Good Friday Procession of Tuscania

One of the most evocative processions in Lazio

Every year, on the evening of Good Friday, Tuscania—an Etruscan and medieval village in the province of Viterbo, in the heart of the Lazio Tuscia—dims the lights of its historic center and entrusts itself to the slow pace of the penitents. The Good Friday Procession is the most anticipated moment of the Tuscania Holy Week: a nocturnal parade of great emotional intensity where the entire community, from brotherhoods to ordinary faithful, accompanies the statue of the Madonna Addolorata with the dead Christ at her feet along the alleys and slopes of the village.

The origins: a devotion born in 1845

The Tuscania devotion to the Addolorata has a unique history. The wooden statue of the Virgin, carved by an unknown friar, was purchased in Alsace by a local couple and brought to Tuscania, where it was first kept in their home and then exposed for public veneration in the church of San Giovanni Battista. On Good Friday in 1845, the sacred image was carried in procession through the city streets for the first time: since then, the rite has been repeated every year, accompanied by a second procession in September. In 1923, the Madonna Addolorata was solemnly crowned Queen of Tuscania, and in 2023, for the centenary of the coronation, the church of San Giovanni was elevated to a diocesan sanctuary of the Addolorata by the Bishop of Viterbo.

The rite: from dawn to night

Good Friday in Tuscania is a day that unfolds in two stages. At dawn, the "companies" of the brotherhoods leave the sanctuary of the Addolorata for the traditional visit to the altars of repose, a pilgrimage among the city's churches accompanied by hymns and prayers. In the evening, at 9:00 PM, the solemn procession begins in the historic center: it is the heart of the celebration, followed by thousands of faithful and visitors.

Barefoot penitents and heralds

Leading the procession are the penitents of the ancient city brotherhoods who, barefoot and with their faces hidden by hoods, carry the symbols of the Passion: wooden crosses and heavy chains, whose clanking on the pavement accompanies the journey and symbolically announces the death of Christ. They are followed by the pious women dressed in mourning and, finally, the statue of the Madonna Addolorata with the dead Christ at her feet, carried on the shoulders of dozens of heralds—the worthy heirs of the brothers of the ancient Confraternity of the Mercy of San Giovanni Battista. The silence, broken only by sacred chants and the sound of chains, makes the atmosphere unique.

Tuscania and the Holy Week of Tuscia

The procession is part of the rich calendar of Easter rites in the Viterbo Tuscia, which on the same evening sees parades and sacred performances in Viterbo, Bagnaia, Orte, Bolsena, and many other villages. Attending the Good Friday of Tuscania is also an opportunity to discover one of the most beautiful historic centers in Lazio: the Romanesque basilicas of San Pietro and Santa Maria Maggiore, the medieval walls, the Etruscan necropolis, and the views over the Tuscia countryside. The Municipality of Tuscania and local establishments accompany the Easter weekend with walks, traditional menus, and the typical pizza di Pasqua.

Why go

• An authentic and participatory rite, handed down without interruption since 1845.
• The scenic power of barefoot penitents with crosses and chains in the darkness of the village.
• The statue of the Addolorata carried by heralds, the identity heart of the city.
• One of the most fascinating medieval historic centers in the province of Viterbo.
• Free event open to everyone, respecting the religious nature of the celebration.