On Good Friday, the Sacred Representation of the Passion is staged in Sezze. The historical re-enactment takes place along the streets of the “Town of Passion“ with 40 itinerant participants and over 500 local actors in costume.
Sacred Representation of the Christ’s Passion in Sezze – photo Facebook @passionedisezze
The Sacred Representation of the Christ’s Passion in Sezze is one of the most important in Italy and abroad. The traditional re-enactment originated in the Middle Ages, when it was celebrated by local religious brotherhoods. It was then resumed and evaluated in 1600 by San Carlo da Sezze and, from 1933 it was revisited by the Associazione della Passione di Cristo. Many costumes are from the 1930s and the 1950s, faithful reproductions from the Old and New Testaments. The event ends with the Passion of Christ. Artistic direction by Piero Formicuccia.
Sacred Representation of the Passion in Sezze
The procession with the statue of the Madonna, the dead Christ and the Confraternities parades in the evocative atmosphere of the ancient town, illuminated by torches and accompanied by music and choirs. In the Extraordinary Jubilee Year, in 2015, the Sacred Representation was also held outside Sezze. The event took place in piazza San Francesco d’Assisi, in front of the Sanctuary of San Francesco a Ripa in Trastevere, Rome, a homage by the community to its Patron Saint, San Carlo da Sezze, whose remains are hosted in the Church of San Francesco a Ripa. The previous eight extraordinary events were held in via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome during the Jubilee of 1950 and in the Great Jubilee of 2000 in via della Conciliazione and Piazza San Pietro. In March 2010 in Santiago de Compostela during the Jacobean Holy Year, and, in October 2010, in St. Peter’s Square in Rome on the day of the “Routes of the Via Francigena 2010, the streets of Rome in the Lazio Region”. The event also took place in April 2011 in Assisi at the Papal Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli in Porziuncola, in March 2012 in Piazza del Popolo in Latina, in March 2013 in San Giovanni Rotondo in the Sanctuary of San Pio and, in April 2014, in the Abbey of Monte Cassino. The Sacred Procession was broadcast live on television worldwide, offering Italians abroad the opportunity to witness this extraordinary event. The Sacred Representation of the Passion of Christ in Sezze is organized by the Associazione della Passione di Cristo, founding member of Europassione, the organization that includes the most important European associations commemorating the Sacred Drama. The event is coordinated in collaboration with the Municipality of Sezze and the Regione Lazio and with the patronage of the Senato della Repubblica. In April 2011, the Procession obtained a new important award by the Presidente della Repubblica Giorgio Napolitano. The Associazione della Passione di Cristo from Sezze participates in the national and international project for the evaluation of the events and rites of the Holy Week, which are linked to “Europassione per l’Italia”, aspiring at the UNESCO candidacy.