Good Friday

Procession of the Desolate

The Procession of the Desolate, organised by the Confraternity of the Purification of Our Lady of Sorrows, departs in the afternoon of Good Friday from the Church of San Domenico. The statue depicts the Madonna dressed in mourning clothes, suffering at the foot of the Cross, and travels through the streets of the town in an atmosphere of intense contemplation and prayer.

-Date: 27 March 2026

-Time: 17:00

-Location: Church of San Domenico

Holy Thursday

Procession of the Transport to the Sepulchre or of the Eight Saints

The night of Holy Thursday is marked by the evocative Procession of the Eight Saints, organised by the Confraternity of San Rocco. The group of statues, created in the early 20th century by a papier-mâché artist from Lecce, represents:

- Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, holding the edges of the shroud with the body of Jesus.

- St. John, the Madonna, Mary Magdalene and two other pious women.

The procession departs from the Church of San Rocco in the early hours of the night, illuminating the town with a devotion that culminates at 9:00 a.m.

-Date: 2 April 2026

-Time: 2:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

-Location: Church of San Rocco

Good Friday

Procession of the Mysteries

The Procession of the Mysteries, which takes place on the afternoon of Good Friday, represents the most significant moments of Christ's Passion. It starts from the Church of Carmine and includes seven groups of statues:

1. Our Lady of Sorrows, dressed in black and pierced by a dagger (carried by fifty men).

2. Jesus tied to the column and scourged.

3. Christ Carrying the Cross, followed by numerous barefoot devotees.

4. Jesus Crucified.

5. Dead Jesus.

6. Holy Wood, reliquary of the Holy Cross.

The procession, accompanied by funeral marches, winds through the streets of the town, creating an atmosphere of profound devotion.

-Date: 3 April 2026

-Time: 17:30

-Location: Church of Carmine

Holy Saturday

Procession of the Pietà

The Procession of the Pietà, organised by the Confraternity of Santa Maria del Suffragio, takes place on the afternoon of Holy Saturday. Starting from the Church of Purgatory, the group of statues depicts the Madonna holding the Dead Christ in her arms, in a scene of poignant pain and emotion.

-Date: 4 April 2026

-Time: 4:30 p.m.

-Location: Church of Purgatory

Easter Sunday

Procession of the Risen Christ and Bursting of the Quarantane

On the morning of Easter, the Procession of the Risen Christ, organised by the Confraternity of the Purification of Our Lady of Sorrows, sets off from the Church of San Domenico. The procession is followed by jubilant children waving colourful flags.

During the procession, in a symbolic gesture, the Quarandone, a puppet symbolising the penances of Lent, is set alight. Its destruction celebrates the victory of life over death, of spring over winter, and of joy over sacrifice.

-Date: 5 April 2026

-Time: 9:30 a.m.

-Location: Church of San Domenico

Friday of Passion / 27 March 2026​

• RUVO DI PUGLIA / Procession of the Desolata / Chiesa S. Domenico / 5:00 PM

Holy Thursday / 2 April 2026

• RUVO DI PUGLIA / Procession of the Deposizione (Deposition) or the Otto Santi (Eight Saints) / Chiesa di San Rocco / 2:00 AM

Good Friday / 3 April 2026

• RUVO DI PUGLIA / Procession of the Misteri (Mysteries) / Chiesa del Carmine / 5:30 PM

Holy Saturday / 4 April 2026

• RUVO DI PUGLIA / Procession of the Pietà / Chiesa del Purgatorio / 4:30 PM

Easter Sunday / 5 April 2026

• RUVO DI PUGLIA / Procession of Gesù Risorto (Risen Jesus) – Scoppio delle Quarantane (Explosion of the Quarantane) / Chiesa di S. Domenico / 9:30 AM

CONFRATERNITA DELLA PURIFICAZIONE E DI NOSTRA SIGNORA DEI DOLORI

Founded at the end of a popular mission by Jesuit Domenico Bruno in 1719 as a congregation of rural workers (day laborers or farmhands), it was dedicated to the Purification of the Virgin and Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The events related to the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Kingdom of Naples in 1767 and the suppression of the order led to the temporary inactivity of the confraternity, which was reorganized with new rules in 1777, the year it received royal recognition from Ferdinand IV. In 1810, the confraternity moved to the Church of the Most Holy Rosary, known as San Domenico, contributing to the architectural and decorative renewal of the religious building. In 1833, with papal approval, the title of Nostra Signora dei Dolori (Our Lady of Sorrows) was added to the Purification. Since its foundation, the confraternity has been particularly devoted to acts of worship and practices in honor of the Virgin of the Seven Sorrows, beginning with the Passion Friday procession, which takes place before Palm Sunday. The statue of the Virgin, known as La Desolata, was created in 1907 by the artist Corrado Binetti from Molfetta, following expressive forms dear to popular devotion: the Virgin, with a youthful face and dressed in black, stands at the foot of the cross, embracing it; at the height of her heart, a golden sword is embedded, symbolizing the prophecy of the elder Simeon. On Easter Sunday, in a festive atmosphere, the same confraternity organizes the procession of Gesù Risorto (Risen Jesus), during which the ancient agricultural ritual of the Scoppio delle Quarantane (Explosion of the Quarantane) takes place.

