy of the concerts paint a portrait of a community coming together around its roots.