The Feast of St. Giovanni Battista (June 24)

In Controguerra, in ancient times, there were three churches dedicated to San Giovanni and thanks to pastoral visits I was able to ascertain that one was dedicated precisely to the Baptist. This explains the devotion of the Counterguerresi to the saint, solemnly celebrated on June 24th. The festivity was deeply felt, also because it marked the beginning of the harvest season, as the popular saying goes: San Giuvannə: pia la faggə e vanne a guadambiə.
Therefore, on 24 June, a solemn function was held in the church and the statue of the saint was carried in procession. Unfortunately, the statue of San Giovanni Battista, which perhaps came from one of the ancient counter-war churches, is among those that were burned in the 1960s. Fortunately we have a description of it thanks to the diary of the teacher Rosina Narcisi: "Near the main altar [of the church of San Benedetto] was exhibited the statue of St. John wearing a goat skin and holding a stick with a bell. Ai At her feet lay a lioness who was missing an ear and I imagined that the snake curled up nearby had probably devoured it." The diary also describes the celebrations in honor of the saint.