Procession of the Sacred Mysteries of Valenzano

A 350-year-old tradition

The Procession of the Sacred Mysteries of Valenzano is one of the most evocative and ancient religious events of Holy Week in Puglia. Its first official documentation dates back to 1675, when the Franciscan Friars and the Chapter of the Mother Church of San Rocco established this Lenten rite, which for three and a half centuries has marked the faith of the community of Valenzano, in the Metropolitan City of Bari. Considered the largest procession of Mysteries in the region, it represents the deepest soul of the town and attracts thousands of faithful and visitors every year.

The fifty-four papier-mâché Mysteries

The heart of the procession consists of the fifty-four Mysteries, statuary groups made of papier-mâché that depict episodes of the Passion of Christ, from his entry into Jerusalem to his deposition in the tomb. With the exception of the Addolorata and the Dead Christ, which are church property, all other statues are cared for by devout Valenzano families: starting in the late 19th century, some affluent families commissioned these works as a vow for a received grace or to display their status, passing them down through generations.

The «ragazze al pizzo» and the bearers

On Good Friday, over a thousand people bring the town's streets to life. Alongside the numerous bearers, the famous «ragazze al pizzo» walk in the procession—young women who accompany each Mystery by holding the cords at the corners of the statuary group while carrying candles or flowers. Tradition dictates that they must be unmarried and can no longer accompany the Mystery once they are married. The procession is completed by costumed figures, children dressed as angels, Madonnas, and little Jesuses, as well as brass bands playing solemn funeral marches.

The Good Friday program

The day begins early in the morning with the gathering of the Sacred Mysteries along Corso Aldo Moro, the street adjacent to the Mother Church, from where the procession sets off to wind through the main streets of the town center. In the afternoon, the rite of presenting the crucifix to Our Lady of Sorrows (Maria Addolorata) takes place at the Church of San Rocco, while the evening is dedicated to the moving procession of the Dead Christ.

The 350th anniversary and the Jubilee Year

In 2026, the Procession of the Sacred Mysteries celebrated its 350th anniversary, a milestone symbolically coinciding with the Jubilee Year. For the occasion, the newly formed Associazione I Misteri di Valenzano APS promoted a rich program of commemorative events, including a grand concert of processional marches performed in Largo San Benedetto, in the heart of the historic center, under the direction of maestros Giuseppe Gregucci, Nicola Cotugno, and Angelo Schirinzi.

Valenzano and the Puglian Holy Week

Part of the vast heritage of Holy Week rites in the Bari area, the Valenzano procession stands out for the exceptional number of Mysteries and the choral participation of the citizenry. The Municipality of Valenzano, in the Province of Bari, thus preserves a popular tradition that weaves together faith, family memory, and collective identity, recognized as an intangible asset of Puglia.