Patron Saint's Festival

All types and sizes of boats accompany the Madonna around and around the port in Molfetta's patron saint's festival.
Rowboats

Motorboats

Boats in uniform

And some somewhat undressed!

It's That Time of Year Again

The Saint Conrad/Madonna of the Martyrs patron saint's festival is held every year from September 6-9. It is always a mix of the sacred and the profane, so I thought I'd show you a bit of both this year.

The Madonna is carried in a procession (top photo) from her church to the port, where she is greeted by enthusiastic crowds.

Some faces in the crowd...

Once she arrives at the port, she is loaded onto the middle of three fishing boats which have been tied together for the occasion. In the photo below, the boats are awaiting her arrival.

She is then escorted around the port for a few hours by anyone and everyone with a more or less seaworthy vessel. More on that tomorrow...

Il Duomo di San Corrado

This is a view of the side entrance to the Duomo, the 12th century church dedicated to Saint Conrad which is located on the harbour and featured in my header photo. This church is considered to be the finest example of Apulian-Romanesque architecture around. Apulian-Romanesque architecture is notable for its clean, almost completely undecorated lines.

Madonna of the Martyrs Church

Yesterday's statue stands just across from this church which is home to the venerated statue of the Madonna of the Martyrs that I showed you during the festival of Saint Conrad in early September.

The first written documents that refer to this church date back to 1162 where it is mentioned as a chapel annexed to the hospital for pilgrims enroute or returning from the Holy Land (i.e., crusaders). In the photo you can see a stone wall with two flags, the hospital lies behind that wall, you can still visit it today. It is believed that there was a previous chapel on the same site and a pagan worshipping place previous to that.

The church we see today is Neogothic in style. Besides housing the statue of the Madonna which is said to be named Glikophylousa and to have been carried back from the "Orient" at the end of the 12th century by crusaders, the church complex also hosts a community of monks. It is possible to lodge with them when visiting Molfetta. For information, consult the following site.

This video is rather poor in quality, but it shows the church from a different angle and yesterday's statue is also visible.

Saint Conrad's Festival, part 4

Scenes from the carnival.

The Ferris Wheel: a classic!

Whee! What fun! My dinner's coming back up!

Saint Conrad's Festival, part 3

In case you were worried about all those enthusiastic followers of the Madonna drinking too much beer under the hot sun and diving into the water while hundreds of recklessly driven boats manoevered around them, each other and the Madonna herself...fear not! We had lots of "authorities" on hand to keep an eye on things. The photo above shows the Coast Guard going one way, while the Carabinieri go the other.

The craft above is a Red Cross boat, while the photo below shows a Red Cross Rescue jetski.

And in case you got into trouble on dry land, or needed to be hauled out of the water and whisked away to the hospital, the Red Cross Advanced Aid ambulance was also on hand. As far as I know, there were no accidents nor arrests. Nor have I ever heard of any trouble in past years.

Saint Conrad's Festival, part 2

There are many elements that put together make up the patron saint's festival in Molfetta. A large portion of the harbour area is taken over by stands selling just about everything you can imagine, from clothes to African drums to cheap toys guaranteed to last just till you get them home. There is a carnival with rides and games of skill and chance.

But the key event is the procession that carries the statue of the Madonna of the Martyrs from her home church along the harbour to the main jetty. There she is loaded onto three fishing boats that have been tied together and is carried around the harbour accompanied by anyone and everyone who has some sort of vessel that floats: motorboats, sailboats, jetskis, rowboats, dinghies, you name it. The main objective is to yell and blow your boat's horn as long and loud as you can.

On board the three boats carrying the statue are all the friends and family of the boat owners, plus priests, monks, a band and dozens of young men who pass the time by diving off the boat into the fetid waters of the harbour!

The Madonna is led around the port for several hours before the boats dock at the other end and she is lovingly unloaded and carried to the Cathedral where she rests until the following Sunday when yet another procession carries her back home to her own church.

Everyone gets decked out for the event...including the buildings!

Saint Conrad's Festival

Full day of fair activities! Details to follow tomorrow...

Molfettans Around the World

Molfettans, like Italians from all over the nation, but particularly the South, have emigrated to the four corners of the earth in search of a better life and opportunities. This phenomenon began in the late 1880s, if I've got my history right, and continues today. Some city streets are named after these emigrants. Via Molfettesi del Venezuela is dedicated to those Molfettans living in Venezuela. There is also Via Molfettesi d'Argentina, Via Molfettesi d'America, and so on.

Great numbers of these emigrants return to Molfetta each year for the patron saint's festival held on and around September 8. The patron saint of the city is Saint Conrad (who is said to have died nearby on his way home from the crusades), but the Madonna of the Martyrs also plays an important role during the festival.

I'll post more about the festival over the weekend.