Patronal Feast of Saint Roch and Saint Helena

The Patron Saint and His City

Ferrandina, a village in the Matera province overlooking the Basento valley, experiences its most heartfelt moment of the year with the Patronal Feast of Saint Roch and Saint Helena, celebrated around August 16th. It is the feast that brings the entire community together and draws residents, returning emigrants, and devotees from neighboring towns in a blend of faith, tradition, and popular celebration.

The Handover of the Keys

The ritual that most characterizes the feast is the handover of the city keys: for one day, symbolically, Saint Roch assumes full power over the village, in a gesture of collective entrustment that tells of the deep bond between the community and its patron saint. The religious ceremony culminates in the solemn mass in Piazza Plebiscito, presided over by the Archbishop of Matera-Irsina.

The Procession and Music

After the mass, the statue of the saint is carried in a procession along the main streets of the historic center, accompanied by popular devotion and an ancient rite: women who follow the procession barefoot, carrying wax ex-votos in small baskets, to give thanks or ask for a grace. The civil celebration is entrusted to the musical bands — including «Ernesto De Martino» and «Armonie Lucane» — and to the grand evening concerts that liven up the square until nightfall.

Atmosphere

Experiencing the feast of Saint Roch in Ferrandina means immersing yourself in an authentic Southern Italian August, where the sacred and the profane coexist naturally: the illuminations, the aromas from the stalls, the solemnity of the liturgy, and the energy of the concerts paint a portrait of a community gathering around its roots.