By Claudio Maria Ciacci
The city is ready to dress in devotion and solemnity to celebrate San Vitaliano, patron saint of Catanzaro, in one of the most heartfelt and deep-rooted festivals in the heart of the community. Tomorrow, July 16, the historic center will be the stage for an event that unites the sacred and the popular, history and faith, tradition and city identity. At the center of the celebrations, as per tradition, is the solemn Eucharistic celebration in the Basilica of the Immaculate, presided over by His Excellency Monsignor Claudio Maniago, Metropolitan Archbishop of Catanzaro-Squillace. This will be followed, in the afternoon, by the grand procession with the feretory of the Patron Saint, a moment eagerly awaited by all citizens and the confraternities involved. Among the undisputed protagonists of the event will be the historic Royal Archconfraternity of Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist of the Knights of Malta ad honorem, a living symbol of the continuity between faith and chivalry. Founded in the 16th century and granted the title of “royal” in 1735 by Charles III of Bourbon, the confraternity is closely linked to the religious and cultural history of Catanzaro. Tomorrow, the brothers will parade with their solemn insignia escorting the relics of the saint through the streets of the city. Their presence will add prestige and historical depth to the procession, bearing witness to an ancient devotion that is renewed year after year. The most intense moment from a liturgical point of view will be, at 10:30 am, the solemn mass in the Basilica of the Immaculate, presided over by Monsignor Maniago. An opportunity to renew the faith and the bond of the community with its patron, but also to reflect, through the Archbishop’s words, on the value of Christian witness today, inspired by the figure of San Vitaliano, a 7th-century bishop and symbol of perseverance in truth. As in the past, a liturgical gesture of strong symbolic impact is expected, such as the offering of the pectoral cross to the feretory of the saint, to underline the entrustment of the diocese to its patron. San Vitaliano is not just a name on the calendar: he is a living presence in the collective consciousness of Catanzaro. His relics, transferred to the heart of the city, have represented for centuries a bulwark of protection and unity. The festival of July 16 is its most authentic expression: an intertwining of religious rites, civic symbols, and popular memories. Catanzaro is therefore preparing to experience one of its most identity-defining and evocative moments. In a changing society, the festival of San Vitaliano remains a fixed point, a call to history, faith, and the pride of a city that knows how to preserve its roots. And the presence of the Royal Archconfraternity of the Knights of Malta ad honorem, together with that of Archbishop Maniago, represents its highest and noblest emblem.