The procession of “Misteri” coincides with the the Corpus Domini and it is the most emotive celebration of the city. It not only symbolize the tradition, but is also a moment of popular participation that has its root in the past. The procession is characterized by sacred scenes and moving performances inspired by scenes from the Old and New Testament, created by the sculptor Paolo Saverio di Zinno in 1740.
The structures, called “ingegni”, are made of wrought iron on a wooden base that develops vertically branching out towards the extremity of the harnesses held by the performers. The outfits of the performers hide the structure and the harness creating the illusion that they are literally soaring. The alloy used for the structure has the peculiarity of being flexible and crack-resistant, so as to withstand the stresses caused by those who bear the structure, a number of people that vary from sixteen to twenty.
Today only thirteen “ingegni”, of the original twenty-four, march on the procession. Six of them did not handle the static test and other six were destroyed by the earthquake of 1805. In 1959 a new “ingegno”, based on a project of its inventor, was manufactured.
Giuseppe Lembo
Photo by Giovanna Falasca