CONFRATERNITA DI SAN ROCCO

The first known reference to a confraternity dedicated to the thaumaturge saint of Montpellier is an inscription in the chapel of San Rocco, located in the current main square, which recalls the perpetual indulgence granted by Gregory XIII in 1576 to the church and confraternity of San Rocco in Ruvo. In the oldest archival documents, the confraternity is described as poor due to the social background of its members, mostly peasants. All the confreres who, in 1781, obtained royal approval of their rules and foundation from Ferdinand IV were illiterate and signed with the sign of the cross. The life of the confraternity was marked by deep devotion and solidarity among its members, who, despite their poverty, did not fail to engage in charitable works through the Monte San Rocco. Today, the confraternity, in addition to promoting devotion to its patron saint and to Madonna del Buon Consiglio (Our Lady of Good Counsel), to whom it dedicates a feast in April, organizes the striking procession of the Otto Santi (Eight Saints) on the night between Wednesday and Holy Thursday. During this event, an imposing group representing the Transport of Jesus to the Sepulcher, with life-size statues, parades through the streets, flanked by rows of faithful on both sides. The complexity of the structure, carried on the shoulders by fifty bearers, and the dramatic nature of the scene make this procession an extremely evocative symbol of Ruvo’s Easter celebrations.

ARCICONFRATERNITA DI NOSTRA SIGNORA DEL MONTE CARMELO

The archconfraternity was established in 1604 through the initiative of zealous priests and pious citizens, and it was based in the ancient benefice church of San Vito, since then known as Nostra Signora del Monte Carmelo (Our Lady of Mount Carmel). The social composition of its members was the foundation of the power that the confraternity wielded over the centuries and of its significant patrimonial and economic resources. These valuable assets were invested in the expansion and enrichment of the church and the confraternity’s oratory, the latter located on Via Strignatora, where the confreres gathered for acts of devotion and penance as well as for administrative matters. In 1763, the confraternity received legal recognition of its rules and foundation, as required by royal legislation on lay associations. The confraternity also managed the so-called Monte Barese, established with its own assets by notary Carlo Barese. Since the 17th century, it has organized the Processione dei Misteri (Procession of the Mysteries), which takes place on the night of Good Friday, featuring several wooden sculptures of Christ and the Virgin, culminating with the relic of the Holy Cross. Of great emotional impact is the venerated statue of the Cristo portacroce (Christ Bearing the Cross), sculpted in wood in 1674 by Filippo Altieri; in the procession, it is followed by dozens of barefoot penitents fulfilling a vow.

CONFRATERNITA DI SANTA MARIA DEL SUFFRAGIO

In the first half of the 17th century, a second nave was added to the ancient church of San Cleto, initially dedicated to Saint Michael and later to Madonna del Suffragio (Our Lady of Suffrage), whose painted image, a work by the Neapolitan artist Plantamura, was placed on the main altar. The confraternity was canonically erected in 1678 and affiliated the same year with the Archconfraternity of Suffrage in Rome, in order to benefit from the spiritual privileges granted by the popes. Its main purpose was the care of the cult of the deceased and the souls in purgatory. Among the assets it managed was the Monte dei Morti (Mount of the Dead), which, in just a few years, became one of the city’s wealthiest pious institutions. According to the wills of numerous benefactors, its revenues were used for masses of suffrage and worship, as well as for various charitable initiatives to assist the needy and the sick. Perhaps inherited from the defunct confraternity of San Cleto, the Monte San Cleto managed several land properties for charitable purposes. Another institution administered by the confraternity was the Monte Leone, founded by Francescantonio Leone in 1711. The establishment of the Processione della Pietà (Procession of the Pietà) dates back to the late 19th century, while the statue of the Virgin holding her dead Son on her lap was created in 1901 by the renowned sculptor from Lecce, Giuseppe Manzo. This moving statue is accompanied, on the evening of Holy Saturday, by hundreds of confreres dressed in white, wearing a diagonal black sash adorned with the symbol of death.

The cuisine of Ruvo di Puglia reflects the Apulian gastronomic tradition, based on simple and authentic ingredients. Local extra virgin olive oil plays a starring role in many dishes, thanks to the vast olive groves surrounding the city.

Among the typical dishes, the highlights include orecchiette with turnip greens, braciole al sugo (meat rolls in tomato sauce), and the calzone di cipolle, a focaccia stuffed with onions, olives, and anchovies. The bread of Ruvo, made with local wheat, is particularly renowned.

The confectionery tradition features purcedduzzi (small fried dough balls coated in honey), typical of the Christmas season, and scarcelle, Easter pastries shaped like baskets and decorated with hard-boiled eggs.

The city also boasts a significant wine production, with DOC wines such as Castel del Monte, perfect for pairing with the traditional local dishes.