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Epiphany
in Cividale del Friuli
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T
h e " M a s s o f t h e S
p a d o n e "
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 The
" Mass of the Spadone ", celebrated the day
of the Epiphany in Cividale of the Friuli in the Dome,
it is a religious ritual of which there is not a precise
documentation that indicates the origin and the meaning.
In the past, various historians have tried to reveal the
" mystery " that wraps this ancient ceremony
with various interpretations, often coming from a fervent
fantasy. For sure it is one of the most singular and evocative
liturgical rituals that the Church has conserved.
The name " of the spadone " comes from the fact
that, during the liturgical ceremony, a sword appeared,
belonged to Patriarch Marquardo di Randeck, that the Deacon
uses, in various moments, raising it and cleaving the
air as sign of greeting or blessing, when he addresses
to the disposed clergy in the chorus and to the believers.
The most common thesis is the one that gives to the ceremony
a liturgical and political meaning, because it is celebrated
from the Patriarch during his takeover. The Patriarch,
was also a combatant which had political power on a land:
the Patriarchy of Aquileia. This thesis can be confirmed
from the fact that the Deacon, with an helmet adorned
with feathers, during the Mass appears with a sword in
the right hand and an Evangelistary in the left one. The
Mass begins with the procession of the clergy coming out
from the sagrestia in a precise order: the first one to
exit is the altar boy with one a silver cross, to his
sides two people with candlesticks followed by the canonicals;
the Deacon with the helmet, the sword, and the Evangeliario;
the priest and the master of the ceremonies followed by
others members of the clergy that close the processione.
Everybody stopped in front of the altar, they are turned
towards the assembly and the Deacon vibrates the sword
three time in air in sign of greeting and blessing. The
Priest goes to the altar and the canonicals sit in the
chorus. The Deacon delivery the sword and the helmet to
two altar boys. The Mass, until the Epistle, is carried
out in Roman ritual. The Epistle is sung from the Suddiacono
in ancient music. Before the reading of the Gospel the
priest insences the Deacon that puts his helmet on, takes
the sword and the Evangeliario and, accompanied from the
altar boy, goes newly to the door in order to repeat the
three cleaving of sword in air. The Deacon removes his
helmet and gives the sword to the priest for insencing
the book of the Gospel and to sing. At the end of the
song, the Deacon returns on altar in order to repeat the
salute with the sword and sing. The remaining part of
the ritual does not have variations regarding the common
liturgies. Finally the Deacon, always with helmet and
sword, singing Ite east Missa, greet the belivers with
three blows of sword. All the members of the procession
are togheter and come down in order to return in sagrestia.
All the ceremony is accompanied by songs and musics .The
EVANGELIARIO is used exclusively for the Mass of the Epiphany,
is datated in the XV century covered (cm. 27x19) with
a silver sheet hurled with golding traces and it stays
on a wood table covered with dark red velvet. The front
part encloses, within an adorned frame, the scene of the
" Crocifissione ".Jesus Christ, with His feet
nail to a wide support, He has the body bended on the
right, the arms raised and the head on the shoulder. By
Jesus' side there are Maria and Giovanni in deep pain.
Two angels complete the sacred scenary. On top of the
cross, in Greek letters there is the name of Jesus Christ.
On the posterior part there is a table frame, deteriotated
from the time, similar to the one placed in the front
part. The Evangeliario was copied from a more ancient
text in the 1433 from Valerio d'Alba, when ha was the
priest of Maria di Corte. At the end of the code, is possible
to read: " east Completum hoc opus Evangeliorum per
me Presbjterum Valerium de Dawn clericus Cracoviensis
diocesis vicarius ecclesiae Saint Marie de Curia. Year
ab incarnatione Dominions thousandth quadrigentesimo ticesimo
tertio." The SWORD, German type, long shape (cm.
109) (the Cividalesi calls it " spadone") belonged
to Marquardo von Randeck, Patriarch from 1366 to 1381
his name is written on the sword..After the ceremony the
sword is put in a leather girdle. The HELMET is covered
with a cardboard of leather richly decorated. There is
the image of a dragon and of Santa Maria Assunta.The helmet
is decored with red, white, blu and yellow feathers.
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