The Luminara of Santa Croce
The peak of the September of Lucca is the evening of September 13th, with the traditional Luminara of Santa Croce, a celebration of intense beauty and meditation that attracts thousands of people every year.
At sunset, the city fades to make room for a different light: thousands of wax candles are lit along the route that crosses the historic center, transforming Lucca into an evocative scene of flickering lights. The buildings, churches and monuments are dressed in light, while the streets are crossed by a large historical procession in Renaissance clothes, which starts from Basilica of San Frediano and accompanies the Santa Croce up to Cathedral of San Martino, where the is performed motet, a composition for choirs and orchestra, with text dedicated to the Cross.
What we know today as Luminara is the evolution of a secular devotion: the relic of the Holy Face it was carried in procession in a nocturnal rite, once illuminated by torches and fires, then by candles and finally by the lights that today dot the city like stars.
The Adoration of the Cross and the Holy Face
The next day, September 14th, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, With the Solemn Mass in the Cathedral of San Martino andadoration of the Holy Face, the famous wooden statue of the crucifix which, according to legend, was sculpted by Nicodemus, a witness to the Passion of Christ.
The Holy Face, which miraculously arrived in Lucca in the 8th century, remains an object of profound veneration and a place of pilgrimage. It is kept in the chapel dedicated to it, in the center of the cathedral's transept, and is one of the most powerful symbols of the city's religious and cultural identity.
The three fairs of September
Alongside the religious celebrations, the Settembre Lucchese is also a time of popular celebration, with fairs, stalls and markets that liven up different areas of the city. three traditional fairs They represent an event awaited for generations and every year, as per tradition, they are repeated on certain days:
- September 14th
5:00 am - 12:00 pm - River Park - Bird Fair
7:00 a.m. - 18:00 p.m. - Cattle Market - Livestock Fair
9:00 AM - 19:00 PM - Borgo Giannotti - Santa Croce Fair - September 21th
7:00 a.m. - 18:00 p.m. - Cattle Market - Livestock Fair
9:00 AM - 19:00 PM - Borgo Giannotti - San Matteo Fair - September 29th
7:00 a.m. - 18:00 p.m. - Cattle Market - Livestock Fair
9:00 AM - 19:00 PM - Borgo Giannotti - San Michele Fair
The Fairs, for the little ones, but why not even the older ones, are accompanied throughout the month by the Luna Park in Piazzale Don Baroni, a symbol for generations of the end of summer, the return to school but also of the sweet symbol "the friar".
A month between the sacred and the everyday
Throughout the month of September, Lucca offers a rich calendar of cultural events, concerts, exhibitions, shows and activities for all agesEvery corner of the city becomes a stage: the gardens, churches, the ramparts of the Walls, historic buildings they open to welcome the community and visitors.
The September of Lucca is a unique moment, which unites the depth of faith to the joy of participation, The memory of the past al pleasure of sharingA month that tells the Lucca identity through the light, sounds, and voices of a city that, more than ever, offers itself in all its beauty.
