Festival of Our Lady of the Pollino — Descent

The return of Our Lady

After spending the summer on the mountain, the statue of Our Lady of the Pollino returns to the village: this is the descent, celebrated every year on the second Sunday of September. The revered statue, which has been at the sanctuary on Monte Pollino at 1537 meters since the first Sunday in June, is brought back in procession to San Severino Lucano, where it will spend the winter months. It is the moment that closes the great devotional cycle of the year.

The rite of the descent

The return rite begins on Saturday. At dawn, members of the Confraternity place the statue of the Virgin on the canopy prepared for transport down the mountain; after Mass, the procession sets off, accompanied by the bagpipers and accordionists of the Pollino. As with the ascent in June, the tarantella becomes a devotional dance, and stops at the pisuoli (resting points) mark the route, in an atmosphere that intertwines faith, music, and community.

A devotion between Basilicata and Calabria

The pilgrimage of Our Lady of the Pollino transcends regional borders: faithful from all over Basilicata and neighboring Calabria participate in the descent, as well as other events. The sanctuary, in the heart of the Pollino National Park, is a spiritual reference point for a vast Apennine territory, and the Municipality of San Severino Lucano, in the Province of Potenza, jealously guards its tradition.

Intangible Heritage

The ascent, the July festival, and the descent form a single, grand rite recognized by the Central Institute for Intangible Heritage among the intangible heritage festivals and traditions of Italy. The September descent is its moving conclusion: the moment when Our Lady returns among her people.