Saint Agrippina Patronal Festival

Mineo's most cherished festival

The Saint Agrippina Patronal Festival is the most important and anticipated event of the year in Mineo, an ancient village in the Iblei Mountains in the province of Catania, in the heart of Sicily. Every year, over the last two Sundays of August, the entire community gathers around the young Roman martyr proclaimed patron saint of the city, bringing to life a week of religious celebrations, popular rituals, music, and performances that draw emigrants and visitors back to the town.

Saint Agrippina, the patron saint

According to tradition, Agrippina was a noble Christian maiden from Rome, martyred by beheading on June 23, 258 AD, under Emperor Valerian. Her relics were brought to Sicily by three devotees and arrived in Mineo on May 17, giving rise to a deep and rooted cult. The exquisite silver statue kept in the town, the work of master silversmith Vincenzo Archifel dating back to the early 16th century, is the visual heart of the festival.

The procession of the fercolo

The highlight is the procession of the silver fercolo, with the statue of the Saint carried along the main streets of the historic center amidst fireworks and the throwing of leaflets. The external procession traditionally takes place on the morning of the first Sunday and the evening of the second Sunday, the Octave. In 2025, the fercolo returned to being carried on shoulders by devotees for the first time in about fifty years, thanks to a new processional float commissioned by the Circolo Santa Agrippina ODV.

The pilgrimage of the Nudi

Among the most evocative rites is the pilgrimage of the Nudi, which takes place on the Saturday preceding the second Sunday. Hundreds of barefoot men, dressed in white and girded with red sashes, cross the town shouting, «Long live our Patron Saint of Sant'Arpina!». The ritual commemorates the 1693 earthquake, when the people of Mineo fled their homes barefoot, imploring the Saint's protection.

Horses, carts, and the grain offering

The festival preserves its rustic and folkloric soul intact: the parade of horses and Sicilian carts fills the streets with color and tradition, while on the morning of the Octave, the offering of the grain takes place: mules, horses, and carts in procession bring saddlebags full of wheat as a gift to the patron saint, an ancient sign of gratitude for the harvest.

A recognized heritage

In 2026, the Saint Agrippina Patronal Festival was inscribed in the Register of Intangible Heritage of the Sicilian Region, a recognition that confirms its cultural and anthropological value and places it among the great identity-defining festivals of the Municipality of Mineo and the entire Calatino territory.