The Feast of the Most Holy Cross, held annually in the first week of May, kicks off with a series of artistic and cultural events on 1 May and ends with the procession of the simulacrum and fireworks on 3 May.
It was during the month of May in 1626, after an annus horribilis in which famine and pestilence had raged, that the archbishop of the time, Monsignor Girolamo Venero e Leyva, decided to have the venerated simulacrum of the Most Holy Cross carried in a procession. The plague had entered Monreale despite the fact that the archbishop had taken all the necessary precautions to prevent it from spreading there. After the Most Holy Cross had travelled all the streets of the town, it returned to the Collegiate Church at whose altar Monsignor Venero celebrated holy mass. At the moment of the elevation of the host, the venerable prelate felt his boils burst and was healed from the disease. It rained for eight consecutive days in the Norman town to seal the miracle, and the people attributed the weather phenomenon, which ended the drought and plague, to a miracle of the Monreale Cross. The victory over the plague also owed much to Venero's culture and wisdom, the same gifts that allowed him to channel the people's devotion to the Cross, considered by the Council of Trent to be the focal point towards which to direct Christian faith. Venero belonged to a Spanish family that had benefited greatly from relations with the newly discovered America. He was an educated and shrewd jurist, a solid and forward-looking spirit, and deeply religious. He was not intimidated when the threat of the plague first appeared, but immediately implemented a series of measures aimed at preventing the disease from entering Monreale. He involved all citizens in the effort to build a wall so that no one would enter or leave without the strictest hygienic control. When the plague managed to filter through, despite his attentions, he made an unlimited effort to prevent it from spreading. He gave strict orders to prevent infection, mobilised the municipal authorities, set up a special deputation for the strictest vigilance, and organised a corps of doctors, obliging them to report any cases that occurred in the strictest compliance with hygiene regulations. The Viceroy Emanuele Filiberto of Palermo acted in a very different way, relying more on religious demonstrations to implore God to rid the scourge. This was a bad remedy considering that it was precisely at gatherings and in the most crowded places that the plague travelled the fastest. Venero did not rely on his authority to act alone, but rather asked everyone to cooperate and contribute. The city went into debt to the maximum possible extent in a gigantic effort. The final results proved to be gratifying, as there were very few victims compared to what had happened in other towns in Sicily. When the scourge finally receded and the need was felt to give thanks to God, he was able to guide the religious sentiment of the entire population, channelling it towards the central mystery of the Christian faith, namely the Crucified One. It was on 27 April of that same year that Archbishop Venero himself had the Chapel of the Cross built in the Church of the Saviour. And, on the 30 April, Monsignor Venero and the healthcare deputation resolved to have a feast for every district and street in Monreale with fires and illuminations in honour of the Most Holy Cross. That marked the beginning of the festival that still lasts for three consecutive days, the Feast of the Most Holy Cross. Since then, its anniversary has been solemnly celebrated on 1, 2, and 3 May every year to honour the Holy Simulacrum. The Cross becomes a pole of attraction for the faith of the people of Monreale. Venero dictated a precise and concrete constitution for its conservation. The custodians had to be deacons or priests. All 24 of them had to be of good conduct and reputation, and not connected to the metropolitan church like parish priests and chaplains. Newly elected people had to swear observance of the Constitution. The congregation was headed by a provost, assisted by a secretary, two councillors, and a bursar or procurator of goods. All these offices were to be conferred by secret ballot every two years after 8 May. In addition to keeping all the records, the secretary had to take note of the miracles performed daily by the Crucified One in a special register. He also had to register all chapter acts. The bursar was obliged to keep cash and give monthly accounts to the provost and councillors. More than three centuries of devotion have passed since that distant 1626, when the plague was defeated and the simulacrum of the Most Holy Cross of Monreale was carried in a procession for the grace received.
Since then, a family relationship has developed between the people of Monreale and the effigy of the Crucifix that does not seem to be deteriorating in the slightest. In popular culture, Christ on the Cross represents protection from possible misfortunes and the intercessor for the needs of all. Amidst history, faith, anthropology and a little legend, the city relives one of the oldest religious traditions every year, which takes place during the first three days of May and culminates with the solemn procession of the Cross through the town's streets. Citizens and devout people gather along the Carrubella escarpment where the small Chapel of the Saviour was built in the 15th century. It later became the Collegiate Church, enlarged by Venero from 1620 to 1628 to increase worship of the Most Holy Crucified One. It is possible to admire Italy's large majolica panel on the outside of the church, which depicts the Most Holy Crucified One, and which was made by an unknown potter from Palermo in the 18th century. The first two days of the festival are dedicated exclusively to folklore, such as parades of Sicilian carts, folk groups, flag-wavers, majorettes, marching bands and rides which begin with the alborata (release of firecrackers) on Mount Caputo. In former times, Berber races were held in some of the streets in the centre, with a prize at stake. Various concerts enliven the evenings in the square popularly known as U Bagliu. But the climax, which still attracts thousands of devout people from many parts of Sicily to Monreale today, is the day of the procession, which consists of more than nine hours of exhausting city routes for both the brothers and the crowd of faithful people who follow the Cross, often barefoot. It begins with the solemn pontifical mass in the Collegiate Church, followed by the traditional descent of the Vara on the shoulders down the steep steps, so as to place the Crucifix in front of the majolica panel behind the church, where it will be venerated by the faithful and kissed by children.
