Patronal Feast of Maria SS. Assunta in Calcinate

The patron saint of Calcinate

The parish of Calcinate, a municipality in the province of Bergamo, is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, the town's patron saint. The liturgical feast of the Assumption falls on August 15th, but in Calcinate the celebrations are traditionally postponed to early September, when the town comes alive for its most important festival.

The Palio della Madonna Assunta

The civil heart of the festival is the Palio della Madonna Assunta, the challenge that pits the four districts into which the town is divided against each other:

• Santo Stefano, to the north, with yellow and brown colors;
• San Martino, to the south, with pink and blue colors, named after the Romanesque church near the cemetery;
• Oltrezerra, to the west beyond the Zerra stream, with green and pink colors;
• Centro, in the heart of the town, with sky blue and white colors.

The competition between districts fuels a sense of belonging that involves the entire community, from the youngest to the oldest, in a challenge of games, decorations, and neighborhood pride.

Faith and community

Alongside the Palio, there are also religious moments: the solemn Mass and the procession in honor of Our Lady of the Assumption, which winds through the historic parish church – a valuable Baroque building housing works by Francesco Coghetti and Francesco Capella and a Serassi organ. The patronal feast of Calcinate is thus an intertwining of devotion, tradition, and local identity that characterizes the end of the Bergamo summer.