The seventeenth-century Jesus on the column, a wooden sculpture of style close to those of Fra 'Umile da Petralia, is taken out of his habitual niche in front of a great presence of people. Afterwards, a silent procession accompanies the effigy of Jesus through the streets of the city. Upon return, a hundred cannon shots make the darkness gloomy.
Then, the faithful, going up the Via Roma, go to the Church of Calvary. There, lying on the bed to simulate the End, find the ancient articulated statue of Christ. Some devotees keep watch for the whole night, until at dawn, according to tradition, they are heated in the sacristy, at the fire of a brazier.
Paintings, cartoons and frescoes by Francesco Barone
MAQ Magazine n. 11 / March - April 2019