La Perdonanza Celestiniana

Religious Festival, 28th - 29th August

On August 29th, 1294, the hermit Pietro del Morrone was consecrated as Pope Celestino V in the Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio, L'Aquila. 1294 has become one of the most important events in the story of medieval spirituality, and not just for L’Aquila. The spiritual institution of the city is shown through one particular ritual which brings the local people together, and commemorates this historic event. It is the annual religious rite of the Pardon (la Perdonanza Celestiniana) in which the Aquilani parade through the town to the Collemaggio, where there is a religious service in front of the Basilica to celebrate the opening of its Porta Sancta. Having confessed their sins, people can enter the Porta Sancta and be cleansed of their sins. The sacred door is open for 24 hours, followed by a closing ceremony and another historic parade.

The main parade, the Corteo Storico della Bolla, starts at the Basilica di San Bernardino. Important historical frazione are portrayed in elaborate costumes, and more contemporary societies in the city are also represeted. In the final part of the parade, a woman carrying the Bolla, the sacred religious scroll of the city, presents it to the congregation at the Collemaggio. I entered the Porta Sancta on the 29th August. The Collemaggio was badly damaged in the 2009 earthquake that it is usually not open to the public, with access only allowed during these special events. The interior is so heavily supported by scaffolding and littered with reconstruction work that it was difficult to get a sense of the interior space. The 'access' to the Basilica was also severely limited to a small section about 3m past the sacred door. This somewhat detracted from the overall experience for me, but I could see it was still a deeply spiritual occasion for a lot of people.

Other events take place throughout these two days without religious connotations, such as concerts and exhibitions.