Good Friday Procession
The Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows through the streets of Maddaloni, among barefoot women in black and Passion hymns
About Good Friday Maddaloni
The most heartfelt procession in Maddaloni
On the afternoon of Good Friday, the historic center of Maddaloni, a town in the province of Caserta, Campania, comes to a standstill to host the Procession of the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows. Shop shutters are lowered, lights are dimmed, and a procession emerges from the Rectory of San Francesco d'Assisi, moving through the city at a very slow pace amidst the silence of the attendees and the singing of the ancient hymn to the Virgin of Sorrows. This is not a spectacle staged for tourists: it is the day when an entire community recognizes itself, and those living far away return to town specifically for this occasion.
A tradition documented since the 19th century
The exact birth date of the rite is unknown, but local reconstructions place it in the second half of the 19th century. A document kept in the diocesan archive and dated 1895 reports a request addressed to the bishop by forty-five citizens for the procession to start from the church of San Francesco d'Assisi: proof that the devotion was already fully rooted by then. The organization, historically linked to the Congregation of the Immaculate, begins every year on December 8th and continues without pause until Holy Week; coordination has long been entrusted to key community figures, including Gennaro Cassaro, the event's historical organizer, while the spiritual guidance is provided by the rector, Father Edoardo Scognamiglio.
Women at the heart of the rite
What makes the Maddaloni procession unique is the role of women. Unlike almost all Good Friday rites in Southern Italy, the procession here is largely formed by barefoot women, entirely dressed in black and with veiled faces, who relive the Mother's pain step by step. They are the ones who carry the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows on their shoulders, taking turns along the route, while men in dark suits carry the statue of the Dead Christ. It is a reversal that strikes those arriving from outside and which alone explains why this procession has become a small case study of Campanian folk traditions.
How the procession is composed
- about 350 official participants, in addition to the crowd of faithful following to the end;
- confreres and town criers at the front;
- children dressed in red, recalling the Ecce Homo;
- girls and young women in black, symbol of Mary's sorrow;
- the symbols of the Passion: painted panels, cushions with the instruments of martyrdom, the fourteen stations of the Via Crucis, the Veronica, and the Holy Shroud;
- the town band and a choir of about one hundred voices, recognizable by the colored scarf that changes every year;
- at the end, the two statues, the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows.
The singing, the silence, and the decorated balconies
The soundtrack of the evening is a hymn to the Virgin of Sorrows by an unknown author, passed down by memory through generations and entrusted today to the choir and the Maddaloni Symphonic Band conducted by maestro Luigi Pascarella. Along the route, many families display sheets, blankets, and tablecloths on their balconies: a gesture of welcome for the passage of the Madonna that revives an ancient custom and has been successfully relaunched in recent years, restoring to the streets an image that seems to have come out of a vintage photograph.
The Maddaloni Holy Week
The procession is not an isolated event: it is the culmination of a Lenten journey that involves the whole city. At the Rectory of San Francesco d'Assisi, the Passion Hymns are held, with mass and a concert by the Symphonic Band performing the traditional hymn, while the Basilica of the Corpus Domini hosts the Three Hours of Agony service. Those who truly want to understand the rite would do well to follow these events as well, which explain its musical and devotional roots.
Tips for visitors
Participation is free and open to all, and the public lines the streets of the center, with the best spots occupied even a couple of hours before the start. Modest clothing, silence during the passage of the statues, and caution with photography are recommended: the procession is a moment of prayer before it is an attraction. Maddaloni, with its skyline dominated by castles and the bulk of the Carolino Aqueduct nearby, also offers a good opportunity to combine a visit to the rite with a day in the Campania of Terra di Lavoro.
Good Friday Maddaloni — edition 2026
A Good Friday with a new route
The 2026 edition of the Maddaloni procession took place on Friday, April 3rd with a change of itinerary decided jointly by the Municipal Administration, the Municipal Police Headquarters, and the historical organizer Gennaro Cassaro. Due to ongoing works along Corso I Ottobre, the procession did not travel the stretch between Via Giovanni Amendola and the descent of the course: the procession passed instead through Via Roma, turned left towards Piazza Fontana, and continued along Via San Francesco d'Assisi. The choice, dictated by safety reasons, caused some regret among residents and merchants of the course, but did not affect participation.
