The Historical Parade that takes place on the 8th of September commemorates the homage that, since the Middle Ages, the towns of Tuscany and the Civic magistrates of Prato paid to the Sacred Belt of the Virgin.
The relic, a wool belt that is supposed been owned by the Virgin Mary, was brought to Prato directly from the Holy Land in 1141 by the merchant of Prato Michele Dagomari who donated it to the city. The Sacred Belt (or Girdle) is the religious and civic symbol of the city of Prato and since then is kept in the Cathedral, first in temporary chapels, and finally in the chapel built between 1386 and 1390, painted with a cycle of frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi (1392/1395).
The keys, necessary to extract the precious relic, are preserved by the City of Prato. The Historical Parade of the City of Prato was already mentioned in documents of the fourteenth century.
For the occasion a big event was organized. It put together civil and religious rites and culminated with the display of the Sacred Belt in front of a large crowd of faithful. Through the years this celebration has not lost its importance and still today participate the most important cities of Tuscany. The Historical Parade, organized and curated by the City of Prato, with all its rich tradition of ancient and modern meanings, has attracted the attention of a growing public, which watch the parade, with its various attractions and musical performances, the ancient flag games and sidearms but above all the display of the Sacred Belt.
For more information:
www.comune.prato.it