The cult of San Rocco in the area of Reggio Calabria

One of the best-loved saints of popular devotion, San Rocco in Calabria is the protagonist of evocative festivals, especially in the province of Reggio Calabria, along the splendid Costa Viola, where the music of large traditional drums and firework displays transform the feast of San Rocco in Calabria into an authentic collective rite.

How did the cult of San Rocco originate in Calabria?

Born in France, in Montpellier, the young Rocco decides to donate all his possessions to the poor and become a pilgrim. Following in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi, he embarked on a long journey to Rome, passing through medieval towns devastated by the plague, so much so that his fame as a healer preceded him. San Rocco in Calabria is the object of deep devotion, linked to the pestilence that at the time hit some towns in the Reggio Calabria area hard.

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Experience the feast of San Rocco in Calabria, on 16 August, between Palmi, Scilla and Gioiosa Ionica.

The devotion that links San Rocco to Palmi dates back to 1656 and to the terrible plague that struck the inhabitants, who, exhausted by the disease, asked for the intercession of the saint who cured them.

Since then, every year on 16 August, San Rocco in Palmi is at the centre of great celebrations, which together with the spectacular procession of the Varia, already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, represent one of the most enthralling moments for the community, a unicum that captivates visitors, believers and anthropological scholars alike.

What does the festival of San Rocco in Palmi consist of? 

It begins in the morning, to the sound of beating drums accompanying the figures of the Giants, Mata and Grifone, the large papier-mâché puppets that evoke ancient Saracen exploits. The Dance of the Giants accompanies the faithful on their way to the Church of the Immacolata to pay homage to the statue of San Rocco of Palmi. In the afternoon, the procession takes place, followed by the characteristic procession of the "spinati": 200 figures arranged in two rows who wear on their heads the "spalas", a bell made of woven broom, and proceed barefoot and bare-chested, with the effigy of the saint on their chests. 

After a four-hour walk, the procession of San Rocco in Palmi ends with the customary fireworks display.

Continuing south along the Costa Viola, we witness the feast of San Rocco in Scilla, one of the most picturesque seaside villages in the region.

The first evidence of the cult of San Rocco in this locality dates back to 1595 and attests to the presence of a confraternity devoted to the saint who protected Scilla from the plague in Reggio in the late 15th century.

Today, the Church of San Rocco, in the square of the same name, houses two statues that are the subject of legends and devotion: the first, in precious Greek Parian marble, comes from Venice, the city where the saint's remains were transferred and to which the sailors of Scilla turned to obtain a relic; the second statue, in wood, is the subject of a legend that says it was sculpted by a divine hand. 

The feast of San Rocco in Scilla is held every year on the weekend following 16 August, when both statues are carried in procession through the districts of San Giorgio, Chianalea and Marina Grande. The long procession is made up of the faithful armed with giant candles known as "nthrocci", which accompany the saint, affectionately called San Roccheddu. 

On Sunday evening, the last day of the festival, the statues are brought back to the church with a spectacular running entrance, the so-called "trionfino", in honour of the saint's triumph over the plague.

Moving on to the Ionian coast of Reggio Calabria, in the fragrant Costa dei Gelsomini, we encounter the cult of San Rocco in the town of Gioiosa Ionica.

The deep devotion to San Rocco in Gioiosa Ionica follows the same spread as the previous ones, to which is added the particular prodigy of the "sweating of the statue", interceded in aid of the population during the earthquake of 1852.

The Church of San Rocco, in the historic centre, houses the miraculous effigy, which is said to have arrived here in the 18th century aboard a sailing ship from Naples, which is why every year, on the feast of San Rocco in Gioiosa Ionica, it is customary to hang small boats and paper sailboats from one balcony to another.

The festival lasts nine days (novena) and ends on 16 August, the "Jornàta" (Day) around which all local folklore revolves: the chants of the faithful accompany the statue in procession on a silk canopy, with votive candles and relics, for at least six hours. The most folkloristic element concerns the presence of the "tamburinàri", who beat the rhythm of the procession and the "votive dance" to the incessant sound of large drums.