The construction of “Dies Natalis”, the new Macchina di Santa Rosa, is complete. The long-awaited inauguration will take place on Tuesday, September 3, when, carried on shoulders by 100 porters, the new Macchina di Santa Rosa will parade through the streets of Viterbo.
The structure has been assembled in San Sisto in front of thousands of residents and tourists, and its creator, the architect Raffaele Ascenzi, personally placed the figures depicting the crucial moments in the life of the little Saint.
The thirty metres tower reproduces the three stages of Rosa’s path to holiness. Her death, occurred in 1251, is represented at the base, her ecstasy in the middle and, at the top, her dialogue with God. According to Ascenzi, the project is very innovative, the statue of the Saint stands inside the structure, whereas, for the last fifty-eight years, it was placed on the top. New materials and techniques have been used to build the bell tower, aluminum instead of steel and computer-controlled milling machines.
The inclusion in the Network of Big Italian Machines carried on Shoulders in 2013 enhanced the cultural identity of the Macchina di Santa Rosa, also recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The project of Dies Natalis