The Historical Parade re-enacts the meeting between Queen Theodelinda and Pope Gregory the Great, traditionally dated to 592–593.
The re-enactment
During the last two weekends of July, the old town of Castel Sant’Elia comes alive with medieval and Celtic music, local food, traditional games and the ring palio held in honour of the queen.
After nightfall, the procession recalls the meeting that tradition places at the rock-cut monastery of San Leonardo. Its secluded location would have provided the privacy needed for the conversation between Gregory the Great and Theodelinda. The story remembers the queen’s conversion to Christianity and the mediation that helped prevent the sack of Rome.
