Santa Maria delle Grazie Festival in Maugeri

A festival of popular devotion on the slopes of Mount Etna

The Santa Maria delle Grazie Festival takes place every year in the hamlet of Maugeri, a small residential area belonging to the municipality of Valverde, in the province of Catania, in the heart of eastern Sicily. The event traditionally falls on the second Sunday of September, just a few weeks after the major patronal feast of the Madonna of Valverde celebrated in the town center: the two events create a thread of devotional continuity that runs through the entire municipal territory.

The church and the statue of the Virgin

The heart of the festival is the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the parish church of the hamlet. The building, destroyed by the 1693 earthquake that devastated the Val di Noto, was rebuilt in 1714 and later expanded and enriched with works of art. Inside, it houses a valuable life-sized wooden crucifix and paintings attributed to Giacinto Platania and the Catanese painter Zacco. In the apse, inside the chapel, the beautiful wooden statue of the Madonna delle Grazie is kept, a work by Ignazio Castorina Ganzirri, which becomes the absolute protagonist of the celebrations during the festival.

The daily ritual

From the morning, the statue is unveiled and displayed on the high altar, while solemn masses are held, attended by the faithful from Maugeri and neighboring towns. In the afternoon, the statue is lowered from the altar and placed on the processional float in front of the church portal, where a small outdoor altar is set up for the evening open-air mass.

The procession and fireworks

The most anticipated moment is the evening procession, which begins around 8:00 PM. The exit of the Madonna from the church is greeted by the festive ringing of bells, the throwing of colorful paper, and fireworks, while the float is carried on shoulders through the streets of Maugeri amidst songs, prayers, and popular devotion. Upon the return of the statue to the church, a grand fireworks display is ignited, followed by the final solemn blessing that closes the day of celebration.

Tradition, community, and hospitality

The Santa Maria delle Grazie Festival in Maugeri is much more than a liturgical appointment: it is the moment when the entire community of the hamlet gathers, welcomes emigrated relatives, and opens its doors to visitors. Local traditions are also expressed through moments of conviviality, stalls selling typical Sicilian products, and a village atmosphere that recalls the most authentic values of the Etna region of Sicily. For those who wish to discover a genuine religious festival, far from the major tourist circuits, Maugeri di Valverde offers an intense experience of faith and popular identity.