Saint John the Baptist Patronal Feast (Feast of the Battenti)

One of the most heartfelt religious traditions in Irpinia

The Saint John the Baptist Patronal Feast in Quadrelle, known to all as the Feast of the Battenti, is much more than just a date on the calendar: it is the moment when the entire community of this small town in the Province of Avellino, in Campania, unites in an act of faith passed down through generations. Saint John the Baptist, venerated as the precursor of Christ and a symbol of purification and conversion, is the town's patron saint. While his liturgical feast day is June 24th, the most intense popular celebration—the Battenti—traditionally takes place in August, on the third Sunday of the month.

The rite of the Battenti: on foot from Cimitile to Quadrelle

The heart of the festival is the penitential pilgrimage. During the night, the battenti prepare themselves through prayer and confession; at dawn, following the 7 AM Holy Mass, the group departs from Cimitile, near the area known as "Pizzeriniello," and walks the road back to Quadrelle. The participants wear white garments and advance in a procession accompanied by devotional songs, invocations, and prayers. The arrival in the village, expected around 10:30 AM, is the most moving moment: the procession winds through the town center amidst the emotion of the onlookers and concludes at the parish church with an homage to the patron saint.

This is not a tourist spectacle, but a collective, penitential rite that unites families, emigrants who return for the occasion, and young people. This is why the people of Quadrelle consider it a true identity heritage, capable of strengthening social bonds and passing values on to new generations.

The religious program

In the days leading up to the main event, the parish marks the time of the feast with a cycle of celebrations: daily masses, moments of prayer and catechesis, a commemoration at the cemetery for deceased battenti, and, on Sunday afternoon, the procession of the Baptist through the streets of the town, with the statue carried on shoulders and accompanied by a marching band.

The secular side: music and evenings in the square

The devotional dimension has always been accompanied by a secular program that enlivens the August evenings. The stage set up on Via Roma and the spaces in the main square host concerts, musical performances, children's shows, and dance evenings, while illuminations light up the profile of the historic center. In recent years, the festival has brought well-known names from the Neapolitan scene to Quadrelle: in the 2025 edition, the main concert was headlined by singer-songwriter Enzo Gragnaniello, performing his tour "Veleno. Mare e Ammore."

The Committee and the community

The organization is entrusted to the volunteer work of the festival committee, supported by the municipal administration and the parish. In June 2026, the new Saint John the Baptist Battenti Committee was formed, chaired by Stefano Caruso, with the stated goal of preserving, promoting, and strengthening one of the most deeply rooted religious expressions of the local community. The Committee has also promoted an educational path dedicated to the history and meaning of the rite in the local primary school, ensuring that the tradition is not just repeated but truly understood.

Quadrelle and the Baianese territory

Nestled at about 300 meters above sea level on the slopes of Mount Litto, the municipality of Quadrelle has just under 1,900 inhabitants and belongs to the Baianese area, at the gates of the Nola plain. It is a compact village, featuring the parish church of the SS. Annunziata and a coat of arms with four towers that recalls the town's name and the ancient castle of Litto. Its position, straddling Irpinia and the Vesuvian-Nolan area, also explains the historical bond with Cimitile, a paleochristian city famous for its basilica complex, from which the journey of the battenti begins every year.

When to go

The day not to be missed is the day of the Battenti in August: those who wish to witness the arrival of the procession should be in town by 10 AM. The secular evenings are concentrated in the days immediately preceding and following, when Quadrelle fills with visitors from the neighboring towns of the Baianese district and the Neapolitan hinterland.