Il Dramma Sacro di San Bartolomeo

The Dramma Sacro di San Bartolomeo (Sacred Drama of Saint Bartholomew) is a religious and theatrical event that takes place in Greci on 25 August, on the occasion of the feast of the patron saint.

A cultural tradition that has been renewed for about a hundred years, the play has even medieval origins, as it was performed by local actors several centuries ago. It was Abbot Luigi Lauda, a poet and writer from Greci, who composed the first version in 1881, while today's version dates from 1913 and was published by emigrants from Greci in New York in 1941.

The play is a staged interpretation of the saint's life in five acts. More than a hundred actors, both leading and supporting actors, dressed in period costumes, recreate the most important moments in the life of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, playing out his mission and arrival in Armenia, his capture and condemnation to martyrdom, up to his apotheosis, in an atmosphere of participation and return to their roots that involves the whole community.

The local actors who stage the drama and the inhabitants of Greci are very attached to this tradition, which attracts the people of Greci from all over the world to renew their faith and gratitude to the patron saint every year.