Holy Saturday in Badolato

Among the rites of Holy Week in Calabria, the Holy Saturday procession in Badolato is truly unmissable!

Holy Saturday in Badolato, among The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy in the province of Catanzaro, is an experience to be lived at least once in a lifetime.

The procession is a choral and evocative re-enactment of the Passion and Death of Christ that starts early in the morning from the centre of the village, on the hill, and continues until late in the evening, winding its way through the alleyways, the small squares overlooking the sea and the immediate surroundings (as far as the Angels' Convent, on the opposite hill), with the participation of hundreds of figures (Roman soldiers, flagellants, Jews, etc.) and choristers who stage the various moments of the Stations of the Cross.

Holy Saturday in Badolato is the main event of Easter Week in the Ionian town, but not the only one. The rites conclude on Sunday morning with the traditional Cumprùnta.

Holy Week 2024 programme

The ancient religious rites of Holy Week 2024 will officially kick off on Sunday 24 March. All the religious representations of Holy Week in Badolato have their roots in the 17th century.

Sunday 24 March, 9.30 a.m. - Palm Sunday with Holy Mass and the blessing of palms and olive branches, Mother Church of SS. Salvatore;

Monday 25 March, 09.15/10.00 a.m. - Procession of the Confraternity of St. Catherine V.M. of Alexandria from the Church of the same name to the Mother Church of SS. Salvatore;

Tuesday 26 March, 9.15/10.00 a.m. - Procession of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Conception, departing from the Church of the same name towards the Mother Church of SS. Salvatore;

Wednesday 27 March, 9:15/10:00 a.m. - Procession of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary from the Church of San Domenico "U Monasteri" to the Mother Church of SS. Salvatore;

Thursday 28 March, 6 p.m. - Mass "In Cena Domini" in the Mother Church of SS. Salvatore;

Friday 29 March, 2:00 p.m. / Liturgy of the Word - Adoration of the Cross - Communion; 3:30 p.m. - Good Friday Procession, departing from the Church of San Domenico "U Monasteri", with steps leading through the streets of the ancient village, arriving at the Franciscan Convent of S. Maria degli Angeli (organised by the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary);

Saturday 30 March, 1 p.m. - Procession of the Sorrowful Mysteries of Holy Saturday, starting from the Church of the Immaculate Conception, with stages leading through the streets of the ancient village, reaching the Franciscan Convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli (organised by the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception);

Sunday 31 March, 10 a.m.-12 noon - Resurrection Sunday with the traditional "Cumprùnta", with the meeting in Piazza S. Barbara between the Risen Christ and his Mother Mary (organised by the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary);

Sunday 07 April - Domenica in Albis; 6 p.m. - Holy Mass and procession of the Risen Christ, the Virgin Mary and St. Vincent Ferrer, departing from the Church of San Domenico "U Monasteri" towards the Mother Church of SS. Salvatore (organised by the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary).