The procession of the feast of Sant’Efisio (sant’Efis su martiri gloriosu) has been held annually in Cagliari from 1st to 4th May since 1657: it is the longest in all of Italy, among all those that are done on foot, as well as one of the oldest and one of the most important in Sardinia.
It is a four-day pilgrimage during which about 65 kilometers are covered, even by groups of people who wear the traditional dress of their town and come from all over the region to follow the golden chariot pulled by oxen carrying the statue of the saint. It starts from the capital to arrive at the municipality of Pula, where the ancient city of Nora is located, with stops in Capoterra, Sarroch and Villa San Pietro.
It is the Arciconfraternita del Gonfalone that manages the preparations for the procession; the procedure provides for the election of the so-called Third Guardian, who will manage the party. Instead, the mayor chooses the Alter Nos, the representative of the municipality. On May 1, both go to the church dedicated to the saint in the Stampace district to attend the mass that precedes the event.
The object of the celebrations is the dissolution of the vow to the Saint, as a sign of gratitude for having freed Cagliari from the plague epidemic that was spreading in 1652. The simulacrum is carried in procession from the small Cagliari church dedicated to him to the place of martyrdom, on the beach of Nora, where another small church has been erected in his honour.
When the chariot with the simulacrum reaches Via Roma, it crosses a carpet of rose petals while the ships parked in the port of Cagliari sound their sirens. After two days of pilgrimage, liturgical rites, masses and prayers, punctuated by stops, the reverse journey is made.
The procession is opened by the characteristic traccas, carts decorated with flowers and fruit pulled by oxen, followed by at least 5,000 people in traditional dress, by the knights, by the Archconfraternity, by the guard and by the Alter Nos.
Program of the dissolution of the vow to Sant’Efisio
April 25th
10:00 Chariot inside the church.
11:00 Delivery of the flag and standards to the militiamen.
6.00 pm Delivery of the flag by the outgoing Third Guardian to the incoming Third Guardian.
19:00 Holy mass.
April 29th
18:00 Dressing ceremony of the simulacrum with gala clothes.
April 30th
10:00 Ceremony of adornment of the simulacrum with votive gold.
From 21:00 to 22:00 Vigil in preparation for the votive procession.
May 1
7:15, 8:00, 9:00 Mass celebration.
9.30 am Mass in the martyr’s prison.
10.00 am Mass celebration.
11:00 Mass celebration of the Alter Nos.
12:00 Departure of the Saint from the church with the following route:
Via Sant’Efisio, via Azuni, piazza Yenne, corso Vittorio Emanuele, via Sassari, piazza del Carmine, via Crispi, via G.M. Angioy, via Mameli, largo Carlo Felice, via Roma (town side), via Sassari (lower part), viale La Playa, Villaggio Pescatori, Giorgino, Church of Sant’Efisio in Giorgino, in the Ballero estate where the chariot will be replaced and will provide for the change of clothes to the Saint.
16:30 La Maddalena beach, procession along the Provincial Road up to the junction with Frutti D’oro and stop for Holy Mass outdoors in the square in front of the Church of Sant’Efisio in Su Loi, the pilgrimage will continue towards Villa D’Orri . After Holy Mass, the pilgrimage will continue to Villa D’Orri on the estate of the Marquises of Villahermosa where the Eucharistic celebration will be officiated in the private chapel, at the end of which the pilgrimage will resume for Sarroch, where the saint will spend the night in the parish church of Santa Vittoria.
May 2nd
07:00 Celebration of the Holy Mass in the Church of Santa Vittoria – Sarroch. The pilgrimage continues to Villa San Pietro.
2.30 pm Arrival in Pula at the Church of San Giovanni Battista.
18:00 Departure for Nora.
May 3rd
08:00, 09:00, 10:00 and 19:30 Mass celebration in the Church of Sant’Efisio di Nora.
11:00 Eucharistic celebration celebrated by H.E. Archbishop Arrigo Miglio.
18:00 Procession with the simulacrum along the path that leads to the excavations of Nora returning from the beach. Departure for Pula.
May 4th
07:00 Celebration of the Holy Mass in the Church of S. Giovanni Battista – Pula. Following the beginning of the return pilgrimage to Villasanpietro – Sarroch – Villa D’Orri estate of the Marquises of Villahermosa – Su Loi – Maddalena beach – Giorgino estate Ballero where there will be a change of chariot and clothes at the simulacrum.
8.00 pm Departure from Villa Ballero towards Cagliari.
12.00 pm Arrival at the Church with reading of the formula for the dissolution of the vow.
From 5 to 25 November
18:30 Holy Rosary.
19:00 Eucharistic Blessing.
May 25th
Closing of the Celebrations.
How to get to the Sardinian capital from the peninsula
A practical alternative to traveling by plane to get to the capital of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia starting from the Italian peninsula is that of the ferries to Cagliari, departing from Civitavecchia or Naples throughout the course of the year.
