The Way of the Holy Friars
Monastic pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Umile of Bisignano (CS)
Jubilee 2025
Croce di Sant'Umile, Bisignano - Comune Bisignano
The Way of the Holy Friars is one of the Religious Paths in Calabria and is a route suitable for everyone, in three stages, in the footsteps of Sant'Umile da Bisignano, in the province of Cosenza.
It is a ring circuit that touches on two important places of faith in the municipality of Bisignano: the Shrine of Sant'Umile and the Prayer Cave, immersed in greenery and silence.
Let us discover together the stages of the Way of the Holy Friars...
Way of the Holy Friars: what it is and how it came about
The Way of the Holy Friars starts from the Shrine of Sant'Umile in Bisignano.
The present convent still preserves the cell of the local saint, inside which it is possible to admire some relics: the hoof, a nail, a stick and a small hoe that belonged to Saint Humble. The cell also contains an original crucifix of the time (1222) and a portrait believed to be the true effigy of the saint.
Inside the Shrine, just opposite the friar's cell, is the Convent Museum, which exhibits art objects, sacred books, canvases and reliquaries.
Bisignano boasts a rich historical-artistic tradition linked to the bishopric of the Bisignano-Cosenza diocese (8th century), and several monumental places of faith to be discovered, with 15 churches, starting with the Cathedral, as well as the Birthplace of Sant'Umile, in the S. Pietro district, and an important 18th-century library.
Pilgrims walking the Way of the Holy Friars also have the possibility of staying in the convent, which is equipped for hospitality.
Way of the Holy Friars: the stages
Walking down from the Shrine of Sant'Umile in Bisignano, about 50 metres away, we encounter the second stop on the Way of the Holy Friars: the Cave of Penance.
According to tradition, the cave was discovered directly by Saint Umile during some gardening work and then chosen to spend hours in prayer, kneeling at the bottom, where a spring of water gushes out that the faithful believe to be miraculous.
The cave is always open to pilgrims and the visit is free.
Before returning to the Shrine, along the way in the Bisignano area it is possible to visit other interesting places of local devotion. The Way of the Holy Friars intersects:
- Church of St. Mary of Constantinople
- Conventual Church of St. Dominic
- Church of S. Maria de Justitieriis
- Church of St. Peter the Apostle
https://calabriastraordinaria.it/en/news/the-way-of-the-holy-friars
