Mary is ready to go

If the  Catholic faith in the Virgin Mary is a heavy burden, it is because her weight requires the strength of 4 strapping men to carry her. That is, if she is a Renaissance painting being carried from one church to another…on a gravel road…uphill.

The Bishop of Urbino, Francesco Marinelli, invited my team and interpreter to attend a procession in celebration of the Madonna Del Giro. The painting was moved from one church to another in the diocese, he explained, and this Saturday afternoon they were going to carry the painting from the local church in Orsaiola to Chiesa di San Nicola. I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend my free weekend watching a painting being hauled  over 4 miles from one church to another. However, it ended up being a unique experience in which I feel honored to have been, dare I say, a participant.

We arrived in Orsaiola, a town about half an hour outside Urbino, just in time to see the local priest preside over Mass and observed as the men and women worked to move the painting onto the back of a decorated pick-up truck. It was no small task, but I confess that I was a little disappointed they were going to “cheat” and not carry the art piece on foot. Because the painting was framed in an ornate and heavy wooden frame, I couldn’t really blame them. However, I was very happy to learn that they were only halfway cheating. They were going to transport the painting by truck to a restaurant about 1.5 miles up the road and then walk to the next church.

Moving Mary out of the church

About 300 townspeople, a full marching marching band, altar boys and girls, and children dressed up as angels were waiting anxiously for the painting and priests to arrive. After carefully unstrapped the painting from the truck, they tied it to two thick planks of wood that were hoisteded over the shoulders of 4 broad-shouldered men. Once the band started, the crowd followed the leader with the incense up the hill. The “angels” lead the band, priests and painting.

Angels lead the way

It was quite an experience. The road quickly turned into a hill and the music quieted intermittently so that the priest could lead the townspeople in a prayer to the Virgin Mary:

I was struck by the variety of people. Old, young, single, and couples with children wound their way up to Chiesa di San Nicola, united in this melodic recitation honoring the Virgin Mary.

On the road prayer

Once at our destination, the painting was hung behind a temporary altar that had been build outside the church to allow for the large crowd.  In contrast to the strict Catholicism that I always expect in Italian Catholic ceremonies, this was a casual and familial event.  The Bishop conducted a Mass that involved humor and heartfelt sentiments about the importance of this procession while friends got up to greet one another and parents let their children run around.  It was a very big celebration in this little town tucked away into the rolling hills of Le Marche. After Mass ended, sandwiches and, of course, wine were served.

Families celebrate the arrival of the Madonna Del Giro

I usually feel a little intrusive when I take photos of these types of Italian events, but they seemed to enjoy the anomaly of having American visitors. “Free press!” commented one man when he saw me take photos. Yes, here is your free press!