Feast of San Biagio in Comiso

Comiso is located in the Free Municipal Consortium of Ragusa. Almost 30 people live in the town overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and this large community is devoted to the patron saint, San Biagio.
La Patronal feast in Comiso, in month of February, takes place mainly in the Church and the moment most awaited by the faithful is that of the traditional Blessing of the Throat, a rite that has been repeated every year for centuries, according to an ancient arrangement: the neck of the faithful is blessed by the priest, with the help of two crossed candles.
The Winter Festival provides for the celebration of solemn Masses throughout the day, to commemorate the Martyrdom of San Biagio. There Feast of San Biagio in Comiso in month of July, however, begins with the celebration of the Eucharistic rite, followed by the Procession of the simulacrum of the Patron, through the main streets of Comiso. Health and serenity are invoked by the faithful, through the prayer to San Biagio.
In January, the memory of the whole religious community of Comiso goes to the Patron Saint, thanking him with a Procession, for having saved most of the village from the terrible earthquake of January 1693.

The story linked to the Patronal Festival in Comiso

If the January anniversary serves the faithful to thank the Patron Saint, the Patronal Festivals of Comiso in February and July strengthen the feeling of devotion, but also of union, of the community: through the singing of the Te Deum, the faithful ask for protection on all the city. The Feast of San Biagio in Comiso also commemorates the Martyrdom of San Biagio, who lived in the fourth century and the miracle he performed, in saving the life of a child who had ingested a dangerous bone. From this miracle, therefore, derives the Blessing of the Throat, which takes place during the Feast of San Biagio in Comiso, celebrated since the seventh century AD

When the Feast of San Biagio takes place in Comiso

The Feast of San Biagio in Comiso takes place on 3 Februarymartyrdom day. The celebrations are also repeated in the second Sunday of July, while the day of the commemoration of the earthquake that occurred in 1693 is January 11, the day in which another Procession takes place in honor of the Patron Saint.

Where the Feast of San Biagio takes place in Comiso

The main places of the Patronal Festivals in Comiso are the Mother Church of Santa Maria delle Stelle , Church of St. Blaise, where the ancient simulacrum of the Patron is kept.

What to do during the Feast of San Biagio in Comiso

Those who reach Comiso to take part in the Feast of San Biagio will undoubtedly want to admire the most important churches in the city for this event: the Duomo from the XNUMXth century, rebuilt after the earthquake and still today the custodian of works from the Gagini workshop and other great Sicilian artists such as Barbalonga, or the Church of St. Blaise, built in the seventeenth century on the ruins of an even older sacred building.
In the center of Comiso, there are also many other churches to visit and we advise you to continue your sacred tour passing through Basilica of Maria SS. Announced, to admire the canvases and statues of the author, such as the Crucifix by Fra Umile da Petralia, continuing towards the Church of San Francesco all'Immacolata, which houses various works by Gagini, to then reach the ex Church of the Gesù, where you can admire the architecture and frescoes of the Church.
Discover all the other buildings in Comiso: in the centre, in addition to the churches, there are a pagoda and many noble palaces. There Peace Pagoda it is a very rare example of Buddhist religious architecture in Europe, in fact its profile is inspired by that of Indian monuments, while among the more familiar architectures of our country, there are beautiful palaces such as the Castle of Naselli d'Aragona, built in Renaissance style , but built on even more ancient foundations.
Walking through Comiso, you will find other interesting buildings such as the Palazzo Comunale, the former Fish Market and the Trigona Palace of Canicarao, while moving away a little from the center, you will come across the pleasant ones Baths of Diana.

How is it possible to get to the Feast of San Biagio in Comiso

Comiso, in the Libero Municipal Consortium of Ragusa, can be reached with the car, via the E45 and the SS115. By train it is possible to arrive in Ragusa, and then continue to the center by bus and shuttle: the distance is only 11 km.