by InTrieste
On Saturday afternoon, a statue of the Virgin Mary will make its way across the Gulf of Trieste by boat, marking the 10th edition of a Marian procession that has become a distinctive tradition in the city.
The statue of Our Lady of Fatima, normally housed at the sanctuary of Monte Grisa on the Karst plateau, will be transported to the waterfront before being placed on a vessel provided by the Trieste Diving Club. Escorted by law enforcement boats, rowing associations, and local fishermen, the statue will travel from the Barcola marina to the Scala Reale pier in the city center.
The event was first introduced more than a decade ago by Father Luigi Moro, then rector of Monte Grisa, in response to a proposal from Archbishop Emeritus Giampaolo Crepaldi. Since then, the annual procession has drawn large numbers of worshipers and onlookers, in part because of its unusual maritime element.
Organizers say the boats accompanying the statue will receive a blessing for all those who work at sea. Tugboats are expected to spray water into the air as the Madonna arrives at the Scala Reale around 5:30 p.m., following a 4:30 p.m. departure from Barcola.
Once ashore, the statue will be carried in procession through some of Trieste’s most prominent squares and streets — Piazza Unità d’Italia, Piazza della Borsa, and Via Cassa di Risparmio — before reaching the church of Sant’Antonio Taumaturgo just before 7 p.m. There, a Mass led by Monsignor Roberto Rosa will be celebrated, with choral music performed by the vocal ensemble Le Sandrine.
This year, prayers at the service will focus on calls for peace in Ukraine and an end to the conflict in Gaza.
