It is the Friday evening at the start of the Festa of Madona Del Libero in August in the town of Pietrelcina.
Outside there is a concert going on in the Piazza Maria SS Annunciata. Inside the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Angels, where St. Padre Pio said his first mass, there are people quietly watching a quite different event.
The main doors of the church were quietly closed but those already inside were welcomed to stay and watch.
It was August 2013 and I was happy to record the event.
Growing up in Pietrelcina, St. Padre Pio was of course steeped in the local devotion to Our Lady of Liberty.
However, it seems he also had a very personal devotion to her. One old resident related to us personally that Padre Pio had been seen talking to Our Lady at the foot of the altar. This, of course, is hearsay, but it does reflect the local knowledge that the devotion of the saint to Our Lady was very real. To demonstrate this, they commissioned a bronze statue of him kneeling and looking as though he is gazing up at ‘Madona Della Libera’ above the altar.
The life-size statue of the kneeling saint, is situated half way down the left side of the church, and although it may seem at first that the Madona’s gaze meets that of the saint, if you take a closer look, you will see that he is looking high above her at the beautiful fresco of the Last Supper, high above the altar. Somehow, even in his statuesque form, he demonstrates that love of Mary leads us straight to the Heart of her son, Jesus.
The story of Our Lady of Liberty goes back nearly one and a half thousand years to the time of St. Barbatus who was then the Bishop of Benevento.
At that time the city, and the surrounding countryside, were living in fear. The Byzantine Greek armies had already inflicted many horrors on other towns in southern Italy and now they had set up camp in the valley between Benevento and the neighbouring hillside towns which included Pietrelcina.
Without help, their city and the countryside around, would surely have been lost. He promised that if they honoured their Christian faith, and gave up the pagan worship that still lingered in their culture, God would deliver them and give them peace. This was around the year 650 AD. Against all odds, the armies packed up and left for good. The city and villages survived and they remained faithful to their Christian beliefs. The Bishop had also told them to ask the Mother of God to pray for them. He told them to pray to her under the title ‘Madona Della Libera’ which means ‘Our Lady of Liberty’ or Deliverance.
This devotion spread all over the south of Italy but in Pietrelcina, it has been kept alive in a very personal way through miraculous interventions over many years.
The latest historical incidence, involving the whole town, was in 1854 when Pietrelcina residents were dropping dead by the dozen from a Cholera epidemic. By November that year it was reported that people were collapsing on the streets and the situation was getting worse. Remembering the old story of deliverance, the town decided to act. On December 2nd, they crowded into the parish church before the 200 year old wooden statue of their beloved ‘Libera’ and afterwards took her in procession through the streets so that death, like the armies, would flee before her. From that moment, no more sickness or death was reported in Pietrelcina.
They still keep the feast of Madona della Libera in December but also celebrate the festa and the procession of the statue through the town, in early August. This allows people from the surrounding towns, past residents of Pietrelcina and other visitors to travel to Pietrelcina and take part in this very spiritual event and the many festive and cultural events that mark the occasion.
For the entire week preceding the event, many religious activities take place, not the least of which is daily mass and rosary at 5.30 in the morning. There is also a prayer vigil which takes place at midnight, just before the main day.
It has been reported that many miracles and favours have been granted through the intercession of Our Lady of Liberty and, as a thanksgiving token, people have left gifts of gold chains and medallions which, over the years, have been woven into a mantle which covers the statue during the procession.
It is estimated that over 40 thousand people attend the 3 day festa each year and it is still regarded as a solemn and important occasion.
Read about Padre Pio and Madona Della Libera
There are several feasts celebrated with special events and processions throughout the year.
16-17 January: The first is in January and is celebrated in towns all over Italy. It is the feast of St. Anthony of Egypt who was an early mystic who was said to be ‘On Fire’ with the love of God.
To commemorate him, the locals here build bonfires in several areas across the town. Neighbours group together and prepare delicious finger foods – sausages, vegetables, packets of small seafood etc etc. It really is a wonderful mix of fun and food all wrapped up in a community spirit. A great way to get to know people.
May 25th: the birthday of Padre Pio and is celebrated in different ways each year. His actual feast day is later in the year.
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First Week of August : The Main Festa, when the town is transformed into a local centre of pilgrimage and is accompanied by non-stop events, is to honour Our Lady of Liberty who is the patron and protector of the town.
This devotion goes back 1,400 years to the time of St. Barbatus of Benevento when the town and the whole region was saved from certain domination by an invading army. This is not the only feast Our Lady of Liberty. There is yet another one in December to mark the sudden deliverance from a deadly epidemic in 1854. Padre Pio gave great importance to the 5th December feast and, of course, so do the residents of Pietrelcina.
The summer Festa is celebrated with great devotion and allows the residents, past and present, to organize outdoor events which continue from the Friday night, through the weekend and ends with a procession through the entire town on Sunday evening. Over the years, intercession to Our Lady of Liberty has resulted in many favours and miracles from God and people naturally want to honour their intercessor.
Many gold objects, medallions, watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, have been donated to deck the statue on its processional journey. These are pinned onto a velvet garment that is draped around the statue on the Friday night. In 2013, we managed to go behind the scenes to film the procedure.
This event is not normally seen by everyone who come to join the Festa. The dressing begins around midnight inside the darkened Parish church of Our Lady of the Angels, while outside in the square, the dancing and singing was coming to an end. This yearly procedure of the ‘dressing of the statue’ is worth watching.
The church remains open from early morning to late at night for the next three days and whilst the entertainment is going on in the square outside, many people sit quietly praying in the candle lit church.
The last event of the Festa happens on Sunday evening after 6 o’clock mass. The statue of Our Lady of Liberty is taken down from above the main altar and brought out to be carried through the streets of the town in a faithful re-enactment of the time in 1854, when they carried it through the town as an act of faith that God would stop the dying of people caused by an epidemic. It did.
Starting from the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Angels it first goes through the Castello region then on through the Riella. The first pictures of the procession show it coming up Via Riella on its way up and across the square and on to the newer part of the town. From there it travels back down past the hotel Lombardi Park and turns into Via Cappucini and stops at the Cappuchin Friary Church (Holy Family Church). At this point, it stops for some time while for a very impressive fireworks display.
It moves again along the main street before turning down Via Roma, making a u-turn to continue around the bottom end of the town. Finally, it passes through all the stalls set up on both sides of Corso Padre Pio and arrives back at the piazza and the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Angels.