santuario, diocesano, Santuario Santi Medici Cosma e Damiano

On a hillside three kilometres from the centre of Riace, this Norman-era church was formally recognised in 2002 as a diocesan sanctuary, dedicated to the twin physician-saints Cosmas and Damian. The building’s severe stone exterior gives little hint of the vivid spectacle within during the annual feast, when the interior is hung with the paratu, brilliant fabric and paper decorations that transform the walls into a playful geometry of arches and columns. The festival, which runs from 25 to 27 September, is preceded by nine days of prayer. On the 24th, the saints’ relics, encased in a reliquary shaped like a right forearm, are processed to the mother church in the town. Pilgrims then gather at the sanctuary, many walking for hours to seek intercession; some observe the rite of incubatio, spending the night in prayer and folk song. The climax comes when the statues are carried back in triumph, with Roma communities from across Calabria performing a unique processional dance before them.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.