Saint Giovanni Leonardi Patronal Feast

A neighborhood festival in the heart of Torre Maura

The Saint Giovanni Leonardi Patronal Feast is the most anticipated event of the year for the community of Torre Maura, a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Rome, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital and the Lazio region. The heart of the celebrations is the parish church at Via della Cicogna 2, overlooking Piazza dei Cigni, established in 1951 by decree of Cardinal Vicar Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani and entrusted since its inception to the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God, the order founded by Saint Giovanni Leonardi himself.

Who was Saint Giovanni Leonardi

Born in Diecimo, in the province of Lucca, in 1541 and died in Rome on October 9, 1609, Giovanni Leonardi was first an apothecary and later a priest. He founded the Order of the Mother of God, was among the promoters of what would become the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, and dedicated his life to church reform and the formation of the laity. He is venerated as the patron saint of pharmacists, and his remains rest in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli, in the historic center of Rome: this is why every October his memory unites two Roman parishes, the one in Campitelli and the one in Torre Maura.

The rhythm of the festival

Celebrations center around October 9th, the day of the liturgical solemnity. The week leading up to the date is marked by the novena, with daily recitation of the rosary and evening Mass, while during the festival days, the community offers moments of catechesis, meetings, and prayer vigils. The highlight is the evening procession which leaves the church at 6:30 PM to travel through the neighborhood streets: in recent years, it has been presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Monsignor Paolo Ricciardi, with the participation of parish groups, confraternities, and local faithful.

The social side

• Novena of preparation with daily rosary and Mass
• Solemn Masses on the patron saint's day, with musical accompaniment by the community
• Procession through the streets of Torre Maura, featuring the image of the saint
• Social gatherings and community lunches organized by the Saint Giovanni Leonardi Association in the rectory spaces
• Activities for families, children, and youth from the parish youth groups

The calendar does not end with the solemnity: in 2025, for example, the Saint Giovanni Leonardi Association hosted a Sicilian lunch on Sunday, October 26th, at 12:30 PM in the rectory, demonstrating how the festival extends throughout the month with a series of events that bring together the different souls of the neighborhood, many of whom arrived in Rome from Southern Italy during the 20th century.

Why it is worth attending

Those looking for monumental Rome will not find baroque basilicas or crowds of tourists here. Instead, they will find an authentic patronal feast, where the procession passes under the balconies of apartment blocks, where neighbors recognize each other, and where religious tradition is still a real social glue. It is one of the most direct ways to understand how the city really lives beyond the Grande Raccordo Anulare, in a neighborhood that celebrated its centenary in 2022 and maintains a strong community identity.

The Lazio context

October patronal feasts are a recurring feature of the Lazio calendar: after the end of the summer food festivals, the neighborhoods and small towns of the region gather around their saints with processions, illuminations, and banquets. Torre Maura fully fits into this tradition, bringing into the metropolis a model of celebration that originates in the countryside and finds its urban version here.