| Via Crociferi. Il canto delle suore benedettine. Una folla enorme si tace. Copyright 2007 by T. Maggio. The Feast of Saint Agatha 2007, with some scenes from the feast of 2005. Interview with Mother Superior Giovanna of the cloistered Benedictine nuns of Via Crociferi. Their annual song, in Latin, of praise to Saint Agatha. The words of the motet are the prayer St. Agatha made while imprisoned, the prayer that helped her survive her torures for almost two days, according to Mother Superior. Saint Agatha was a native of Catania who died in 251 AD a virgin martyr, one of the Catholic church's first saints. Her feast is one of the three biggest Catholic feasts in the world. A million people cram the streets. People are lifted off their feet by the press of the crowd. If one person moves, it creates waves in the crowd, like ripples in a bowl of molasses. In this scene, about 35000 devotees pulling or following the enthroned remains of St. Agatha on her 20-ton silver carriage stop at the Church of St. Benedict so the cloistered nuns there can see her bejeweled reliquiary bust, exchange bouquets of flowers, and sing to her. The huge crowd spontaneously quiets down to hear the nuns sing. To contact filmmaker: tegoblue@hotmail.com |
