Saint Anthony Abbot Patronal Feast in Calasca

The patronal feast of Calasca

In Calasca-Castiglione, nestled in the heart of the Anzasca Valley in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Piedmont), the Saint Anthony Abbot Patronal Feast is the event that kicks off the year. Saint Anthony Abbot, the protector of animals, farmers, and breeders, is the town's patron saint, celebrated around January 17th, with the main festivities taking place on the Sunday closest to the date.

The Cathedral in the Woods

The heart of the celebration is the parish church of Saint Anthony Abbot in the hamlet of Antrogna, known to all as the "Cathedral in the Woods." Built between 1791 and 1797, it is surprisingly large for a small mountain village: clad in exposed stone with a stone-slab roof, its interior features three naves supported by six stone columns, adorned with frescoes, marble, and sculptures that earned it its cathedral nickname. Seeing it packed on the patron saint's day, under the snow, is an experience that perfectly captures the identity of the Anzasca Valley.

Friars, sleds, and gifts

The most distinctive tradition is that of the frati and fratini (friars and little friars): men, boys, and children wear the saint's traditional habit and walk in a procession toward the church, carrying gifts. The offerings travel on sleds, wicker baskets, and donkeys with heavy packs along the village's snowy mule tracks. Inside the Cathedral in the Woods, a large fir tree is decorated and laden with gifts offered by the community, which are later auctioned off to support the parish.

The blessing of the animals

As Saint Anthony Abbot is the protector of livestock, the festival preserves the rite of the blessing of the animals: donkeys, lambs, chickens, and rabbits are led to the churchyard and blessed. This gesture is rooted in the valley's rural and alpine culture, where caring for animals meant survival, and is linked by legend to the night of January 17th, when it is said that animals gain the power of speech for one night.

A living tradition

The Saint Anthony Abbot Patronal Feast is not a folkloric re-enactment staged for tourists, but a popular festival still deeply felt by the inhabitants of Calasca-Castiglione and its hamlets—Antrogna, Barzona, Boretta, Duiamen, Molini, and Pecciola. For those visiting the Ossola region in winter, it is an opportunity to discover a mountain community that continues to celebrate its patron saint with the same simplicity as in the past.