Capurso is the other Puglia: A village that surprises you every day. With over 200 annual events and a prime location, it's the ideal starting point for exploring the region and soaking up the Apulian spirit.
At the end of May, an unmissable event is celebrated for the people of Capurso: the celebration of the Patron Saint. San GiuseppeThe cult of San Giuseppe It is very ancient even if other patrons of the town had been elected before him: St. Bernardino of Siena, St. Sebastian, St. Rocco, St. Francis of Paola, St. Pasquale Baylon.
In March 1725, the Procurators of the Chapel of St. Joseph commissioned the sculptor Carlo Cinzio Altieri of Altamura to construct a wooden statue of the Saint. And just when Capurso devotion to the Madonna del Pozzo, the people of Capurso, on March 28, 1725, in public parliament and in the presence of the notary Ottavio Stanziola, asked the then Mayor of the town to elect San Giuseppe which protector of CapursoThe statue of Cinzio Altieri is still kept today in the church of SS.mo Salvatore, considered by many as "the church of San Giuseppe”, and it is the same statue that is carried in procession during the feast day.
The “Matrice” dedicated to the Holy Savior, is the house of San Giuseppe, patron saint of CapursoIt was built in the mid-sixteenth century thanks to the intervention of Queen Bona Sforza, who had purchased the fiefdom of Capurso in June 1535.
It was presumably completed before 1556, the year in which the Polish sovereign returned to Bari from the Royal Palace in Krakow. “The main altar was made of stone during 1615,” writes Gino Pastore in his 'The history of Capurso'. The style is Romanesque-Renaissance or late-Renaissance, given the slender, beautiful bell tower. In 1831, the building was completely overturned by renovations. Inside, it houses the canvas known as "The Other Adulteress," attributed to the workshop of Paolo Finoglio and a copy of "Christ and the Adulteress," held at the Castromediano Museum in Lecce and painted by the famous Neapolitan-Conversanese painter. Five paintings of particular interest were created by Saverio Calò in the first half of the 19th century. Walking along the axis, you cross Corso Madonna del Pozzo, the town's main shopping street and artery. The street widens to make room for the municipal gardens of Piazza Matteotti, within which stands the Library. D’Addosio, and flows into the small square and the churchyard of the Marian basilica.
Since March 1725, public and private celebrations have been held in his honor every year. On the eve of the feast, some devotees would set up an altar in their homes with a large painting of the Saint, surrounded by lilies and candles. At his feet were placed three large bread rolls, in the hollow of which were placed: chickpeas in ash, aorange has always been loafThe taralli symbolize the halos of the Holy Family, while the chickpeas, oranges, and loaf of bread symbolize the gifts of the earth: legumes, fruit, and wheat.
After the evening novena in the Church of St. Joseph, the benefactors who had prepared the altar at home, proceeded to the Presa dei Santi, a ritual widespread throughout Southern Italy. The Holy Family was represented by an old man, a young woman, and a poor child. Each benefactor, after kissing their hands and feet, welcomed them into his home, where a priest blessed the altar and the baskets filled with bread. Then, after offering sweets and loaves of bread to those present, he placed the three loaves/halos around the necks of the members of the Holy Family and gave each of them chickpeas, oranges, loaves of bread, and flour.
Until the second half of the 900th century, a very popular spectacle was the greasy pole. A very tall pole, erected in a large space and smeared with animal fat and soap, hung from the top with hams, sausages, caciocavallo cheese, and chickens. Each year, competing teams would develop strategies to reach the top of the pole and take home the delicious loot.
Today, the festival represents a powerful religious moment, an opportunity to bring the community together, reawaken the connection with its origins, and bathe in the lights and colors of fireworks and illuminations, and the folkloristic sounds of band concerts and the cheering crowd.
Source: “The Story of Capurso – Legends, Chronicles, and Folklore” by Gino Pastore