The Church of Saint Ignatius in Oliena is plunged into complete darkness, lit only by the lanterns of the altar boys and girls as the procession sets out from the sanctuary, moving through the nave and into the medieval streets of Oliena. They visit seven churches in remembrance of the Seven Sorrows of Mary; at each doorway, people stand in lines holding lanterns, and as the procession leaves, members of the local confraternities—religious brotherhoods that organize the individual elements of Holy Week rituals—join in. The procession, now grown to impressive size, returns to the Church of Saint Ignatius about an hour later. By then, a monumental medieval crucifix with movable arms has been set up in the sanctuary, and a choir dressed in Baroque folk costume sings polyphonic religious chants. The s’iscravamentu begins—the centuries-old tradition of the Deposition from the Cross.
Tenores di Bitti: Deus te salvet, Maria
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