Festivities in Honor of the Holy Martyrs Placido and Benedetto (Sacred Drama)

A peasant theater tradition from the 18th century

In Campolattaro, a small village in the Province of Benevento overlooking the Tammaro Valley, the last Sunday of August is no ordinary day. The town square hosts the Sacred Drama of Saints Placido and Benedetto: a reenactment of the martyrdom of the two saints venerated by the community, based on an anonymous 18th-century manuscript and passed down from generation to generation by the local inhabitants.

This is not a reconstruction designed for tourists, nor is it a show performed by professionals. The actors are local amateurs—over forty people including leads, devils, Roman soldiers, and angels—who divide the roles, manage the costumes, and handle the stage effects. It is this family continuity, more than the scenery, that makes the Sacred Drama a unique case in the Sannio region.

The plot: two brothers before Prefect Aureliano

The drama recounts the final days of two young brothers, sons of an elderly and faithful priest of Jupiter. Having embraced the Christian faith, they face every danger for it. The story takes place in Syria, during the time of the great persecutions, and unfolds in successive scenes:

• the discovery: the father catches his sons praying and demands they renounce their faith;
• the refusal and capture, featuring the intrusion of the devils who give the performance its popular name;
• the confrontation with Prefect Aureliano, representing the emperor;
• the trial by fire, which the two miraculously survive;
• the execution at the hands of the headsman and the final hymn, celebrating the victory of good over evil.

The style is that of devotional theater in archaic language: chanted verses, noisy entrances, and an audience that knows the lines by heart.

«Ri diauli d' Campolattar», intangible heritage of Campania

In mid-December 2025, at the Trianon Viviani Theater in Naples, the Campania Region presented 46 new elements inscribed in the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Campania (IPIC), bringing the total number of registered entries to 170. Among the new 'expressions' of the Sannio is the 'Sacred Drama of Saints Placido and Benedetto: ri diauli d' Campolattar', registered with the dialect name—'the devils of Campolattaro'—by which the locals call their performance.

The recognition has given new impetus to research into the origins of the text: on March 29, 2026, in the Council Chamber of Piazza Urbano De Agostini, the Municipality of Campolattaro hosted the presentation of the volume 'Ecce Silvanus. A priest of Diana and Apollo who taught theater to peasants' by Salvatore Zacchino, an iconological investigation into the style of the Sacred Drama, featuring a welcome address by Mayor Simone Paglia.

The cycle of festivities for the Holy Martyrs

The performance is the highlight of a cycle of festivities in honor of the Holy Martyrs Placido and Benedetto, organized by the SS. Salvatore Parish Festival Committee together with the Municipality, the Pro Loco, the Youth Forum, and the Catholic Action of Campolattaro. The religious program is traditionally spread over ten days in August and includes masses, rosaries, an evening Stations of the Cross, and, on the last Sunday of the month, the procession of Saints Placido and Benedetto through the village streets, which precedes the Sacred Drama in the square.

During the same days, the civil calendar of the Campolattaro Summer accompanies the festival with sporting and musical events, while the Pro Loco offers its historic festival of 'cicategli e sausicchia', dedicated to handmade cavatelli pasta and local sausage.

Campolattaro, the lake and the Upper Tammaro

Visitors arriving for the festival will find a village that deserves a few extra hours of exploration. The historic center is dominated by the Castle, or Palazzo De Agostini, a rectangular structure with a central courtyard whose origins date back to the 10th or 11th century; the Church of San Sebastiano, dedicated to the patron saint celebrated on January 20, preserves a 19th-century painting on marble depicting the Madonna of Mercy. Just outside the town, the dam on the Tammaro has created a large artificial reservoir surrounded by a protected oasis of about a thousand hectares of woods, meadows, and wetlands. The Sacred Drama is also an opportunity to discover the Upper Tammaro, one of the most authentic areas of inland Campania.

2026 Edition

As of the writing of this entry, the official calendar for the 2026 festivities has not been published: it is advisable to follow the channels of the Municipality and the Pro Loco for dates and times.