Feast of San Basilio Vitale in Castronovo di Sicilia
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Religious
Italian villages offer a lot to those who are preparing to visit them, including historical monuments, works of art and excellent food. Then there are the ancient traditions that live on patron festivals and festivals, including the Feast of San Basilio Vitale: takes place at Castronovo di Sicilia, a Sicilian village in the province of Palermo and mixes the sacred and the profane, in an atmosphere of conviviality and mysticism.
Description of the Feast of San Basilio Vitale in Castronovo di Sicilia
Il Patron saint of the small village of Castronovo di Sicilia is solemnly celebrated with rite of Triumph, whose first act sees the picture of Blessed Elijah, escorted by many torches e cheers held by a group of faithful. Then follows the procession of the statue of Saint Basil Vitale, carried on the shoulders of willing devotees, with an almost dancing step, through the streets of the village. The statue is tilted by the bearers to pay homage and at the same time bless the faithful.
In the past, the rite also had a profane and propitiatory aspect for a good harvest.
The history of the Feast of San Basilio Vitale in the village of Castronovo di Sicilia
San Vitale Basilio was born in Castronovo di Sicilia from a family of Byzantine origin: he reached Agira (Enna), to become a monk in the monastery of San Filippo. Returning from a pilgrimage to Rome, he stopped in Calabria for about 2 years, where he founded many monasteries, before reaching Basilicata: here he stopped in a cave near Armento, where he became familiar with the animals.
San Vitale died on 9 March 994 in the monastery of Rapolla in Basilicata: it was the inhabitants of this Lucan village themselves who warned the citizens of Castronovo di Sicilia, in the second half of the 600s, of the miraculous deeds of the holy man.
Saint Basil immediately became the patron saint of the town and a church was also dedicated to him in 1671, which today houses some of the Saint's relics.
Una legend narrates that one night the Saint appeared in a dream to a carpenter, inviting him to reach a place where he would find the wood to build a statue in his honour. Although hesitant, the carpenter obeyed and, on the spot, he found the owner of the land who informed him that he too had had the same dream. Since then that place became an important place of worship.
When the Feast of San Basilio Vitale takes place in Castronovo di Sicilia
The Feast of San Basilio Vitale takes place every year on 9 March in Castronovo of Sicily.
Where the Feast of San Basilio Vitale takes place in Castronovo di Sicilia
The Triumph is a rite that takes place in Castronovo di Sicilia in honor of San Basilio Vitale: the village rises 72 km from Palermo, in the shadow of the Kasser plateau and in the heart of the Monti Sicani territory, not far from the Monte Find us. The area is rich in archaeological finds, with a site dating back as far as the XNUMXth century BC
What to do during the Feast of San Basilio Vitale and around Castronovo di Sicilia
The Feast of San Basilio Vitale is the perfect opportunity to discover this corner of Sicily, where the vestiges of a Norman castle and a Arab fortress.
Worth a visit there Mother Church fifteenth century, inside which you can admire a beautiful statue depicting the Madonna della Catena attributed to Gagini's workshop, a baptismal font and some paintings from the school of the painter Rubens.
During the visit to the village and its other two churches, that of Giudice Giusto and the Church of the Madonna dell'Udienza, it is advisable to taste the local delicacy: it is the trusciteddastuffed with meat or with local cured meats and cheeses such as Fiore Sicano, Ricotta Salata or Tuma.
How to get to Castronovo di Sicilia
To participate in the Feast of San Basilio Vitale you need to start from Palermo, by car, take the E90 for a short distance and then take the SS121. After Vicari, you have to take a detour onto the SS189, go past Santa Rosalia, continue along the SP79 and then onto the SP36 until you reach Castronovo di Sicilia.
