Castelsardo, the Spanish mark into the Holy Week rites

The Holy Week concludes Lent and, starting from Palm Sunday and from the Passion of Jesus, introduces the celebration of Easter - Resurrection of Christ. This is surely the most important religious rite for the whole Christians world. The week preceding Easter is rich in events, the majority are characteristic of Sardinia, according to a tradition derives from the Spanish permanence into the Island.

Castelsardo (Anglona) maintains one of the most antique and suggestive tradition of the Easter time in Sardinia. In this city, rites start early, precisely the Monday after Palm Sunday and that’s the reason its denomination “Lunissanti”. Many centuries ago, the first edition of the procession was reserved only to Benedictine monks, which built in the city the cathedral of Sant’Antonio abbot and the church of “Santa Maria delle Grazie”. From this church, at dawn leaves the procession arriving to Tergu, where the so-called “misteri”(mysteries – the instruments representing the Passion of Jesus) are introduced to the Madonna by the members of the Holy Cross Confraternity, wearing white hood and tunic.

On the evening, the inverse path is followed into the torch light and among choirs singed by the confraternity cantors. At night is the arrival to the church of “Santa Maria delle Grazie” for the last solemn choirs. Therefore, the long day terminates with The Last Dinner in the prior house.
On Holy Thursday, instead, there is the “Prucissioni”, that is the expected Via Crucis to the Calvario.

Very attended is also the rite of “Lu Lcravamentu”, in the Holy Friday program on the Sant’Antonio abbot cathedral, where arrive also the simulacrum of the Madonna from the Santa Maria delle Grazie church. Numerous are also the collateral events organized during The Holy Week, attended even by thousands of tourists.