France/Saône et Loire. Comité de Jumelage " FLAM " : " la Madonna del Carmine " will exceptionally leave Italy for the bassin minier on the weekend of September 16th and 17th.

The "FLAM" twinning committee is hosting a new project for the start of the 2023 school year: "La Madonna del Carmine" will be present in the coalfield from September 15 to 17.

See the full program with Info Chalon.

Created in 2019 by a handful of young French and Italians supported by the Montceau-les-Mines town council, this Montceau-based association organizes exchanges with three villages in Calabria in southern Italy (Firmo, Lungro, Acquaformoza).

Each year, teams of French and Italian volunteers organize a major annual project.

For 2023, FLAM has pulled out all the stops, bringing "La Madonna del Carmine" to France for the very first time.

"This festival of the Madonna is considered a religious event, but not just that: it's an institution in Italy. The Madonna is above all a work of art! "confided Domenico Mainieri, vice-treasurer of the association, to Info Chalon.

Some thirty Italians will accompany the "Madonna" on this 3200-kilometer round trip.

Among them will be a folklore group in traditional costume, singing and dancing to the rhythm of typical Calabrian music.

At 3pm next Friday, the long-awaited "Madonna del Carmine" will arrive in France for its very first international trip.

The public will be able to contemplate this centuries-old work of art on several occasions:

*During Father Lambert's Vespers and the distribution of blessed bread at the parish of Saint Martin du Partage in Montchanin on Saturday September 16th at 6pm.

*During the celebration of the Divine Liturgy of the Greek-Byzantine rite presided over by Father Arcangelo CAPPARELLI and Father Jérôme LAMBERT in the parish of Saint Martin du Partage in Montchanin, on Sunday September 17 at 10am.

*Followed by a procession of the Holy Madonna through the streets of the town, with refreshments in front of the church square.

To find out more about the event, or to keep up to date with news from the FLAM association, follow its Facebook page here.

Source: www.info-chalon.com/