Holy Week Processions

Holy Week in Collepasso

In the small town of Collepasso, located in the province of Lecce in the heart of Salento, Holy Week is one of the most intense and participatory moments of the year. Between Palm Sunday and Easter, the town streets fill with faithful following the evening Stations of the Cross and the two great traditional processions: the Dead Christ on Good Friday and the Desolate Mother at dawn on Holy Saturday. It is a rite that unites faith, memory, and community identity, capable of involving the entire citizenry each year.

The Good Friday Procession of the Dead Christ

The most solemn moment is the Procession of the Dead Christ on Good Friday, which winds through the town streets starting from the Mother Church. At the center of the procession is the statue of the entombed Christ, a work by the Salento papier-mâché artist Germano De Prezzo, accompanied by the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows and a long following of faithful in an atmosphere of contemplation and silence. Papier-mâché, an art typical of Salento and particularly of Lecce, brings to life highly expressive statues, the undisputed protagonists of popular devotion.

The Procession of the Desolate Mother

At dawn on Holy Saturday, when the town is still shrouded in darkness, the evocative Procession of the Desolate Mother takes place: the Madonna, alone and grieving after the death of her Son, is carried in procession through the streets of Collepasso. It is one of the most moving rites of the Salento tradition, celebrated in the early hours of the morning amidst hymns and prayers, before the community prepares for the joy of the Resurrection.

Stations of the Cross and the Sepolcri

In the days leading up to the Easter Triduum, the community gathers for various Stations of the Cross through the town streets, organized by the parishes and the Pro Loco. The tradition of the giro dei Sepolcri (visit to the altars of repose) is also deeply felt: after the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, groups of faithful visit the altars of repose set up in the churches of Collepasso — the Mother Church, the Church of Christ the King, the Church of San Francesco, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, and the Santa Croce square — symbolically accompanying Jesus in the night of Gethsemane.

A tradition shared by the parishes

The peculiarity of the Collepasso rites is their inter-parish nature: the processions are organized, alternating year by year, by the Mother Church Parish and the Christ the King Parish, with the support of the Pro Loco. A model of collaboration that strengthens the sense of belonging and keeps a devotion rooted for generations alive.

A rite in the heart of Salento

The Holy Week processions of Collepasso are part of the broader panorama of Salento Easter rites, among the most authentic in Apulia: statues carried on shoulders, ancient chants, papier-mâché figures, and rituals handed down for centuries. Participating in these moments means discovering the deepest soul of Salento, where the sacred and popular tradition intertwine in a deeply evocative experience.