The seven-year penitential rites in honor of the Assunta in Guardia Sanframondi (BN) are one of the oldest and most controversial religious events in Italy.
For nearly four centuries, every seven years, the streets of Guardia come alive with a big display of sacred acts: starting with the “Mysteries,” which are true living tableaux representing religious scenes, to the “Flagellants”, who scourge themselves with the “discipline,” an instrument with metal strips.
Everything is penance.
The event lasts a week, but it is only on the final day, at the cry of “With faith and courage, brothers, in the name of Assunta, strike yourselves!” that the “Battenti” (beaters) join the procession. These penitents, dressed in white robes and hoods, flagellate their chests with a sponge embedded with 33 needles.
They bleed profusely, immersed in the crowd, in a surreal silence broken only by the thud of the blows they inflict upon themselves and the litanies of the elderly women from the town.
In this collective Mea Culpa, along the route, the locals offer them water, and the organizers disinfect the needles with white wine.
Thus, the sharp scent of blood and vinegar mixes in the air.
After meeting with the Assunta, the battenti disperse into solitude, retreating to the houses of the village to clean and change, reclaiming their identity.
Then, they emerge with uncovered faces to take possession of the statue of Virgin Mary of Assumption and return it to the church.
