Sabo Grando e Perdòn di Barbana

A vow that has lasted since 1237

The Perdòn di Barbana is one of the oldest and most heartfelt traditions in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Its origins date back to 1237, when Grado was freed from a terrible epidemic: since then, the Grado community has renewed "an ancient, public, and solemn vow, perpetually professed", crossing the lagoon in procession to thank the Madonna. It is a promise that has been repeated uninterruptedly for almost eight centuries, every first Sunday in July.

Sabo Grando: the eve of the festival

The celebrations begin on Saturday, the so-called Sabo Grando ("great Saturday" in the Grado dialect): the historic centre lights up with lights, sounds, and colours, with music, dances, and popular performances animating the narrow streets and squares until late at night. It is the festive prelude to the religious moment on Sunday.

The procession of boats

On Sunday morning, after High Mass in the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia, the statue of the Madonna degli Angeli is placed on the "Regina del Mare" (Queen of the Sea) and begins a evocative procession of flag-adorned and garlanded boats. Dozens of boats follow the statue across the lagoon to the island of Barbana, where the ancient Marian sanctuary is located. Here the Archbishop presides over the solemn Mass, before the return to the port and the Te Deum of thanksgiving in the Basilica.

A Grado identity heritage

More than an event, the Perdòn di Barbana is the very soul of Grado: it unites faith, the sea, and the identity of a community of fishermen and sailors. The spectacle of the boats in procession on the lagoon, under the July sky, remains one of the most moving moments of the summer on the Island of the Sun and attracts worshippers and visitors from all over the region.