The Mystery of Italy’s Park of the Monsters
Many towns and cities in Italy celebrate their patron saints with festivals, processions, or stories of miraculous deeds. Few, however, do so with the grandeur and devotion that Viterbo reserves for Saint Rosa. This is no ordinary religious procession but an entire city united beneath an extraordinary structure that honours its patron saint while seemingly defying the laws of physics:
the Macchina di Santa Rosa.
Rosa of Viterbo: Saint or Blessed?
Born in Viterbo in 1233 to Giovanni and Caterina, from a young age she wished to join the Poor Clares, nuns that follow the Rule of Saint Clare of Assisi. Unfortunately they rejected her because of her poor health. A few years later, following a miraculous recovery, she joined the Franciscan Third Order, a secular order. Here in accordance with the spirituality of St Francis of Assisi, she devoted herself to works of mercy, reconciling families and neighbours while caring for the poor. Among her charitable works, she also preached fervently against the Cathars, followers of an heretical doctrine born into the Catholic Church. Its followers were being incited by Frederick II against the Pope, in hope of diminishing his influence over the secular world. Rosa was devoted to the Pope as the head of the Catholic Church and took a firm stand in his defence, even during the struggle between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Because of her beliefs, she was sent into exile with her family by order of the podestà of Viterbo and took refuge first in Soriano nel Cimino, then in Vitorchiano. While in exile, she performed her most famous miracle: the conversion of an unbeliever. Having built a huge fire, she threw herself into it and remained there until the flames died down. Then, emerged unscathed from the embers. Faced with the miracle, the unbeliever converted to the faith. She also foretold the death of Emperor Frederick II and, when this came to pass, she returned to Viterbo. The following year, in 1251, Rosa of Viterbo died at the age of just 17. Following the arrival of Pope Alexander IV, her body was exhumed from the cemetery of the church of Santa Maria in Poggio and was found to be miraculously incorrupt. It was transferred to the church of San Damiano, now the Sanctuary of Santa Rosa, and here the people of Viterbo still come to pray on her tomb.
From her resting place she kept bestowing miracles over her devotees and each one has been brought up during her canonization process. It was open during the year of her death, but was never completed. So, to this day, the Catholic Church knows her as “Beata” (Blessed), but be careful: you must always refer to her as Saint Rosa when you are speaking to a Viterbese. Or else!
Facchini di Santa Rosa: the bearers of the tradition
Ever since the transfer of her earthly remains, Saint Rosa has been commemorated with the procession of the Saint’s cortège. Over the centuries new traditions have been added, but the most impressive is certainly the “Macchina di Santa Rosa”, recognized also as a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage.
It is a 30 mt tall structure of resin, plastic, steel and fiber glass carried by a hundred men though the street of Viterbo on the night of the 3rd of September, while the lights of the city are off.
The first was probably built out of paper mache and wood in 1686 under the direction of the Count Sebastiano Gregorio Fani, and from that year every five years a new designer contest has elected the new structure. This tradition is well documented thanks to the collection of sketches preserved at the Civic Museum of Viterbo.
However, those magnificent structures are just empty works of art without their souls: the “Facchini di Santa Rosa” (the Porters of Saint Rosa).
United under “the Sodality Facchini of Santa Rosa”, the organization was founded in 1978 to keep the age-old tradition alive and ensure it is done in a safe and responsible manner. The Facchini wear a white uniform with a red sash tied at the waist and a headdress covered in leather. To be selected as one of the Facchini is considered a particular honor, and one must pass a test of strength, carrying a 150-kilogram box on his shoulders for at least one hundred meters without stopping. Frequently, it becomes a family tradition to become one.
Before setting out they receive a special blessing after a day long procession to honour the saint and prepare their spirits. At around 9 p.m., the hundred Facchini gather beneath the Macchina. After the bishop’s blessing, the Capo Facchino gives the order to lift. To the cheers of thousands of spectators, the five-ton structure rises from the ground and begins its slow journey through the city.
The atmosphere is unforgettable. The medieval streets are shrouded in darkness, broken only by the glowing tower moving through the city. The rhythmic chants of the Capo Facchino help coordinate and encourage the bearers as they advance.
Along the route, the Macchina stops five times to perform the traditional girata, turning to salute the crowds gathered in the city’s squares before continuing towards the Sanctuary of Santa Rosa. The last bit is the most demanding: 300 meters uphill on a steep road. They are aided with ropes from fellow facchini, but everyone holds their breath every time. It’s not uncommon that tragedies have been avoided just because “Santa Rosa c’ha messo la mano” (Saint Rosa lent a helping hand). But each year the Macchina reaches its sanctuary, shining bright in the night. It is far more than an engineering feat. It is a living expression of faith, community, and civic pride, carried—quite literally—on the shoulders of the people of Viterbo.
