Madonna della Vena Festival

An ancient devotion at the foot of Mount Etna

The Madonna della Vena Festival is the patronal feast of Vena, a small village in the municipality of Piedimonte Etneo, in the province of Catania, on the northeastern slopes of Mount Etna. It is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of September around the Sanctuary of Maria SS. della Vena, one of the most venerated Marian places of worship in the Etna region and a destination for pilgrimages that extend far beyond the village borders.

Origins and the miracle of the spring

Tradition links the origins of the sanctuary to Pope Gregory the Great, who is said to have founded a monastery here dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle. According to local legend, the monks arrived with an ancient icon of the Virgin and stopped where a water spring miraculously gushed from the ground: from that "vein" (vena) came the name by which the faithful still invoke the Madonna today. A second miracle, passed down through generations and commemorated in the mosaics decorating the sanctuary, is that of the stopping of the lava flow that threatened the community. The bond with the spring and the protection from eruptions makes this devotion deeply tied to Mount Etna, intertwined with the life of a territory shaped by the volcano.

The day of the festival

The day begins in the morning with a solemn pontifical mass presided over by the Bishop. In the afternoon, around 5:30 PM, the statue of the Madonna emerges triumphantly from the sanctuary, greeted by the festive ringing of bells, the throwing of multicolored paper, and fireworks. The devotees then sing the traditional Cantata in honor of the Patron Saint, before the procession sets off along the country roads surrounding the sanctuary, decorated for the occasion with lights and flags. The float, topped by a wooden canopy with its columns, travels through the village amidst the emotion of the faithful, ending with a final pyrotechnic display that concludes the evening.

A community celebration

Surrounding the religious core, the hamlet experiences an entire season of events: the festival is part of the community's summer calendar, featuring evenings in Piazza Santuario, dances, shows, and gastronomic moments organized by local associations, led by the Pro Loco of Vena. The village houses are decorated, churches are enriched with floral arrangements, and the entire community gathers around its identity. For those visiting the Etna area during this period, the festival is an authentic opportunity to discover Sicilian popular tradition and the most genuine face of a mountain village.

The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary of Maria SS. della Vena is located on Via Vena, in the heart of the hamlet of the same name, and includes access designed for visitors with limited mobility. As the guardian of an ancient Marian icon and centuries of devotion, it represents one of the most important spiritual landmarks in the Piedimonte area and the entire Etna side of Sicily.