San Severo Holy Week
Passion rites, penitential processions, and sacred music in San Severo
About San Severo Holy Week
Holy Week in the heart of the Capitanata
Every spring, as the Church celebrates the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, San Severo transforms into a grand stage for popular devotion. The San Severo Holy Week is one of the most intense expressions of religious tradition in the Province of Foggia and all of Puglia: a blend of liturgy, music, and centuries-old rites that involves the entire city, from the churches of the historic center to the squares illuminated at dawn.
The Confraternities as Protagonists
The organizational heart of the rites lies in the ancient city archconfraternities and confraternities—including the Archconfraternity of Prayer and Death, the Archconfraternity of Maria SS.ma del Rosario, the Confraternity of the Most Holy Sacrament, and the Archconfraternity of Maria SS.ma del Soccorso—which renew their commitment to coordinating the celebrations every year. Alongside these groups is the Municipality of San Severo, which sponsors a calendar now unified into a single event program.
Good Friday and the Meeting in Piazza Castello
The most anticipated moment is the morning of Good Friday. Still in the dark, shortly after 4:00 AM, the penitential processions begin: the statue of Jesus Scourged at the Column leaves the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, while the Sodality of Prayer and Death and the solemn procession of the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows set out from the Church of S. Maria della Pietà . At 6:00 AM, in Piazza Castello, the traditional Meeting between the two statues takes place: a rite of extraordinary emotional intensity that, in the uncertain light of dawn and the silence broken only by the bands, has moved the San Severo community for generations.
The day concludes in the evening with the procession of the Dead Christ and the Virgin of Sorrows, which winds through the city streets in a long popular Via Crucis, preceded by the Miserere and the singing of the Stabat Mater.
Sacred Music and the Banda Rossa
Music is the common thread throughout the week. Alongside sacred music concerts and choral meditations, the processions are accompanied by the historic local brass bands: the "Città di San Severo" Wind Orchestra and the famous "Banda Rossa", whose funeral marches set the slow pace of the processions.
A Tradition to Experience
Attending the San Severo Holy Week means connecting with the city's most authentic soul: an intangible heritage of faith, art, and belonging. For those visiting the Capitanata during the Easter period, it is a unique opportunity to discover San Severo beyond its famous wines and Carnival, in the quiet reflection of its most ancient rites.
San Severo Holy Week — edition 2026
The 2026 Holy Week in San Severo opened on Saturday, March 28, with Mass at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity and the "Music of the Passion" concert by the Città di San Severo Wind Orchestra. The calendar, unified for the first time in a single program shared by the four city confraternities, intertwined solemn liturgies, moments of sacred music, and the highly anticipated processions.
The absolute heart of the edition was Good Friday, April 3, with the dawn penitential processions and the 6:00 AM Meeting in Piazza Castello, followed in the evening by the city procession of the Dead Christ and the Virgin of Sorrows. The celebrations concluded on Easter Sunday, April 5, with solemn Mass in the Cathedral.
Programme San Severo Holy Week 2026
Saturday, March 28
- 7:00 PM — Church of the Most Holy Trinity: Mass with the "Jubilate Deo" choir
- 7:30 PM — Church of S. Maria della Pietà : "Music of the Passion" concert, Banda and Orchestra Città di San Severo (cond. M° Antonello Ciccone)
Palm Sunday, March 29
- 11:00 AM — Cathedral: Mass presided over by Bishop Mons. Giuseppe Mengoli
- 8:00 PM — Church of the Most Holy Trinity: concert-meditation with the Banda Rossa (cond. M° Francesco Buono)
Monday, March 30
- 7:00 PM — Church of S. Maria della Pietà : Via Matris and Stabat Mater
Tuesday, March 31
- 7:30 PM — Church of S. Maria della Pietà : sacred music concert with Concertus Chant
Holy Thursday, April 2
- 5:30 PM — Church of S. Maria della Pietà : opening of devotion to the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows
- 6:00 PM — Cathedral: Mass of the Lord's Supper (Mons. Mengoli)
- 7:30 PM — Church of S. Lucia: opening of devotion to the Dead Christ and the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows
- 11:30 PM — Church of the Most Holy Trinity: night vigil of the Scourged Jesus
Good Friday, April 3
- 4:00 AM — Procession of the Scourged Jesus from the Most Holy Trinity to the Church of the Libera (Banda Rossa, cond. M° Buono)
- 5:00 AM — Church of S. Maria della Pietà : procession of the Sodality of Prayer and Death; Stabat Mater
- 5:15 AM — Sanctuary of the Soccorso: procession of the Cross towards Piazza Castello
- 5:30 AM — Church of S. Maria della Pietà : solemn procession of the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows (Città di San Severo Orchestra, cond. M° Ciccone)
- 5:45 AM — Church of the Libera: procession of the Scourged Jesus towards Piazza Castello
- 6:00 AM — Piazza Castello: TRADITIONAL MEETING between the Scourged Jesus and the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows, with the Bishop's prayer
- 4:00 PM — Cathedral: Liturgy of the Passion
- 6:15 PM — Church of S. Lucia: Miserere (Psalm 51)
- 6:30 PM — Church of S. Lucia: procession of the Dead Christ and the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows with city Via Crucis (Banda Rossa, cond. M° Buono); Sacred Deposition and "Lament of Mary"
- 8:00 PM — Church of the Most Holy Trinity: "It is finished" concert-meditation (Jubilate Deo Choir)
Easter Sunday, April 5
- 11:00 AM — Cathedral: Solemn Mass (Mons. Mengoli)
- 12:00 PM — Church of S. Maria della Pietà and Sanctuary of Maria SS.ma del Soccorso: Holy Masses
Highlights San Severo Holy Week 2026
Prices San Severo Holy Week 2026
Practical information — San Severo Holy Week
Where
The celebrations take place in the churches of the historic center of San Severo (Cathedral, Most Holy Trinity, S. Maria della Pietà , S. Lucia, Sanctuary of Maria SS.ma del Soccorso, Church of the Libera) and in the city squares. The focal point of the Good Friday processions is Piazza Castello.
How to get there
San Severo is a railway hub on the Bologna–Lecce line and the terminus for the Ferrovie del Gargano; the station is a few minutes' walk from the center. By car, it can be reached via the A14 motorway (San Severo exit) and the SS16 state road. The nearest airport is Bari–Karol Wojtyła.
Tips
The Good Friday dawn processions begin between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM: it is advisable to arrive early in Piazza Castello. Free admission to all celebrations.
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Where does it take place — San Severo Holy Week
Centro storico di San Severo
Piazza Castello, 71016 San Severo