Clearly Easter is a very special day in Assisi and thousands come to visit. Last evening I walked to the small 13th Century Church of Santa Margherita, the only church I could find with an Easter Vigil service starting as early as 9:00 p.m. Santa Margherita is one of my favorite places in Assisi. Here it is in the daytime.
The tiny piazza in front of the church offers wonderful views of the Umbrian countryside and looks down on the facade of the upper church of the Basilica of Saint Francis.
Last year, Santa Margherita was packed full (there's seating for about 70) for the Easter Vigil, so I went over early and secured a corner seat against the back wall. Seats were already filling up, and soon an elderly nun entered and sat next to me. Shortly thereafter she began confiding in me in a low voice, offering occasional observations about what was going on, who should or shouldn't be doing what, and so on. As I could barely understand anything she was saying, I essentially replied with smiles, nods and the like. She probably assumed I was being respectfully silent in church, not suspecting the true level of my incomprehension.
The service was quite beautiful, opening with the lighting of candles out on the dark piazza, overlooking the well-lit Basilica, and capturing much of the symbolism, spirit and meaning of the Resurrection and celebration of Easter. Later, at the point in the service when participants exchange greetings in a sign of peace (pace e bene), my friend the nun gave me a handshake no less solid than one might expect from a dock worker. Soon after, when it was time for Communion, she grabbed my arm (by this time, not much of a surprise) to make sure that I went forward ahead of her, as if having concluded I might be more in need of redemption.
Also received a nice smile from the lady who unlocks the church for services during the week. It's nice to be able to feel a bit like one of the regulars.
Then today I went out for a morning walk and noticed the following on a side street wall.
Buona Pasqua, Happy Easter!
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