Easter Sepulchres

One of the most treasured traditions of Holy Week in Molfetta is visiting the "sepulchres" on the evening of Holy Thursday. Every church in town creates its own interpretation of Christ's tomb and the streets are filled with Molfettans who walk from church to church to see them and say a prayer.

Two things are important when "doing the sepulchres." The first is that you must visit an odd number of churches: 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. The second important aspect element of the evening is to eat a "pizzaridd," which is a tuna sandwich.

I forgot my memory stick at home (how could I?!) so my husband used his cellphone to take this photo of the sepulchre at the Church of Saint Anthony in the historical center. If you look carefully, you can see a statue of Jesus on the cross inside the entryway.

The Old Lighthouse

Although this is a very messy photo visually, I like it because it includes so many essential elements of Molfetta's old town. The intended "subject" is the older lighthouse of the two on our port. It was inaugurated in 1857. In the foreground are the fishing boats that guarantee the livelihood for many local families.

To the left of the lighthouse, you see the Duomo (built in 1150, Romanesque-Apulian style). Between the twin towers of the Duomo the spire of the Church of Saint Anthony is peeking through. To the right of the lighthouse the false front-style facade of the Cathedral of Saint Mary Ascension (completed 1744) is visible. And, to the far right, stands the bell tower of the Church of St. Stephen (13th century).

These are not all of the churches present in Molfetta's tiny old town, but a fair share!