Festa Patronale di San Rocco

The festival that stops the village

Among the patron saint festivals of Basilicata, that of San Rocco in Montescaglioso holds a special place. For days, the village overlooking the Murgia Materana Park gathers around its protector in a crescendo of religious rites, age-old traditions, and popular spectacle, capable of attracting thousands of people, including residents, returning emigrants, and visitors.

The triumphal chariot and the auction of July 31st

The most characteristic element is the triumphal chariot, pulled by seven horses and welcomed in Piazza Roma to the notes of the triumphal march from Aida. The right to drive the chariot and carry the banner that opens the procession is awarded through a traditional auction, which takes place as early as July 31st: a ritual that blends devotion, prestige, and community identity.

August 20th, the patron saint's day

The heart of the festival is August 20th. The day begins at dawn with the morning reveille, continues with the laying of the laurel wreath in homage to the fallen, and culminates in the grand procession of the simulacrum of San Rocco along the main streets of the city, amidst festive greetings from the balconies and the return to the Mother Church. The evenings are marked by band concerts by renowned ensembles and spectacular illuminations that light up the village.

Montescaglioso, between abbey and Murgia

Organized by the Patron Saint Festival Committee with the support of the Municipality and the Province of Matera, the San Rocco festival is an opportunity to discover Montescaglioso, its Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo, and the Murgia landscape, a few kilometers from Matera.