Living Passion of Minervino Murge

A ritual that unites faith, theatre, and community

The Living Passion of Minervino Murge is one of the most heartfelt events of Holy Week in the municipality of Minervino Murge, in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, in the heart of the Apulian Alta Murgia. Through a series of living tableaux, dozens of costumed actors retrace the final days of Jesus' life: from his entry into Jerusalem to his trial, condemnation, and crucifixion. It is not just a show, but a choral moment of reflection that involves the entire town and attracts many spectators every year from the nearby centres of the Murgia and the BAT area.

A journey through the village squares

The performance is itinerant: the procession begins at Piazza Aldo Moro and crosses the streets of the historic centre, winding along the entire town route until it reaches Piazza Gramsci, where the final scene of the crucifixion is staged. The choice to traverse the town transforms the streets and squares of Minervino into a large open-air stage, where the public follows the path of the actors step by step, immersed in the austere atmosphere of the days preceding Easter.

The work of an entire community

The strength of the Living Passion lies in popular participation. The event is coordinated by the parish priest Don Angelo Castrovilli together with a group of volunteers, and involves numerous local associations: volunteer groups, scouts, sports and dance associations, and the inter-parish choir. Choreography, choirs, set designs, costumes made by the local seamstresses, make-up, audio-lighting services, and logistics all contribute to bringing the scene to life: a collective effort involving dozens of people that, as the organisers recall, did not stop even during the difficult years of the pandemic.

A recurring edition of the Minervino tradition

Now in its many editions, the Living Passion has established itself as a fixed appointment in the Minervino Holy Week calendar, alongside other traditional rites such as the Procession of the Mysteries of Good Friday with the statues and the relic of the Holy Wood. For Minervino Murge, it represents a strong moment of identity, where the religious dimension merges with the theatrical and communal one, and where the landscape of the Alta Murgia serves as a backdrop to one of the most deep-rooted traditions of inland Puglia.