Good Friday Procession of Chieti

A rite that spans the centuries

The Good Friday Procession of Chieti is counted among the oldest and most deeply felt Easter processions in Italy. According to local legend, its origins date back as far as 842 AD, though documented history begins in the 17th century. The current structure of the pageant was established in the 1600s when the Archconfraternity of the Sacro Monte dei Morti was founded (1603, autonomous since 1648), which still organizes and preserves the rite today. In 1650, the confraternity participated in the Holy Year in Rome with over a thousand people in the procession, a testament to its deeply rooted popular devotion.

The Miserere by Saverio Selecchy

The musical heart of the evening is the famous Miserere, composed around the mid-18th century by the Chieti chapel master Saverio Selecchy, set to the text of Psalm 50. Its deep, poignant notes accompany the entire route of the procession. The choir, consisting of over 150 singers divided into first tenors, second tenors, and basses, is supported by an imposing orchestra of about one hundred instrumentalists, primarily strings and woodwinds. It is one of the most attended sacred choral performances in Abruzzo, passed down virtually unchanged for generations.

The Symbols of the Passion

Leading the procession are the seven 'trofei' (or symbols) of the Passion, wooden sculptures crafted in the 19th century: the angel, the lance, the column with the rooster, the stone, the Holy Face (a copy of the image of the Holy Face of Manoppello), the ladder, and the cross. Together with the statues of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Dead Christ, these symbols visually recount the entire drama of Christ's Passion as they travel through the city streets.

The procession and the route

The procession leaves the Cathedral of San Giustino at dusk and travels along the main axes of Chieti's historic center, winding through north-south and east-west routes to effectively trace a cross over the city. It involves over 1,200 hooded members from the thirteen local confraternities, led by the Archconfraternity of the Sacro Monte dei Morti, along with the metropolitan chapter, the bishop, priests, and civil and religious authorities.

Chieti and its tradition

As a provincial capital and ancient Marrucinian city, the Municipality of Chieti in Abruzzo experiences one of the most significant moments of its identity during Good Friday. The procession attracts thousands of people every year, including worshippers, citizens, and visitors, in a solemn and intimate atmosphere that blends faith, music, and collective memory.