Devotion and Tradition

San Pantaleone

A devotion brought to Sant’Agabio by families originally from Limbadi and which has become part of the neighbourhood’s religious life.

Statue of Saint Pantaleon

A devotion close to the heart

The ‘Saint’

The “Saint” is the friend one turns to in times of trouble, a helping hand in life’s difficulties, an invisible friend for whom there is a fervent devotion in the heart of every resident of Limbadi.

Memory and Belonging

From Limbadi to Sant'Agabio

The small Calabrian community that emigrated to Novara for work found a home in Sant'Agabio but never forgot their homeland. The ‘Saint’ is not merely a patron; there are many ‘Limbadoti’ who bear his name.

In the 1960s, a group of people from Limbadi who had moved to Novara brought a statue of their patron saint, San Pantaleone, to Sant'Agabio.

The statue, which is now housed in a display case in the small church of Madonna della Neve, is an exact replica of the one found in the “Mother Church of San Pantaleone the Martyr” in Limbadi.

Faith and tradition

The Procession of San Pantaleone

Every year, all the people of Limbadi – not only those from Novara, but also from other towns in northern Italy – gather on the last Sunday in June for the procession in honour of the “Saint”.

San Pantaleone, as is traditional, is carried on the shoulders of the community through the streets of the Sant’Agabio neighbourhood, in a moment filled with joy and devotion.

Find out more

Links and contacts

Find out more about the devotion or contact the parish for information.