The memory of Sofia
The year 2026 will remain linked to the dedication to the memory of Sofia, the child of the community who passed away prematurely: the shared pain intertwined with that represented by the rite, and the city found itself united like a single family behind the statues of the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows.
Music, silence, and devotion
As per tradition, the procession started from the Rectory of San Francesco d'Assisi with barefoot women dressed in black and veiled, children in red, the symbols of the Passion, and the two statues. Choir and band, directed by maestro Luigi Pascarella, accompanied the faithful with the hymn to the Virgin of Sorrows, while spiritual guidance was entrusted to Father Edoardo Scognamiglio, who recalled the authentic meaning of the day beyond the mere external dimension of the rite.
Programme Good Friday Maddaloni 2026
Friday, April 3, 2026 — Procession of the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows
- Gathering and preparation of participants at the Rectory of San Francesco d'Assisi (spots along the route are occupied as early as the afternoon).
- Departure of the procession from the Rectory of San Francesco d'Assisi, with confreres and town criers at the front, children dressed in red, girls in black, the symbols of the Passion, the fourteen stations of the Via Crucis, the Veronica, and the Holy Shroud.
- 2026 Route (modified): Via Roma, left turn onto Piazza Fontana, then Via San Francesco d'Assisi; the stretch of Corso I Ottobre between Via Giovanni Amendola and the descent of the course is excluded due to ongoing works.
- Musical accompaniment by the choir and band directed by maestro Luigi Pascarella, with the traditional hymn to the Virgin of Sorrows.
- Statues: the Dead Christ carried on shoulders by men, Our Lady of Sorrows carried by women taking turns along the route.
- Return of the procession to the Rectory of San Francesco d'Assisi after over three hours of walking.
In the preceding days
- Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 6:30 PM — Rectory of San Francesco d'Assisi: Passion Hymns, with Holy Mass presided over by Father Edoardo Scognamiglio and a concert by the Maddaloni Symphonic Band directed by maestros Luigi Pascarella and Domenica Papa, which has performed the traditional hymn to the Virgin of Sorrows for about 140 years.
- Good Friday, Basilica of the Corpus Domini — Three Hours of Agony service.
Highlights Good Friday Maddaloni 2026
- About 350 official participants, mostly barefoot women dressed in black with veiled faces.
- The two historical statues: the Dead Christ carried by men and Our Lady of Sorrows carried by women.
- The choir of about one hundred voices and the town band with the ancient hymn to the Virgin of Sorrows.
- The balconies decorated with sheets, blankets, and tablecloths as the Madonna passes.
- The new 2026 route on Via Roma and Piazza Fontana, alternative to Corso I Ottobre.
- The dedication of the edition to the memory of Sofia.
Prices Good Friday Maddaloni 2026
Practical information — Good Friday Maddaloni
How to get there
By train: the Maddaloni Inferiore station is on the Naples-Caserta-Benevento line; from the station, the historic center can be reached in a few minutes by bus or in about twenty minutes on foot. By car: take the Caserta Sud exit on the A30 (Caserta-Salerno) or the Santa Maria Capua Vetere exit on the A1, then follow signs for Maddaloni. By plane: Naples-Capodichino airport, about 30 km away.
Parking and traffic
On Good Friday, the center is affected by traffic closures and parking bans along the procession route: it is advisable to leave the car in the peripheral areas and reach the center on foot. The regulations are published every year by the Maddaloni Municipal Police Headquarters in the preceding days.
Admission and times
Free participation, no ticket or reservation required. The departure takes place from the Rectory of San Francesco d'Assisi in the late afternoon and the procession can last over three hours: it is useful to arrive well in advance to find a spot along the central streets.
Where to stay
The widest range of accommodation is found in Caserta, about 8 km away, which is also convenient for visiting the Royal Palace; in Maddaloni, there are bed and breakfasts and small facilities, which should be booked in advance during the Easter period.
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Where does it take place — Good Friday Maddaloni
Rettoria di San Francesco d'Assisi e centro storico di Maddaloni
Via San Francesco d'Assisi, 81024 Maddaloni