Festival of Our Lady of Sauro

Our Lady of Sauro, the village's treasure

In Guardia Perticara, a stone village in the province of Potenza listed among the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, devotion to Our Lady of Sauro is the heart of the community's religious life. The sanctuary stands in the Sauro river valley and houses a precious wooden statue of the Virgin and Child, carved and painted in the early 13th century, a true masterpiece of sacred art for the village. According to legend, in the Middle Ages, some peasants saw the Virgin in this place on a cart pulled by oxen: hence the origin of the sanctuary.

Two processions, two seasons

The festival is celebrated twice a year. On the first Sunday of May, the statue is carried in procession from the sanctuary to the parish church of San Nicolò Magno, in the historic center, where it spends the winter months. On the second Sunday of August, Our Lady returns to the sanctuary, accompanied by the faithful. In the past, the statue was carried on shoulders in a evocative ritual, with flowers scattered along the path and stops on stone bases, while women brushed the Virgin's robe with oak branches to ask for a blessing.

Festival of faith and returns

The two events draw faithful and emigrants from all over Basilicata and beyond to the village, especially in August. Alongside the religious dimension, civil celebrations liven up Guardia Perticara with lights, music, shows, and community gatherings in the village's paved alleys.