Every year, just a few days before spring, Ajaccio celebrates Notre Dame de la Miséricorde, the town's patron saint...
The origins of A Madonuccia
In 1656, an epidemic of plague severely affected Italy, including the city of Genoa, under whose yoke was Corsica. Fearing that the disease would devastate the imperial city, the Council of Elders decided to place the town of Ajaccio under the protection of Our Lady of Mercy. Processions were held in the town streets, and plague-infested Genoese ships never docked in Ajaccio.
As a result, the people of Ajaccio celebrate it on March 18 with a mass in Ajaccio cathedral, and it has become a public holiday.
Procession and candles in the windows
The Madonuccia celebrations begin on the evening of March 17.
The people of Ajaccio come to light candles in Place Foch (also known as Place des Palmiers), at the foot of the statue of the Virgin Mary.
The facades of the buildings glow with the light of the candles lit in the windows and balconies that evening.
The following day, after mass, a procession takes place through the streets of the town with the statue of Notre Dame de la Miséricorde.