Every February in Southern Italy, the LGBTQ+ community gathers for a religious event at the Sanctuary of Montevergine in Mercogliano, a small village nestled in the hills of Irpinia. The group collectively enters trance-like states which celebrate “Mama”, a local medieval black Madonna who is believed to protect the marginalised. Illustrated by film photographs by Gianluca Tesauro, this contribution recounts author Maria Betteghella’s active participation in those intense hours of the festival, where adoration, prayer, chants and traditional dance compose the ceremonial encounter with the holy image.
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