A SPIRITUAL FIGURE WHO BLENDS HISTORY, FAITH, AND A SENSE OF CIVIC IDENTITY
Since 1376, Varazze has renewed its vow to Saint Catherine, intertwining faith, history and community. A centuries-old ritual that every year brings generations together in a moment of profound devotion and shared identity.
The miracle of Saint Catherine, faith, memory, and identity in Varazze.
Saint Catherine of Siena (1347–1380) is one of the most luminous figures of Christian spirituality: mystic, theologian, Doctor of the Church, and co-patron saint of Italy and Europe. Her visit to Varazze in 1376, during her return journey from Avignon, left a deep mark on the history and memory of the town.
The vow of 1376
According to tradition, Saint Catherine arrived in the village to pay homage to the Blessed Jacopo da Varagine and found a community struck by the plague. She stopped to pray in front of a Marian shrine, asking for deliverance from the disease. The contagion ceased suddenly. In gratitude, the people of Varazze vowed to build a sacred place, which was completed the following year: a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity, now the Sanctuary of Saint Catherine, overlooking the sea.
The feast of April 30 and the votive procession
Every year, on April 30, Varazze celebrates its patron Saint with one of the most popular religious festivals on the Riviera. The day is marked by two events:
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in the morning, the processional casket of the saint is carried from the Collegiate Church of Sant'Ambrogio to the sanctuary;
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in the afternoon, the procession retraces the route in reverse, symbolically renewing the vow made by the city in 1376.
This double procession creates an intense ceremony that intertwines spirituality, tradition, and popular involvement.
Wooden crucifixes: art and devotion
The protagonists of the procession are the historic confraternities of Varazze, who parade in traditional dress carrying their “Christs”: large processional crucifixes carved from wood, decorated and gilded, up to three meters high and weighing over forty kilos. Each crucifix is a unique work of art, a symbol of penance and faith handed down through the centuries. Alongside the brothers of the historic confraternities, banners, religious representatives, and civil and military officials parade through the streets. When the casket arrives in the square, the band strikes up the traditional hymn “Oggi facciam” (Today we do), greeted by singing, applause, and great collective emotion.
A masterpiece of Ligurian Baroque
Devotion to Saint Catherine also lives on through art: the Collegiate Church of Sant'Ambrogio houses a splendid wooden statue of the Saint, created between 1711 and 1720 and attributed to Anton Maria Maragliano, one of the greatest Baroque sculptors in Liguria.
The sculpture depicts her in ecstasy, raised on a cloud among Cherubs. The expressive power, the richness of the forms and the liveliness of the sculptural group make this work one of the most representative masterpieces of sacred art in the city.
The celebration of Saint Catherine is not just a religious event: it is an identity ritual that spans time and generations. Taking part in the procession on April 30 means immersing yourself in the living memory of Varazze, amid faith, history, and community.
