Holy Week – Processions

Holy Week in Grottaglie

In the heart of Puglia, within the City of Ceramics in the province of Taranto, the Holy Week of Grottaglie stands as one of the most evocative and deeply felt events in the entire region. For one week, the Municipality of Grottaglie experiences a unique blend of liturgy, art, and popular culture, guarded for centuries by the city's ancient confraternities. The rites, documented since the 17th century, involve the entire community each year and attract numerous visitors to the historic center, winding through the alleys of the Ceramics Quarter and the Mother Church.

The Procession of the Desolata

The cycle begins on Passion Friday, the Friday preceding Palm Sunday, with the Procession of the Desolata. The statue of the Virgin, dressed in black with a dagger piercing her chest—a work dating back to around 1840 attributed to the Lecce artist Antonio Marcagnani—is carried in procession through the ancient historic center. The Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, wearing red robes and mozzettas, leads the procession, accompanied by a choir and a band playing poignant funeral marches.

Holy Thursday: The Sepulchres and the Bbùbbli Bbùbbli

Holy Thursday is the day of the Altars of Repose, the so-called "Sepulchres," set up in the city's churches where the Eucharist is placed for adoration. This is the moment for the most characteristic and identity-defining rite of Grottaglie: Li Bbùbbli Bbùbbli. These are pairs of brothers from the Carmine Confraternity who, hooded and barefoot, dressed in white sacks, proceed on a pilgrimage from one church to another to visit the Sepulchres. The name, in the Grottaglie dialect, refers to the slow, rhythmic gait of the penitents, a tradition documented since 1756.

Good Friday: The Procession of the Mysteries

The culmination of the rites is the Procession of the Mysteries on Good Friday, organized by the Purgatory Confraternity, whose oratory stands next to the Mother Church and houses the statues of the Passion in the Hall of the Mysteries. The Sacred Groups, which re-enact the Passion and death of Christ, parade slowly through the silence of the historic center, accompanied by a funeral choir in an atmosphere of intense contemplation.

Easter Sunday

The celebrations conclude with the joyful Procession of the Risen Christ, whose statue was crafted in Naples in 1779. After the days of mourning, the city erupts in a festive atmosphere celebrating the Resurrection, closing a cycle of rites that represent one of the most authentic testimonies of Apulian popular religiosity.

An Identity Heritage

More than just a religious event, Holy Week is a profound moment of identity for Grottaglie and Puglia: an intangible heritage that unites faith, confraternity art, sacred music, and collective memory, passed down from generation to generation in the province of Taranto.