Patronal Feast of Sant'Alessandro in Barrafranca

U Viaggiu a Santruscianniru is one of the most heartfelt and loved traditions in Barrafranca: on May 3, every year, the Patronal Festival is celebrated in Barrafranca, during which the whole community of the faithful remembers and pays homage to Sant'Alessandro, Patron of the town.
Between ancient traditions and modern customs, the Feast of Sant'Alessandro is celebrated today with the Corsa del Santo Patron, a music festival in the town and a commemorative mass.

The statue of the Patron Saint, also considered the protector of the fields, is carried in procession along the Via dei Santi, but reaches the land below, in the localities called Below Serra and Puntaterra. Here, where once the borders of the town reached, the simulacrum of the Saint is moved in a three-step race by the porters, who repeat the ancient tradition of the race to bless the fields year after year. The prosperity that is requested through the intercession of the Saint is represented directly on the simulacrum, with food offerings, ears of wheat and products of the earth, placed near the Patron.

In the afternoon, the Musical Band of Barrafranca joins the Confraternity of Sant'Alessandro and, together, they all walk the streets of the town to collect the offerings of bread that the faithful give to the Patron Saint.
In the late afternoon, at the Church of Maria Santissima della Stella, the mass in honor of Sant'Alessandro is instead celebrated. After the function, the party continues in the street with the flag-wavers, the band and the brotherhood, who set out in procession towards the church starting from a different point in the town.

The history of the patronal feast in Barrafranca

U Viaggiu during the Patronal Festival in Barrafranca is an ancient tradition, which saw the faithful move on foot from their homes to the Church of Maria Santissima della Stella, where the statue of the Patron was located. During this journey, everyone was gathered in prayer and, concentrated in their devotion, paid no attention to the external events that could happen during the journey.
Today not all the ancient traditions are repeated, but a part of them still lives on today's celebrations: the race, the offering of bread, the liturgical function.
Sant'Alessandro is remembered in the village as Pope and Martyr, and is represented in the simulacrum seated on the papal throne, with the symbols of the pontiff, such as stick and tiara; however, relics are kept in the village church that are traced back to the martyr Alexander and, therefore, Barrafranca remembers both the Pope and the Martyr in its Patronal Feast.
The most accredited historical news, remember how Alexander was Pope in the 1572nd century AD and from XNUMX he became the patron saint of Barrafranca. He is asked to bless the fields with the famous Corsa di Sant'Alessandro, which still today bears witness to the strong link between the rural world and the religious sphere in the town.

When the patronal festival takes place in Barrafranca

The day on which the patronal feast is celebrated in Barrafranca, in honor of Sant'Alessandro is May 3rd. The feast is repeated every year and mass is celebrated at 18pm. The procession that concludes the party begins, however, around 30:19.
The month of May is traditionally a very important period for the farming world, as the fruits of working the land begin to appear: the Patron Saint of the country was traditionally invoked to ensure an abundance of the harvest.

Where the patronal festival takes place in Barrafranca

The Patronal Festival of Barrafranca takes place in the town in the province of Enna, in Sicily. The most important places of this religious event are the Via dei Santi, the peasant districts of Sotto Serra and Puntaterra, the Church of Maria Santissima della Stella (located in Via Madonna della Stella).

What to do during the patronal festival in Barrafranca

The Patronal Festival of Barrafranca is celebrated in May, the perfect time to organize a holiday in Sicily, enjoying an already favorable climate for trips and relaxation.
On the feast day, it is possible to take part in the celebrations, accompanying the statue of Sant'Alessandro in a procession and giving a bread offering to the confreres, to then participate in the afternoon mass, during which one can gather in prayer with the community , enjoying the suggestive atmosphere of the party.
With the beautiful spring days that characterize the month of May, you can plan a visit to the village to admire the Church of Maria Santissima della Purificazione or go a little further, up to the Castle of Mazzarino, open to the public.
Barrafranca is in a central position, in the Sicilian hinterland: from here you can also reach larger towns, such as Enna, Caltanissetta or Catania.
If you have a few days to spend on the island, you can visit the beautiful Enna, just 28 km away, where you can admire the Duomo; Caltanissetta, on the other hand, is 30 km away in a northerly direction, and here you can admire beautiful churches such as the Abbey of Santo Spirito, but also civil buildings such as the Teatro Regina Margherita. If you choose Barrafranca as the starting point for a wider tour, you can reach Catania, 110 km away, on the east coast of the island: the tour of the beautiful baroque city can start from Piazza del Duomo.

How to get to the Patronal Festival of Barrafranca

Barrafranca, in the Free Municipal Consortium of Enna, can be reached by motorway from the main Sicilian cities.
The A19 Palermo-Catania has two useful exits to get to the town, Caltanissetta at 19 km or Enna, at 24 km.
Travelers arriving by train can get off at Caltanissetta Central Station, 17 km away from the town, a route covered by public buses and private shuttles to get to the centre.