Holy Week (Setmana Santa) of AlgheroSettimana Santa a l’Alguer

Alghero’s Holy Week (Settimana/Setmana Santa) is a week-long series of Baroque-style religious processions and ceremonies culminating in Easter Sunday. Performers wear traditional confraternity robes and carry sacred statues through Alghero’s medieval streets to the cadence of Catalan chants and hymns 1 2. Key rituals include the Procession of the Addolorata (Friday of Sorrows) and culminating Resurrection and Madonna incontri on Easter morning. The city's use of the Catalan language, candlelit vigils, and historic vehicles make it a deeply immersive cultural pageant reflecting Alghero’s unique Spanish-speaking heritage.

Introduced under Aragonese rule, these rites in Alguerese Catalan have persisted for centuries, blending Spanish liturgy with local custom. Algherese confraternities (hermandades) maintain all-Catalan ceremonies, icons and music 1 2. The devotion demonstrates Alghero’s distinct identity as Sardinia’s surviving Catalan city. The Spanish-style event has become a touchstone of community memory, symbolizing continuity of faith and regional culture through medieval chants and lacquered floats.