For 60 years in Sassari at the service of Our Lady of the Angels, patron saint of the Masons' Guild. Matilde Ruiu, 85 years old, also dressed in 2024, yesterday in the cathedral of San Nicola, the simulacrum of the Virgin, which today at 7.30 pm will be carried in procession through the streets of the city, always starting from the cathedral.
"I saw my parents do it when I was little - she says - and then I continued." With a feeling of anticipation that preludes the ritual and, afterwards, "a sense of lightness, I have to come and do it". The statue of the Madonna is covered with necklaces and bracelets, in gold and silver, some dating back to 1800, donated by the faithful. «Many - reports Antonio Pistidda, president of the gremio - are given after receiving the grace from Our Lady». As in the case of a three-year-old girl, at the end of her life, and saved, according to her donor mother, by the Virgin herself.
Next to Our Lady of the Angels, the first reference to a patronal feast of the Masons which has taken place for 377 years now, there is also the statue of Christ, on whose wrist there is a rosary from the Vatican. «I asked Pope Benedict's secretary in 2016 - reports Francesco Pettenadu, secretary of the Gremio - on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the Pardon of Assisi. Ratzinger also gave us a blessing that we keep with pleasure in memory of a great Pope." There is also another Marian simulacrum, which is currently unavailable. «It dates back to 1933, created by Elio Pulli - declares Pistidda - and is located in the church of Santa Maria di Betlem. It hasn't been out for a while and we hope it happens again soon."