The main image of the Madonna venerated in Matera, the so-called Madonna della Bruna, is that of the fresco found in the Cathedral, currently in the first chapel of the left nave, starting from the main entrance. The fresco was cut and moved in 1578 from its original location, which was on the counter-façade, to the left of the entrance portal.
The work, and that of the Last Judgment, located opposite, on the right nave, both attributed to Rinaldo from Taranto, represent the surviving part of the original wall decoration of the temple, which was completed in 1270.
This is the typical Madonna Odigitria, or Odighìtria, which, in Greek, means she who indicates the way, as the Virgin holds the Child (i.e. the way, the truth and the life) with one hand and indicates him with the other hand to the faithful.
There are two statues that represent this Madonna: the main one, probably dating back to the end of the seventeenth century, the so-called scared one, will be carried in procession at the beginning of the festival; the other, dating back to the end of the eighteenth century, the so-called courageous one, will climb onto the triumphal float during the last phase of the festival, when the moment of destruction of the float itself approaches, in a blaze of collective adrenaline-filled exaltation. This last phase of the festival is the so-called strazzo, in vernacular, tear, or rip, since the beautiful papier-mâché float, created during the previous months by the skilled papier-mâché masters, is torn, attacked and destroyed.
Regarding the name Bruna, local historians have postulated various theories. There are those who say that the name derives from the dark complexion of the Virgin, a result that remained until her restoration, after centuries of exposure to votive candles; others derive it from the term brunja, used in the Middle Ages to indicate the armor of soldiers, therefore, it would indicate a sort of Madonna of defense; still others derive it from Hebron, a place in Judea where Saint Elizabeth lived when she received a visit from Mary; the last hypothesis, very well argued by the historian Francesco Foschino, is that the term Bruna means coming from Brno, a town in Moravia.
In any case, it is only from the beginning of the sixteenth century that della Bruna appears in documents, while previously it was Santa Maria or Santa Maria dell’Episcopio or Santa Maria di Matera.
Among the legends that try to explain the origins of the festival, there is one in particular, which enjoys particular fame:
A farmer, one summer evening, returning home to the city with his cart after a day’s work in the countryside, met a lady who asked him for a lift. He agreed, but thought of having her dropped off at the city gates, so as to avoid the people’s gossip. The lady, getting off the cart, asked him to deliver a note for the bishop, and the farmer agreed, then, he heard her whisper: So, on a decorated cart, I want to enter my city every year. Then the lady transformed into a statue and the farmer, shocked and panicked, ran to deliver the message to the bishop, who identified that lady as the Madonna. Therefore, the bishop himself, with the farmer and many onlookers, went to collect the statue to place it in the Cathedral, to protect the city.
The origins of the festival date back to 1389, when Pope Urban VI, former archbishop of Matera and Acerenza, established in the liturgical calendar, setting it for 2 July, the feast of the Visitation of Mary to Saint Elizabeth, in memory of the episode reported in the Bible by Gospel of Saint Luke.
Starting from 1969 with Pope Paul VI in the liturgical calendar the feast was moved in ordinary form to May 31st, although it remained fixed on July 2nd in extraordinary form in Matera, Enna and Siena.
July 2nd represents the longest day of the people of Matera, due to a series of pagan and religious rituals, which take place in honor of the Madonna della Bruna. In particular, there are three processions.
Since dawn, at 4.30, when it is still dark, the procession of shepherds starts from the cathedral, who, with lit candles, head towards, and then stop, in Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi, already full of faithful, because here, in the square of the church of the same name, the first mass of the festival is celebrated. According to oral sources, the shepherds’ procession began at the end of the seventeenth century to allow them to participate in mass before going to work. Then, the image of the Madonna della Bruna is carried in procession to the church of San Francesco da Paola, where a second mass is celebrated. Then the procession returns to the Cathedral, from where it started at dawn.
Then there is the cart procession, which takes place mid-day: starting from the Cathedral it arrives at the parish church of the Piccianello district, outside the historic center of the city, near which the float factory is located. This procession features the Knights of Bruna in costume and vintage carriages. On one of these carriages the image of Bruna is placed, while on another there is the archbishop, with a small throne, on which there is the image of Baby Jesus, previously removed from the arm of the Madonna, since Mary, visiting Elizabeth, she was pregnant with Jesus, who was therefore “invisible” in her womb. Once they arrive in Piccianello, the images of the Madonna and Child are placed, to be then transferred, in the afternoon, to the nearby factory of the triumphal float.
Once, in the afternoon, the statues arrive, separately, in the float factory, the Child is placed again in the arms of the Madonna, to be placed on the triumphal papier-mâché float, dragged by hand to the nearby Piazza Marconi.
Thus begins the evening procession, from Piazza Marconi, at sunset: the float is pulled by eight mules, up to Piazza Duomo, preceded by a procession made up of the Cavalcata, the authorities, the diocesan clergy and the musical band. The float will arrive in Piazza Duomo late in the evening, and here, together with a group of Knights, it will complete three laps around the square, to symbolize the protection of the Madonna over the city.
At this point the statue of the Madonna comes down from the float and is placed in the Cathedral. From this moment on, nothing is expected other than the destruction of the wagon/float, which will take place in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, its final destination. Here he is awaited by a huge crowd, and the most daring will manage to attack him and dismember him, leaving only his skeleton: everyone will want to grab a piece of him, to keep as a precious lucky relic. To prevent the float from being attacked on its way from the Cathedral to Piazza Vittorio Veneto, it is defended by the so-called Float Angels and by the police.
The meaning of this destruction is to be found in a symbolism of regeneration: life arises from the destruction of matter, while divine energy remains, repeating the birth-death-rebirth cycle.
The party ends with a very suggestive fireworks display, after midnight: it is the early hours of July 3rd, the day of Matera’s New Year.
