Sant'Erasmo Patronal Feast

A devotion that climbs the mountain

Few patronal feasts in Lazio capture the bond between a community and its mountains as clearly as the Sant'Erasmo Feast in Roccagorga, a municipality in the province of Latina perched at 289 meters on the slopes of the Lepini Mountains. Here, the patron saint is not celebrated only in the village; he is sought out at altitude, along a narrow and steep road that climbs through the woods for over six kilometers to the Sant'Erasmo Hermitage, a small 11th-12th century medieval church located at about 850 meters above sea level, at the foot of Mount Pizzone-Erdigheta, next to the ruins of an ancient monastery and a natural spring.

The pilgrimage on the last Sunday of May

The first act of the feast falls on the last Sunday of May. Early in the morning, the people of Roccagorga leave the town square and tackle the ascent mostly on foot, carrying the silver bust of the saint in procession. At the hermitage, an open-air mass is celebrated, and the day then opens up to a convivial atmosphere: people stop in the woods, eat together, and share the dishes that local tradition has linked to this event.

• Bread and bean soup, a humble dish of Lepini cuisine
• Stewed goat, the signature dish of the pilgrimage
• Lepini wine and local produce
• Rest and refreshments at the hermitage complex, now a support point for hikers and pilgrims

The June 2nd procession

The second moment, the patronal feast proper, takes place on June 2nd, the liturgical day of Sant'Erasmo. After the solemn mass, the silver bust leaves the church and travels through the alleys of the historic center accompanied by a brass band; when the simulacrum stops in the main square, the evening concludes with a firework display in honor of the patron saint. Surrounding the religious celebrations are the usual village festivities: folk games, a lottery, market stalls, and musical entertainment, following a format that has been repeated for decades.

The silver bust and its history

The object around which the entire feast revolves has an extraordinary history. In 1798, French soldiers looted the church, requisitioning gold and silver, but the bust of Sant'Erasmo was saved thanks to an extraordinary collection promoted by the women of the village, who ransomed it. A second rescue marks contemporary memory: during the Nazi occupation in World War II, the bust was hidden under the floor of the hermitage, and its recovery in 1944 gave rise to the current form of the annual pilgrimage. The bust is traditionally adorned with a gold necklace with a crucifix, the disappearance of which from the parish safe, discovered on June 7, 2025, opened a case that deeply shook the community.

Why it's worth the trip

Visitors from outside will find a patronal feast here that is still strongly anchored to its original purpose: not a lineup of shows, but a collective ritual that connects the village, the woods, and the mountains. The May pilgrimage is both a scenic walk in the Lepini Mountains and a community lunch in the open air; the June procession provides the most classic image of devotional Lazio, with the silver of the bust shining among the stone houses. For hiking enthusiasts, the hermitage remains accessible all year round via the trails starting from the Fonte dell'Arco.