Patron Saint Festival of Sant'Anastasio and San Nonnoso

A celebration of faith and community in Tuscia

The Patron Saint Festival of Sant'Anastasio and San Nonnoso is the most heartfelt moment in the calendar of Castel Sant'Elia, a small village in the province of Viterbo, Lazio. Every year, in early September, the local community gathers around its two protectors, kicking off the Settembre Castellese, a cycle of religious and civil celebrations that brings the village to life until the middle of the month. It is a celebration that blends the spiritual dimension with popular tradition, featuring processions, music, performances, and traditional fireworks.

Who were Sant'Anastasio and San Nonnoso?

The two patrons were among the first abbots of the monastery of Sant'Elia, which flourished in the Suppentonia Valley as early as the first half of the 6th century. Sant'Anastasio, remembered as the abbot of Suppentonia, is mentioned in the Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great, while San Nonnoso is celebrated for his humility and the miracles associated with his monastic life. Their remains rest in the crypt of the Basilica of Sant'Elia, a destination for devotion and pilgrimage: for centuries, the people of Castel Sant'Elia have guarded their memory with deep affection.

The traditional program

The festivities are traditionally divided into two days:

• September 2nd — the solemn procession of the Patron Saints along the village streets to the Basilica of Sant'Elia; in the evocative evening version, the procession winds by torchlight from the parish church of Sant'Antonio Abate to the basilica.
• September 3rd — solemn mass in honor of the patrons, followed by evening shows and entertainment in the square, and the traditional fireworks that conclude the festival.

In the following days, the Settembre Castellese continues with the feast of the Madonna ad Rupes (around September 12th), featuring mass, a procession, and a pyrotechnic display, testifying to the strong religious vocation of this territory.

A village between gorges and sanctuaries

Castel Sant'Elia stands atop a spectacular gorge, surrounded by the nature of the Faliscan area. The village holds two treasures of great value: the Basilica of Sant'Elia, born from a 6th-century monastery and transformed into a basilica in the 11th century, famous for its cycle of frescoes among the most precious in Lazio, and the Sanctuary of Santa Maria ad Rupes with its Holy Stairs of 144 steps carved into the rock by the hermit Fra Rodio. Participating in the Patron Saint Festival means experiencing an authentic tradition while discovering one of the most evocative places in the Viterbo Tuscia.