Procession of the Most Holy Crucifix on the Vara

A procession held only once a year

In the heart of the Belice Valley, in Campobello di Mazara, province of Trapani, one of the most deep-rooted religious traditions of Western Sicily is renewed every year: the procession of the Most Holy Crucifix on the Vara. Unlike many patronal festivals, the simulacrum is carried through the town's streets only once a year, on the last Sunday of September. It is a moment awaited for months, capable of bringing the entire town to a standstill and drawing back emigrants who return specifically to witness it.

The Crucifix by Fra Umile da Petralia

At the center of this devotion lies a masterpiece of Sicilian wood carving: the Crucifix created between 1633 and 1634 by Fra Umile da Petralia (born Giovanni Francesco Pintorno), a Franciscan friar who viewed his art as an act of prayer and meditation. The work, one of thirty-three attributed to the friar, is striking for its dramatic realism: the crown of thorns intertwined multiple times with rope, the splinters piercing the eyebrows, and the face marked by the Passion. According to tradition, the Crucifix was donated to the community by Duke Giuseppe Di Napoli in 1666, marking the beginning of the deep-seated devotion in Campobello.

The Vara, a small moving temple

The Crucifix is housed inside the Vara, a neoclassical wooden processional float built in 1856 under Archpriest Don Giuseppe Guccione, gilded in 1858, and later restored in 1909 and 1981. Eight Corinthian columns support a dome, forming a sort of small temple that encloses the statue. Once carried on the shoulders of forty men, the Vara now moves on a dedicated carriage through the streets of the historic center.

Faith, community, and identity

The procession is preceded by days of religious celebrations at the Mother Church on Via Garibaldi, the town's spiritual hub. It is traditional for children to be brought close to the Crucifix as the Vara passes, a devotional gesture that testifies to the intimate bond between the community and the sacred image. In recent years, the Pro Loco "Costa di Cusa," with the help of Civil Service volunteers, has complemented the festivities with free guided tours of the Mother Church to share the history of the artwork, the ancient small church at the well, and the Vara with visitors. It is an opportunity to discover the historical and artistic heritage of Campobello di Mazara beyond the ritual itself.