> The Festival of Arches San Biagio Platani
The Festival of Arches
corso Umberto I - 92020 San Biagio Platani

The fundamental event that attracts many tourists in San Biagio is the Feast of the Arches that takes place every year from Easter Sunday for the next three weeks. It is a manifestation of a religious and certainly among the most popular features of Sicily whose origins date back to the late seventeenth century, in the era immediately following the founding of the country. A centuries-old tradition that is linked to the significance of the event of the resurrection stressed the meeting between Christ and the Virgin Mary under the arches of bread to symbolize the triumph of life over death in a riot of cheering crowd. It is a kind of artistic competition between the two brotherhoods "Madunnara", devoted to Our Lady, and "Signurara", devoted to Jesus of Nazareth. A preparation that lasts months and involves artisans, workers, professionals, housewives, youth, adults, seniors, all animated by a collective effort but deployed on opposing sides. It is made more precious and artistically rich monumental arches of wood and reeds erected along the main street. A preparation in which products are used and the fruits of the earth, where the main actor is the bread, which worked with great skill takes on various shapes according to the typical expression of folklore and folk art. The center from which develops this majestic and precious exhibition is the Mother Church in Corso Umberto I and from this point, the ideal center of gravity of the main course, the artists of the two brotherhoods give show off their great creative abilities confronting each other in a race to overcome it that has a single scene that ends or begins in the two tables of access. In ancient times they were erected only two central arches, with triangular frames of ferla and the twists of reeds decorated with bagels and edged with oranges. In time everything has been enriched more and more. Today the skill of the performers is manifested in the careful design of details and the refined technique that enhances even the details by singular effects plastic and figurative. Domes, bell towers, vaults, rose windows, made of reeds and willow, original chandeliers, nimpe, made with dates, with fountains in the center real monuments of great communicative efficiency, mosaics, depicting Gospel episodes created with the products of nature and where the bread is essential dell'addobbo. To visit the collection of the best works done during the past editions of the festival.


Descriptive table
Event end date: 09/04/2023
Event start date: 02/04/2023
Name: The Festival of Arches
Event location: Chiesa Madre