Saint Rosa Machine – La Macchina di Santa Rosa

Salve!

Today I want to show you a very spectacular and very involving event

Oggi voglio mostrarvi un evento molto spettacolare e coinvolgente

ENGLISH
- Copied from: http://www.tusciaviterbese.it/engtradi/t...)
The St Rosa “Macchina” (= Machine) is a 30 metre high luminous tower topped by a statue of Saint Rosa and weighing over half a ton. Every year, on the evening of 3rd September, it is carried through the streets of Viterbo by a hundred men, St Rosa’s Porters, dressed in their traditional white uniforms with a bright scarlet sash around the waist.
The tower is carried from Porta Romana to the Church dedicated to the Saint, a kilometre of winding streets, up and down hill, with each Porter bearing a weight of 50 to 150 Kgs as the terrain varies.
The tower’s blazing lights topping the tall palazzos of Viterbo’s historic centre, plunged into darkness for the occasion, is a sight that attracts thousands of visitors each year.
The procession commemorates the removal of the body of the Saint, found to be miraculously intact, from the church where she had originally been buried to the Convent of the Poor Clares, now St Rosa’s Sanctuary. The move was made on Pope Alexander IV’s orders, and he followed the procession surrounded by a flock of cardinals.
From then on the people of Viterbo, who are extremely devoted to their young Saint, now the Patron of the city, inaugurated the traditional procession.
Initially the “Macchina” was a simple litter with a statue of the Saint on it. But then it became more and more tall and imposing, sponsored by the nobles of the city. The first records of a designer and creator are of oneGiuseppe Franceschini in 1690. From the XVIIIth century the expense of building the “Macchina” has been borne by the Town Council.
The Town Council issue a tender every five years to determine who will design and build the new “Macchina”.

- Copied from: http://www.facchinidisantarosa.it/
A flash of light passing through the darkness along the streets of a town, that switches off as it passes. This is what a spectator can see during the Transport of Santa Rosa’s "Macchina" on every 3 of September. This tradition is the keeping of a vow made, by the citizens of Viterbo, to the Patron Saint for having saved their life during a pestilence in 1657.
In fact, there are a lot of documents testifying an older tradition, as revocation of the translation of Santa Rosa’s body made by Pope Alexander IV and four cardinals in 1258.
Santa Rosa was born in Viterbo in 1233 of humble parents. Her life, as the so called Vita I, Vita II and Vita III refer, was characterized, from her birth, by the Holiness: she contracted a serious illness, but she got over it in a miraculous way. Then, she began her public life, performing miracles and walking round the streets of Viterbo, preaching love, faith and charity.
Her preaching frightened the podestà too, who had been placed in guidance of Viterbo by the Emperor Federico II, who sent Rosa into exile, which lasted only a few days, until the Emperor’s death foreseen by her.
Gone back to town, she asked, in vain, to be admitted to the Povere Dame di San Damiano’s Convent, who accepted her, instead, after her death. In fact, Rosa died after a few months, in 1251 and had been buried, for few years, under the bare ground of Santa Maria in Poggio. Then, her body was found out incorrupted and was taken, by the Pope and four Cardinals, in 1258, to the Basilica, that is dedicated to her now.
Santa Rosa’s faith, strength and will are now, as they were and how they will be, in everybody, who has carried the “Macchina” along the set course of the main streets of the city. The ”Macchina” has passed, over the centuries, from a simple structure to the height and the dimensions of today, as it is confirmed by the plans kept in the civic Museum.
Throughout a continuous evolution of styles from the gothic one to the neoclassical one, till the modern constructions, changing and keeping the materials up to date, the “Macchina” is arrived to the measures fixed by the Town Council in 1986: in addition to the dimensions of the base, obliged by the bottlenecks of the set course, the height cannot exceed 28 metres and the weight 50 quintals.
This weight is distributed over the “Facchini” ’s shoulders. They are men dressed in white, with a red belt, black boots and a handkerchief over their heads. After a “prova di portata”, at the beginning of summer, to test their suitability and their position during the transport, they assume different names: “ciuffi”, under the base of the “Macchina” and with a particular leather headgear; “spallette fisse” and “spallette aggiuntive” on both hands; “stanghette” in front and behind the “Macchina”; “adetti alle corde” and “addetti alle leve”, who are present during the last leg of the set course, which is uphill.
The “Facchini” are guided by the “Capo Facchino”’s voice, a man of great experience, with at least 20 years of transports, helped by four guides in the corners of the “Macchina”.
Since 1978, the “Facchini” are associated in the “Sodalizio dei Facchini di Santa Rosa” (association), with the acknowledgement by the Town Council of Viterbo, which has approved their Statute and has given them a suitable place. In fact, the “Sodalizio” has its council chamber and a Museum open to the public, since 1994, in a little building in the San Pellegrino’s Quarter.
In this Museum, unique in its kind, there are the models of the “Macchina”, the copies of drawings, a photo exposition, the video of the Transport.
The “Sodalizio” promotes learning, tourist, moral and charitable activities; it is twinned with other towns, which have religious traditions.
Every five years, the Town Council advertises a public competition to choose the new “Macchina” and a board judges the sent plans, proclaiming the winner.

Video
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/vide...

- Pics
http://www.giovannirinaldi.it/page/tradi...
http://www.canino.info/inserti/tuscia/fe...
http://www.tusciaweb.it/notizie/2005/ago...

ITALIANO
http://www.macchinadisantarosa.viterbo.it/
http://www.facchinidisantarosa.it/

CiaociaO!
Katya