Sant’Agata Summer Festival: the history of the Catania tradition

As per tradition, from 3 to 5 February there is the feast in honor of the saint to commemorate her death on February 5th 251. On August 17th, instead, in Catania, the summer festival of Sant’Agata for recall the episode that took place on 17 August 1126, in which two French soldiers brought back the relics of the saint to Catania. Here is his story and the details of the 2019 summer edition of the party.

Sant’Agata: the story of the young woman

Born in 230 AD from a family of Catanese nobles of Christian religion, Agata decided to consecrate herself to God from a very young age. With the rise to power of Quirino the problems begin: the proconsul of the city fell in love with the girl and forced her to deny her religion. The brave woman, however, refused to carry out her orders and the consequences were terrible: Quirino had her imprisoned, tortured and burned.

However, legend has it that while the body burned, the red veil symbolizing his consecration to God did not burn. This event was recognized as a miracle, one of the many miracles that made her proclaim saint after her death on February 251.

The Sant’Agata Summer Festival

As anticipated, according to tradition on August 17th 1126 two French soldiers brought back to Catania the relics of the saint, taken from the Sicilian city decades earlier by the Byzantine general Giorgio Maniace. This event was welcomed with great enthusiasm and joy by the people of Catania, so much so that they wanted to remember each year in August with the Sant ‘Agata Summer Festival.

This event is characterized by the exciting processions that take place along the streets of the city every August 17th, for the pomp, the cries, the sounds of the bells, the lights and the contagious desire of the Sicilians to celebrate this event typical of the Catania tradition.

How to get to Catania

To reach the wonderful city of Catania, all you have to do is book one of the ferries for Sicily, from Naples or from Salerno. Once you arrive at your destination, all you have to do is find out which are the 7 most beautiful beaches in Catania and its surroundings, the 10 most beautiful places in the city and 5 ideas for excursions between the sea and the volcano.