Festha Manna in Porto Torres: the journey of the Martyrs Turritani begins
The statues of the soldier Gavino, the presbyter Proto and the deacon Gianuario will be carried in processionPer restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
The journey of the Santi Martiri Turritani begins tomorrow, Wednesday 3 May, a religious moment particularly felt by the community of Porto Torres. The seventeenth-century wooden simulacra depicting the soldier Gavino, the presbyter Proto and the deacon Gianuario will be carried in procession from the basilica of San Gavino to the church of San Gavino a Mare (Balai Vicino). Here, in the small place of worship, they will support until the day of Pentecost, and for about a month the little church in front of the bay of Balai will become the destination of a daily pilgrimage, from the first light of dawn to sunset, until the afternoon of the 29th. May, the eve of the Festha Manna, the popular festival most attended by the Turritans and by all the populations of the surrounding area.
Tomorrow at 18 in the millennial church there will be a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Monsignor Salvatore Masia, canon and parish priest of the basilica. At 7 pm the procession will start towards the church of San Gavino a Mare (Balai Vicino), starting from Atrio Metropoli. A particularly evocative moment will be the evening between 27 and 28 May when the nocturnal pilgrimage will begin. From Sassari and the neighboring towns, many faithful set out towards the basilica of San Gavino in Porto Torres. The pilgrims will arrive around three in the morning and Holy Mass will be dedicated to them. At the end, several pilgrims will conclude their nocturnal pilgrimage by reaching Balai Vicino to pay homage to the three "holy bodies".
On Pentecost Sunday we start from Balai Vicino in procession with the wooden statues that make their return to the Basilica, after crossing the seafront and the center of Porto Torres, accompanied by the civil, military, religious authorities and the population. The following day is the "Festha Manna", the Festa Grande which includes an important liturgy with the participation of the Chapter of canons presided over by Archbishop Turritano. The celebration ends with the ritual of exchanging the keys, the procession and the blessing of the sea in the Turritan port.