Today is the feast day of San Matteo, or St. Matthew, who is the patron saint and protector of the city of Salerno. The Cathedral of Salerno, which you can see in the photo above, is dedicated to San Matteo and holds some of (or a lot of, or all of – depending on who you ask) his relics. Whatever they have, it’s an important religious day for any church dedicated to San Matteo, but especially so for Salerno since they hold his relics and he is considered the protector of the city.
Last year I was able to see the elaborate procession through town and enjoy the festivities. While I’m off to Salerno in a matter of moments, I’m not sure I’ll make it in time to see the processions again this year. The threatening skies also mean they might be abbreviated due to the heavy rains and storms we’ve had the last few days. But here is a video I made last year of the procession carrying the large bust statue of San Matteo. I was surprised to see how many men it took to carry it. (Try to count them all!) The video isn’t terrific, but out of excitement I had actually climbed a streetlight pole in order to get a good view. There were so many people! You can get a sense of that at the end of this video:
If I make it in time, I’ll post photos and videos from this year. Enjoy!
Its just one Festa after another in your parts! Max did a post on S.Matteo too.
I didn't know that about Salerno! I love this post! I still must visit the city. While I was researching for my Odious Women's Tour, I came across a woman named Dame Trott, who was part of the 'Ladies of Salerno' and during medieval times (i.e. 1200's) wrote Latin texts on womens' health issues ranging from infertility and pregnancy to contraception. I'm hoping I might be able to find out where these 'Ladies of Salerno' met.
Ciao Scintilla! It's true … keep them coming I say! I saw Max's post and enjoyed it. Have you met him?
Ciao Barbara! Ooh, the "Ladies of Salerno" sound very interesting. Great find! I hope you can dig up more more about them for your Odious Women's Tour! You would enjoy Salerno – the Duomo, the waterfront, the historic area of town – it's a nice city!
HHHmmmm…. Looking at that church in Photo#1, it looks there there is nice cloister there! have you been inside?
Ciao Peter! Yes, the Duomo of Salerno has a beautiful entrance portico. Beautiful!!! If you go here:
http://www.cattedraledisalerno.it/basilica_v_virt.html
And click on "Fontana e Quadriportico" there are some nice photos, including a link to a great 360. Enjoy! 🙂