Religious festival · Geraci Siculo
Festa di San Bartolomeo, patron of Geraci Siculo
Festa di San Bartolomeo in Geraci Siculo, 24 August: the statues of San Bartolo and San Giacomo go out together and stay in the Chiesa Madre for a month.
2027 edition
Chiesa Madre of Santa Maria Maggiore, Piazza del Popolo and church of San Bartolo, Geraci Siculo
Programme
Date from the Comune's events calendar. On the morning of the 23rd the statues of San Giacomo and San Bartolo are taken to the Chiesa Madre; on the 24th solemn mass, band in Piazza del Popolo and procession in the late afternoon.
Source: comune.geracisiculo.pa.it, checked on 19 October 2026
San Bartolomeo Apostolo, “San Bartolo” to the people of Geraci, is the patron saint of Geraci Siculo and is celebrated on 24 August. That day the statues of San Bartolo and San Giacomo, the co-patron, go out together in procession, carried on the shoulders of young men. Then they stay side by side in the Chiesa Madre for a month, until the Thanksgiving feast in late September. The Comune’s calendar lists the next feast for 24 August 2027.
Since 2026 the feast has been listed in the Register of Intangible Heritage of Sicily. The entry describes it as a historic celebration devoted to a saint venerated since the Middle Ages, with a long period of religious preparation and the “greeting” between the two statues.
The eve, 23 August
On the morning of the 23rd, the eve of the feast, the clergy, the confraternity, the faithful and the band leave the Chiesa Madre with the statue of San Giacomo. They go to the church of San Bartolo, on the edge of the village, where the patron’s statue is already decorated. Then they bring both saints back to the Chiesa Madre.
The feast day
On 24 August, after the solemn mass with the civil and military authorities, the band plays cheerful marches in Piazza del Popolo. In the late afternoon the procession begins: first San Bartolo, then San Giacomo, carried on the shoulders of young men through the streets of the village. At the end the two saints are placed next to each other, separated by the central nave, in the Chiesa Madre of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Thanksgiving in September
The statues stay in the Chiesa Madre until the Thanksgiving feast. Then a second procession takes them home: San Bartolo accompanies San Giacomo to his church near the castle, then returns to his own, knife in hand, the sign of his martyrdom. The feast ends with firecrackers and a music show.
The Comune gives 24 September as the day of Thanksgiving. In 2026 it was held on a Sunday at the end of the month: the bishop of Ragusa Giuseppe La Placa, who comes from nearby Resuttano, took part in the 17:30 mass and the procession.
Dates
| Year | Patron saint’s feast | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Monday 24 August (eve on the 23rd) | events calendar of the Comune di Geraci Siculo |
| 2026 | Thanksgiving held on a Sunday in late September | Cefalunews |
San Giacomo also has a feast of his own, on the second Sunday of August: you will find it on the page of the feast of San Giacomo in Geraci Siculo.
Getting there and where to stay
Geraci Siculo is about 44 km from Cefalù (50 minutes, via Castelbuono on the SS286) and about 114 km from Palermo (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking; for the roads see the guide to driving in the Madonie.
To stay the night see where to stay in Geraci Siculo. Before you set off, check the Geraci Siculo weather. The village’s other feasts are among the events in Geraci Siculo and in the calendar of religious festivals in the Madonie.
Frequently asked questions
- When is San Bartolomeo celebrated in Geraci Siculo?
- The patron saint's feast is on 24 August, with the eve on the 23rd. The events calendar of the Comune di Geraci Siculo lists the next one for Monday 24 August 2027. The statues return to their churches with the Thanksgiving feast in late September: in 2026 it was held on a Sunday, as Cefalunews reported on 28 September.
- Why do San Bartolo and San Giacomo come out together?
- San Bartolomeo, "San Bartolo" to the people of Geraci, is the patron; San Giacomo is the co-patron, or protector. On the morning of 23 August the statue of San Giacomo goes to fetch San Bartolo from his church on the edge of the village, and on the 24th they go out together in procession. Then they stay side by side in the Chiesa Madre until Thanksgiving.
- What happens on 24 August?
- After the solemn mass with the authorities, the band plays cheerful marches in Piazza del Popolo. In the late afternoon the procession begins: first San Bartolo and then San Giacomo, carried on the shoulders of young men through the streets of the village. At the end the statues are placed next to each other in the Chiesa Madre.
- What is the Thanksgiving feast?
- It closes the patron saint's feast, in late September. A second procession takes the statues back to their churches: San Bartolo accompanies San Giacomo to his church near the castle, then returns to his own on the edge of the village. The feast ends with firecrackers and a music show.
- Is the feast intangible heritage?
- Since 2026 the patron saint's feast of San Bartolomeo Apostolo on 23 and 24 August has been listed in the Register of Intangible Heritage of Sicily, together with seven other traditions of Geraci Siculo, including the transhumance and the feast of the Santissimo Crocifisso.
- How do you get to Geraci Siculo?
- From Cefalù it is about 44 km (50 minutes) via Castelbuono and the SS286, from Palermo about 114 km (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking.
