Festival of Maria SS. di Valverde

A festival at the heart of Sicily

In the town of Enna, the capital of the province of the same name in the geographical heart of Sicily, the Festival of Maria SS. di Valverde is one of the most deeply rooted devotional events on the Enna plateau. The celebration takes place every year on the last Sunday of August and involves the entire upper city, from the Valverde district to the Cathedral, weaving together popular faith, tradition, and community identity.

The sanctuary and the 1646 statue

The core of the devotion is the Sanctuary of Maria SS. di Valverde, which according to tradition stands on a very ancient place of worship: the same hill is said to have hosted, until the 2nd century, a temple dedicated to Ceres, the goddess of the harvest, deeply linked to ancient Henna. The festival, held at the end of August to coincide with the ancient grain harvest, preserves its agrarian echo. Inside the sanctuary is the precious 1646 wooden statue, the work of sculptor Giovanni Gallina, adorned with silver, jewels, and a precious mantle embroidered in gold by the devout women of the Fundrò district.

The Golden Ship and the procession

The most anticipated moment is the solemn procession: the Madonna's float is carried in triumph on the evocative Golden Ship, a structure built in 1957 by Gregorio Mazzarino and carried by confreres in traditional attire, preceded by the banners of the confraternities and the statues of Saint Michael the Archangel and Saint Joseph. The parade leaves the sanctuary of Valverde, reaches the Cathedral of Enna where the solemn Mass is celebrated, and continues towards Piazza San Tommaso before returning to the sanctuary, accompanied by the town band and celebrating faithful.

The questua, the verginelle, and ancient rites

The festival is preceded by rites full of meaning. In the days leading up to it, the traditional questua takes place: the procurators, accompanied by caparisoned mules and bagpipe players, travel through the streets of the center collecting offerings, in a centuries-old custom once linked to the donation of grain. Also characteristic is the Mass of the verginelle, during which young girls dressed in white commemorate the rescue performed by the Virgin, according to the legend linked to Saint Pancras.

Between the sacred and the popular

Alongside the liturgical moments, the festivities include shows, games, folk music concerts, and traditional fireworks, in an atmosphere of participation that unites upper and lower Enna. The celebrations conclude on the first Sunday of September with the repositioning of the statue in the votive chapel of the sanctuary.