Forgiveness Festival at the SS. Trinità Convent in Baronissi

A Franciscan tradition in the heart of the Irno Valley

The Forgiveness Festival is the most heartfelt religious event of the summer at the Convent of the Most Holy Trinity, in the municipality of Baronissi, in the province of Salerno, Campania. Every year, between August 1st and 2nd, the community of Friars Minor welcomes the faithful from the Irno Valley to celebrate the Pardon of Assisi, also known as the Porziuncola Indulgence: one of the oldest and most popular devotions in all of Franciscan spirituality.

What is the Pardon of Assisi

According to Franciscan tradition, in 1216 Saint Francis obtained a plenary indulgence from Pope Honorius III for all those who, having repented and confessed, visited the small church of the Porziuncola, now housed within the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi. Since then, the indulgence has been extended to all Franciscan churches and, by subsequent concession, also to parish churches: it can be obtained from noon on August 1st to midnight on August 2nd, under the usual conditions of sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, a visit to the church with the recitation of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, and prayer according to the Pope's intentions.

Experiencing the festival in Baronissi

At the Baronissi convent, the celebration is concentrated into two days of almost uninterrupted prayer. According to the program usually released by the friars, on August 1st the church opens in the late afternoon and the day continues with Eucharistic exposition, the First Vespers of Saint Mary of the Angels at the Porziuncola, and the meditated Holy Rosary in the evening. On August 2nd, the church reopens early in the morning and remains open for the entire day, marked by Holy Masses, confessions, and the Angelus prayer at noon.

• Eucharistic adoration and exposition on the afternoon of August 1st
• Solemn First Vespers of Saint Mary of the Angels
• Meditated Holy Rosary in the evening
• Confessions available throughout the festival
• Holy Masses and Angelus prayer on August 2nd

This is not a food fair or a street party: the Forgiveness is a devotional festival for the people, where the coming and going of the faithful—families, the elderly, parish groups—lasts non-stop for two days, with a continuous pilgrimage toward the altar of the conventual church. Those arriving from the city find a collected atmosphere, very different from the noisy patronal festivals that enliven the August in Campania.

The Convent of the Most Holy Trinity

The complex stands on a small hill called Monticello, in the Sava district of Baronissi. Franciscan sources attribute its foundation to Blessed Simon of Assisi around 1212, but certain historical documentation dates back to the mid-15th century, when the friars were already established there; historians place the actual birth of the monastery in the first decades of the 15th century, in the climate of reform linked to Saint Bernardino of Siena and Saint John of Capistrano. Damaged by a serious fire in 1532, passed from the Observants to the Reformed at the end of the 16th century, suppressed in 1866, and repurchased by the friars in 1892, the convent has spanned almost six centuries of history in the Irno Valley.

Much more than a place of worship

Today, the Most Holy Trinity is a true cultural hub for the area: alongside the religious life of the friars, there is the Museum of the Convent's Works, the "Peppino Impastato" municipal library and media library, the FRAC (Regional Contemporary Art Fund), the House of Poetry and Literature, and a conference hall. The monument is among the sites highlighted in FAI censuses, a testament to the affection the local community holds for it. For the visitor, the Forgiveness Festival thus becomes an opportunity to discover a historical and artistic heritage that would be a major tourist destination elsewhere.

Baronissi and the province of Salerno

Baronissi is located a few kilometers from Salerno, along the Irno Valley, the natural corridor connecting the coast to Irpinia. It is a territory of districts and ancient farmhouses where religious traditions still mark the calendar of the year. The Forgiveness at the beginning of August effectively opens the season of summer festivals in the Salerno area, and for many residents of Baronissi, it represents a family ritual passed down from generation to generation. A visit to the convent is easily combined with a day on the Amalfi Coast or discovering the historic center of Salerno, both a short distance away.