Kiss of the Crosses

A Rite from Long Ago

There is one day, on Ascension, when the mountains of Carnia seem to pause and look towards Saint Peter's Hill, above Zuglio. It is the day of the Kiss of the Crosses, an ancient religious rite that, in all probability, dates back to around 1300 and is considered one of the most characteristic in the entire region. Zuglio is no ordinary place: here stood Iulium Carnicum, the northernmost Roman city in Italy, founded in the Caesarian era and a bishop's seat between the 4th and 5th centuries. It is from this ancient Christian root that the tradition descends.

The Crosses That Bow

On the feast day, the processional crosses from the parish churches and communities of Carnia ascend the paths leading to the millennium-old Parish Church of Saint Peter, on the hill. Decorated with ribbons donated by the brides of the year, the crosses reach the summit and, at the climax of the rite, bow to each other: this is the "kiss," a gesture of greeting and peace between communities, repeated for centuries with undiminished intensity.

Between Faith and Archaeology

The ceremony, marked by the gathering of the crosses, the procession, and the solemn Holy Mass, combines devotion and historical memory. The day also offers an opportunity to visit the Civic Archaeological Museum of Zuglio, which houses artifacts from the northernmost Roman city in Italy, and the archaeological area of the forum of Iulium Carnicum.

The Spiritual Heart of Carnia

Promoted by the Parish Church of Saint Peter in Carnia with the support of the Pro Loco associations, the Municipality of Zuglio, and the Diocese of Udine, the Kiss of the Crosses is much more than a procession: it is the moment when all of Carnia comes together around a shared tradition, suspended between faith, history, and landscape.