MODICA – The project “The santuna di San Pietro” was presented in a church packed with faithful and the public, in the church of the same name, organized by the Kalikantun Association and the Parish of San Pietro Apostolo. A presentation that retraced the stages of the ancient Modican tradition which saw the papier-mâché statues of the 12 apostles, more than 4 meters high, join the procession of celebrations in honor of Saint Peter the Apostle, Patron Saint of Modica. The parish priest Don Giuseppe Stella spoke and retraced the history of the “Santoni” from their meaning to the events that led to their disposal. It was specified that this project is not a nostalgia operation but the desire to give new meaning to something that is part of our roots, an opportunity to remind ourselves who we are, where we come from, what we believe in and how we believed in it.
The founders Pierpaolo Ruta and Walter Buscema spoke for the Kalikantun Association and specified how this project is the result of a long work of study and recovery of traditions. The Santoni, in fact, are part of a broader historical trend of Catalan and Spanish traditions of the so-called “Gigantes” in which papier-mâché statues up to 6 meters high are paraded on the occasion of particular religious events. The Modican tradition was probably a tradition that arrived with the Spanish and which can also be found in other cities in Sicily.
The objective of the project is to ensure that next year, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year, all the statues of the apostles can be taken out in procession. To do this, the association says, common work is needed and to ensure that this project can involve as many people as possible and be a point of attraction for all those who want to actively commit to the culture of the city of Modica. At the end, the first Saint was presented: Saint Peter the Apostle who walked along the central nave and then reached the entrance door of the Cathedral which acted as a “baroque” frame for the simulacrum of the prince of the apostles.
