The Celebration of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the most important religious event in the Joppolo community. It was originally celebrated on the third weekend of September, and was once accompanied by a livestock fair, now entirely disappeared. Over time, due to the deep devotion that permeates the community, the celebration was moved to the third weekend of July, to allow emigrants returning home for the summer to attend the celebration.

Festivities begin on Saturday, with the processional transport of the statue from the small devotional chapel on the outskirts of the village to the Mother Church, where it remains on display for a full week. The main procession takes place on the following Sunday, winding through the streets of the town. A second procession takes place the next Sunday, as the statue is returned to the chapel where it resides for the rest of the year.

Accompanying events are typical of patronal festivals, but in this case, special attention should be given to the strong participation of the faithful in daily rosaries held on the square in front of the Mother Church throughout the festive week.

The feast, as an intangible cultural asset, cannot be separated from the history of the local devotion. The devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help dates back to the early 20th century. It is said that a carter from Porto Empedocle found the statue by chance on the beach. While on his way to Joppolo for a grain delivery, he loaded the statue onto his cart. Upon reaching the outskirts of the village, the horse pulling the cart came to a stop and refused to move. The carter left the statue there.

From that moment on, the people of Joppolo developed a strong devotion to the Madonna, whom they identified as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, due to the graces received and prayers answered. She eventually became the co-patron saint of the town, surpassing even Saint Francis of Paola in devotion. A small chapel was built on the spot where the statue was found, which soon became a site of constant pilgrimage.

 

This element has been included in the Register of Intangible Heritage of local interest of the Municipality of Joppolo Giancaxio, as part of Intervention 5 “Activation of the Observatory on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Territory through the application of the REIL methodology – Register of Intangible Heritage of Local Interest”, within the “Mito, storia e tradizioni agropastorali” project, funded by the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), Mission: Digitalisation, innovation, competitiveness, culture and tourism, Component: Tourism and culture 4.0, Investment 2.1 “Attractiveness of villages.” CUP: E69I22000140006.