(Photo above thanks to Assisi News – www.assisinews.it)
You might consider St. Francis of Assisi the patron saint of animals but Italians well-know that this honorific appellation belongs to St. Anthony Abbot, Egyptian hermit monk who died after years of penitence and deprivation at the age of 105 in the Egyptian desert on January 17, 356 A.D.
In fact, San Francesco di Assisi is patron saint of Italy – and of ecology. He died on the ground behind his little Porziuncola chapel on October 3, 1226.
The grandiose Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli was constructed over the site in the 16th and 17th centuries….
….and has links to St. Anthony Abbot as well.
Here under the portico gracing the Basilica facade, festiviies honoring St. Anthony Abbot – patron saint of the town, Santa Maria degli Angeli – culminate with the blessing of the animals on the Sunday after January 17th (the Saint’s feast day).
This year on January 22nd (the Sunday following the 17th), dogs of every breed – many wearing a colorful scarf – were on leashes and in the arms of children, as all gathered for the event.
The angelani are very devoted to their patron saint, St.Anthony, and grateful for his mid-19th-century.
Santa Maria degli Angeli had grown and expanded after the railroad arrival in the late 19th-century, thus facilitating the shuttling the throngs of pilgrims coming from all over Italy – antd not only – to pay tribute to St. Francis.
Prior to the railroad, the pilgrims had arrived in horse-drawn carriages and the festivities in the Saint’s honor in late January are directly linked to these carriage horses. A mysterious plague struck the animals in 1860 and the villagers invoked the assistance of their beloved Sant’Antonio Abate. Within days, the plague had ceased. A miracle for the locals.
With gratitude, they celebrate him on his feast, January 17th, not just with the blessing of the animals but with a procession meandering through the streets of Santa Maria degli Angeli and ending on the portico of the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli where the animals will be blessed.
Many horse-drawn carriages, in fact, head the procession in the Saint’s honor.
And also humble donkeys joined in the festivities:
Oxen, too: a farm cart was pulled by a pair of .massive white Chianina oxen. Painted a festive bright blue with red wheels, the cart held ebullient children, all bundled up:
A young girl lead the calf of one of the chianine.
The Assisi trumpeters in medieval garb of the Assisi colors, blue and red, marched solemnly and proudly after blasting outthe inno di Assisi (the Assisi hymn)……
…. announcing the arrival of the Assisi mayor and council members.
And then came the caped Priori Serventi, association formed in 1978.
The “serving priors” – twelve each year – participate in a mid-20th-century addition to the Festa di Sant’Antonio Abate: il Piatto di Sant’Antonio. At a very modest prezzo politico, (that is, a price decided by an organization, i.e, i Priori Serventi) nearly all the restaurants and hotels of Santa Maria degli Angeli (30 this past year), offer the “dish of St. Anthony.”
The piatto di Sant’Antonio starts with rigatoni al ragu (rigatoni with a meat sauce) followed by 2 polpette (meatballs) with raisins and pinoli, 4 sausages, 2 slices of roast beef, un panino (roll).an apple and an orange- and wine. 13, 000 persons filled the restaurants this year in a “sold-out” festival lunch.
Price this year? 21 Euro.
I stopped in at one of the Piatto di Sant’Antonio participating restaurants, very close to the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli, the 2023 badge proudly displayed on an outer wall:
Tables filled the dining room, the rolls and fruit of the Piatto di Sant’Antonio already on each reserved table:
Besides organizing the Piatto di Sant’ Antonio, the priori serventi offer il pane benedetto – the blessed bread – to all just after the blessings of the animals and undertake various volunteer tasks and make generous donations during the year to needing persons and causes. As Giovanni Granato, head Priore Servente this year put it bluntly with a grim when I asked him about the roles of the Priori, “rimesso.” To remit-
I spoke to many a past Priore during the festivities, ………
…each showing me proudly his medal….
…..every year a different one, on the backside, the names of the other 11 priori serventi
Each one proudly showed me his embossed medal with “Piattto di Sant’Antonio” and the date of his prioranza (service as a prior) inscribed above the design.
The design – a new one each year – will always include Sant’Antonio, the Basilica di Santa Maria Angeli and horse-drawn carriage:
On the reverse of the medal are the names of the 12 Priori Serventi of that year.
The design on the front is also reproduced on the cloth badge which each wears on his cape (and again, a new design each year…)
Giovanni Granato told me that the same image is on the wine bottle labels served with teh Piatto di Sant’Antonio.
I met un priorino that day, too and his grandfather proudly let me photograph him
The 12 priorini (no older than age 12) accompany i Priori Serventi in the procession, following behind the statue of Sant’Antonio.
.
Each priorino is probably the son (or daughter) or grandchildof the Priore Servente he/she accompanies.
The above note just shares tidbits on a glorious festival.
To live it more fully, see the videos on the Facebook page of the Priori Serventi, 2023: https://www.facebook.com/prioriserventi23/
And mille grazie, Giovanni Granato, for your patience in answering so many questions about la Festa di Sant’Antonio Abate.
I look forward soon to visiting with you the museum of the Associazione Priori del Piatto di Sant’Antonio.
Read about Sant’Antonio and the malocchio (evil eye)
Read more about the Feast of St. Anthony
Read about – and see! – highlights of the festival dedicated to St. Anthony Abbot.
