The charm of a small ‘ritual’ that combines light and stone, and which is repeated unchanged every 21st June. It is the spectacle of the Summer Solstice, which is renewed every year in the Cathedral of Bari: around 5.10 pm, the light that filters through the rose window of the church facade is projected onto the floor of the church, to match perfectly with the mosaic rose window placed in front at the main altar.
To accompany the event, a contemplative moment promoted by the Parish Cathedral of Bari, with the theme ‘Telling the Solstice through the eyes of children’, with readings, music and dance. The protagonists were the little ones who, accompanied by two dancers, surrounded the rose window illuminated by the sun with a merry-go-round.
The play of lights that occurs on the occasion of the Summer Solstice in Bari Cathedral is common to other Romanesque churches built in Europe in the same period (11th-12th century) and depends on the location in which the Church is built. The suggestive phenomenon, which has become popular today, was discovered thanks to Michele Cassano, sacrist of the Bari Cathedral, who in June 2005 noticed the particular overlap of the lights.
