Procession of the Mysteries

A ritual that returns after years

The Procession of the Mysteries is not an annual event: in Santa Lucia di Serino, a small town of about 1,500 inhabitants in the upper Sabato river valley, in the province of Avellino, it only returns after many years. Local sources do not agree on the frequency—some speak of a five-year cycle, others of a ten-year one—but all agree on one point: when the 'Mysteries' leave the church, the entire town mobilizes. The last procession took place on Good Friday, April 18, 2025, after a long wait.

The Mysteries: an 18th-century papier-mâché heritage

The heart of the procession consists of wooden and papier-mâché statuary groups dating back to the 18th century, kept in the Church of Maria Santissima dei Sette Dolori. There are fourteen wooden bases, with near life-sized figures, depicting the Stations of the Cross and the moments of Christ's Passion. According to local sources, the Mysteries were commissioned around 1747, and since then they have been preserved, restored, and brought out into the streets only on the most solemn occasions.

• 18th-century papier-mâché statues on wooden support structures
• Near life-sized dimensions, designed to be viewed by crowds along the route
• Normally housed in the Church of the Sette Dolori, seat of the Archconfraternity
• A popular devotion intertwined with the artistic history of Irpinia

How it unfolds

The procession starts from the town center, in Piazza Dante, in front of the mother church of Saints Peter and Paul, in the early afternoon of Good Friday, and slowly winds through the town's streets. It has a penitential character, but also retains a popular and choral dimension that makes it more than just a simple liturgy. The statuary groups are preceded by young girls who recite poems at each stop related to the mystery being represented; the procession is accompanied by traditional hymns and meditations read along the route.

In the evening, upon the return of the Mysteries, the liturgical action of the Lord's Passion is celebrated, the culmination of Good Friday.

Organizers

The event is promoted by the Archconfraternity of Maria Santissima dei Sette Dolori together with the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul, with the patronage of the Municipality of Santa Lucia di Serino and the collaboration of local entities and associations. The Archconfraternity, based in Piazza San Giuseppe Moscati, is the historical custodian of the Mysteries and handles their maintenance between editions.

The town of Saint Giuseppe Moscati

Santa Lucia di Serino, in Campania, stands at an altitude of about 400 meters, a dozen kilometers from Avellino, and is linked to the figure of Saint Giuseppe Moscati, the doctor saint canonized in 1987: his family owned the Palazzo Moscati here. The town's religious heritage also includes the 17th-century Church of Santa Maria della Sanità, with frescoes and a 1749 majolica floor, and the mother church of Saints Peter and Paul, which houses a Pietà attributed to Francesco Solimena as well as 18th-century papier-mâché statues.

The town's traditional calendar does not end with Holy Week: throughout the year, events include the Carnival Masquerade with the 'Months of the Year', the Escarole Festival (first Tuesday after Pentecost), and the Lucian Festivals of the summer months. The table features products from the upper Sabato valley: Serino chestnuts, escarole, Annurca apples, Mortarella hazelnuts, and Fiano di Avellino wine.

When the next edition will be held

Given the multi-year nature of the ritual, no new edition has been announced following the 2025 event. Those wishing to see the Mysteries can still visit the Church of the Sette Dolori, where the statuary groups are kept, and follow updates from the parish and the municipality: the announcement usually comes well in advance, as the town prepares for months.