Madonna del Carmine Festival in San Felice del Benaco Celebrates Tradition
The celebrations in honor of Madonna del Carmine of San Felice del Benaco date back nearly a century and are currently taking place. This weekend marks the most religious moment with the procession of the 18th-century statue through the streets of the historic center, from the sanctuary to the Parish church on Saturday, and the return on Sunday with the participation of Verona’s auxiliary bishop, mons. Andrea Veggio from Manerba, along with the presence of the town band “Sinus Felix” conducted by Giorgio Giacobini. A ceremony rich in symbols and meanings that essentially lasts about 15 days, since since several evenings, the Sanctuary has become a pilgrimage destination for visitors from nearby towns.
It all began last Thursday with pilgrims from Portese, Soiano, and Campagna di Lonato, followed by those from Maguzzano, Lonato, Gavardo, Soprazzocco, and Villanuova, then gradually others from the surrounding area, culminating on Friday, July 20th, with faithful coming from Padenghe, Pozzolengo, Colombare, Sabbio Chiese, and S. Giovanna Antida.
Saturday and Sunday finally mark days of grand solemnity with the first of two scheduled processions. “The Madonna del Carmine feast is celebrated on July 16th,” writes Pierluigi Mazzoldi in his recent volume dedicated to “San Felice del Benaco and its territory” — “In San Felice, the triumph of the Virgin of Mount Carmel is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of the same month, with extraordinary participation of the Valtenesi people and numerous Italian and foreign guests staying in our town during that period.”
The procession and the celebration
According to tradition, the 18th-century statue of Madonna del Carmine is placed on a carrying platform and transported on the shoulders of a group of local youth from the sanctuary to the church of San Felice in a devout procession that winds through the main streets.
The next day, the sacred image returns to the Church of the Carmine; but before bringing it back to its destination, the faithful stop it at the small shrine at the crossroads with the road leading to Villaggio Paradiso: in that place, the statue is turned toward the town so it can cast a tender gaze upon its children before returning home. At that moment of poignant pause, it seems as if the sanctuary is joined to the town by an arc of iridescent light.
On Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m., a solemn mass will be celebrated in the sanctuary with the participation of the “Cantori della Valtenesi” directed by Maestro Valerio Bertolotti. Naturally, all the streets of the town will be decorated as is tradition, with paper flowers created by the women of the neighborhoods and the town, gathered in a committee led by the very active Mrs. Gasparini.
Next year will mark the 50th consecutive anniversary (due to the return of the Carmelite friars) of this tradition, which over the years has seen quite curious episodes, such as the one where the parish priest wrapped the Madonna’s statue in a sack because during the procession it had to pass in front of a place where people were dancing.
In 1967, the then Bishop of Verona, mons. Giuseppe Carraro, proclaimed the Madonna del Carmine as patroness of Valtenesi.
