I Misteri di Frigento

The Mysteries of Frigento are an artistic exhibition of a religious nature held every year in the Irpinian municipality during the Lent period.

It is an exhibition that has very distant origins: its historical background comes, in fact, from a letter dated 21 November 1855, sent by the then Bishop of Avellino, Monsignor Francesco Gallo, to the Archpriest of Frigento, the primicerius Nardovino, found inside one of the statues and recovered by craftsmen engaged in restoration work. 

The exhibition aims to recreate the scenes of the Passion and death of Jesus, exhibited in the former cathedral of Frigento, with almost life-size figures made of papier-mâché. Each papier-mâché statue catches the eye of the spectator thanks to certain details, such as the expressiveness of the faces, underlining the dramatic nature of the scenes represented, and, above all, the use of fabric alternating with the material of the figures, outlining the sometimes lavish clothing of the characters represented. From the Last Supper to the Deposition, the Mysteries succeed in arousing pure and elevated emotional feelings in the hearts of the faithful.

A solemn and famous tradition, the Mysteries of Frigento bear witness to the strong religious devotion consolidated by the local community throughout the various eras.