Procession of the Crocioni

A centuries-old rite in the heart of Garfagnana

The Procession of the Crocioni is one of the most intense and ancient religious traditions of the Garfagnana, renewed every year in the village of Castiglione di Garfagnana, in the province of Lucca. The rite takes place on the evening of Maundy Thursday and stages, with great popular participation, the Passion of Christ along the streets of the historic center enclosed within the medieval walls.

The mystery of the hooded man

At the heart of the procession is a mysterious figure: a hooded and barefoot man who embodies Christ during the Passion. He wears a crown of thorns, drags two noisy chains at his feet, and carries a heavy wooden cross on his shoulders. The feature that makes this rite unique is the penitent's anonymity: no one, except the prior of the Confraternity, must know his identity. Before the procession, the penitent is locked in the sacristy and, at the end of the route, often with bleeding feet, he returns there to remain hidden from the eyes of the people, watched over by two figures dressed as Roman soldiers.

The route and the three falls

The ceremony begins in the Church of San Michele with the Mass of the Lord's Supper, followed by the rite of the washing of the feet of the twelve apostles, represented by twelve young men from the village. After the evocation of the Last Supper, the hooded Christ leaves the church accompanied by the Cyrenian and escorted by a group of Roman soldiers. The procession winds along the narrow streets of the medieval village, punctuated by the roll of drums that announces the three falls of Christ: at the churchyard of San Pietro, at the Torricella, and at the Porta del Ponte Levatoio. Each fall is followed by a rising, until the return to the Church of San Michele.

A tradition that unites the village

Once, two distinct processions took place in Castiglione di Garfagnana; for some decades, only the one linked to the parish of San Michele remains, which continues to involve the entire community of the municipality. It is an event with a strong religious foundation, capable of attracting numerous spectators every year from all over the Garfagnana and Tuscany. The re-enactment, managed by the local Confraternity, preserves the austere and profound charm of a popular devotion handed down from generation to generation.

Castiglione di Garfagnana, a village to discover

The procession is also an opportunity to visit one of the best-preserved walled villages in Tuscany: the medieval walls, towers, gates, and alleys of Castiglione di Garfagnana provide a natural backdrop for a rite that seems suspended in time, creating a unique atmosphere on the night of Maundy Thursday.