On June 17, Piazza del Duomo opens its doors to the city with a rich program dedicated to the feast of San Ranieri, patron saint of Pisa. Religious celebrations, free guided tours and moments of encounter with the world of volunteering will create a day that combines spirituality, culture and attention to social, in the sign of the legacy left by the Saint of Pisa.
The day will begin at 11:00 a.m. in Pisa Cathedral with the Solemn Concelebration in Pontifical presided over by Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio, together with Father Saverio Cannistrà, Archbishop of Pisa. The function will be accompanied by a LIS (Italian Sign Language) interpreter.
A central figure in the city's tradition, San Ranieri was a young merchant who chose to give up wealth and privileges to devote himself to prayer and penance. In 12th-century Pisa, Ranieri was the expression of a new lay sanctity, also experienced in the daily life of the city.
Free guided tours of the Cathedral and the Camposanto
In the afternoon, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Opera della Primaziale Pisana offers an experience of discovering the monuments of the Piazza dei Miracoli through eight free guided tours between the Cathedral and the Camposanto.
The trails will be led by volunteers from Pietre Vive, an international network of young people active for over twenty years in the main places of Christian tradition. The visits will offer an original approach to sacred art, recounting not only the historical and artistic value of the works, but also the spiritual dimension that generated them.
The Lemon House Garden talks about the value of hospitality
From 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the Limonaia Garden of the Archbishop's Palace, some of the associations signing the memorandum of understanding with the Opera della Primaziale Pisana will present their activities: the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association, Autism Pisa APS, the Life Help Center, the Alfredo Catarsini Foundation 1899, the IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, La Tartaruga, the ODV Emerald Agate Project, the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Unitalsi. Also present are the Bottega dei Miracoli, with a selection of its products, and the diocesan Caritas of Pisa, with artifacts and publications on San Ranieri, the proceeds of which will go to Caritas Gerusalemme. The garden will be transformed into a space for meeting and sharing, in the name of welcome and the figure of the patron saint.
