“We were told it was fabulous”: in Sartène, an emblematic procession for Good Friday

Frédéric Michel, special correspondent in Sartène (South Corsica) / Photo credit: PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP 7:57 p.m., March 29, 2024

It is an emblematic procession which is organized this Friday evening in Sartène in Southern Corsica, for the start of the Easter weekend. Several thousand people gather to participate in the Catenacciu, "the chained" which begins at nightfall. 

This highlight of the Easter celebrations in Corsica symbolizes the rise of Christ to Golgotha. "Christ did not pretend. He experienced a painful moment and seeing a man carry a cross and wear chains makes us think that suffering is real, although masked and hidden. There is a lot of silence, there are typical songs of Holy Week sung by the brotherhoods. And at the end, the bishop can give a message about Good Friday to the entire population", explains Cardinal François Bustillo. 

Tourists present in numbers

The name Catenacciu comes from the chain that the red penitent drags. Thousands of Corsicans are expected as well as tourists. To be sure of finding a place, it is better to arrive early. The small streets of Sartène are already busy. “We visit and then we’re going to see what it’s going to be like. We were told it was fabulous,” says this Mulhouse resident. Her husband adds: "We inquired a little, in particular about the weight of the cross which is 33kg, because that was the age of Jesus when he died. The weight that the penitent will pull is is 14kg, for the 14 stations of the Stations of the Cross".

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Several hundred people attend Good Friday mass. The church is packed with people and many people are waiting outside - on the terraces of bars and restaurants - for the start of the procession.