You are in Rome on December 8 and see processions and praying people in the centre and wondering what’s going on?
You are at the Feast of Immacolata in Rome, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.
This festival marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Rome. In Rome, the conception of the Virgin Mary is celebrated large and extensive. Find out here what’s going on in Rome on December 8.
The Feast of Immacolata Concezione is national holiday in Italy and and especially in Rome.
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Inauguration of the nativity scene at St. Peter’s Square
The inauguration of the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square is scheduled for Dec. 9, 2023, at 5 p.m. The crib this year comes from the nearby province of Rieti. There, St. Francis of Assisi realized his first nativity scene 800 years ago in the municipality of Greccio. The tree comes from the Piedmont Alps.
On December 8, in St. Peter’s Square, the exhibition of the 100 nativity scenes in the Vatican will be inaugurated.
Honoring the Virgin Mary
December 8 is an extraordinary day in the center of Rome. At the center of Marian devotion is the Marian Column next to the Spanish Square, in front of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.
The Marian devotion begins on December 8, 7:30 am with the fire department.
The course of honour of the Virgin Mary
7:30: A fireman reaches the statue of the Virgin on a fire ladder and decorates it with a flower wreath
8:30: A procession from the church of Santa Caterina da Siena in via Urbana reaches the Marian Column
9:00: A procession of the parish of Sant’ Andrea delle Fratte reaches the column
The following are: the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, the group of “Legio Mariae” and, around 9:30 the Music Corps of the Vatican Gendarmerie, which also honors the Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See. From 10:30 onwards, workers from important Roman companies will follow. Thereafter, knights and ladies of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, a procession of persons with disabilities, from 11:30 the female committee of the Italian Red Cross, nurses and students.
12:00 Honour by the Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See and Spanish dignitaries
This will be followed until 1 pm by representatives of various Italian regions.
3:30 pm: Procession of the pilgrimage organisation Unitalsi
3:45 pm: Homage to the statue of the Virgin by dignitaries of the city of Rome
4 pm: Rhe Pope will come to the Marian column.
Pope Francis at the Marian Column Dec. 8, 2023
Immacolata, Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica opening hours
The Vatican Museums are closed. St. Peter’s Basilica is normally open. At 12 o’clock you can attend the Pope’s Angelus Prayer on St. Peter’s square.
December 8 Opening hours museums and shops in Rome
The national museums and museums of the municipality of Rome follow normal opening hours. Most shops in the center, supermarkets and shopping centers are open. Smaller shops may be closed.
What to do for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Rome
At noon the Pope prays the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.
In the center of Rome you will find many beautiful Christmas decorated shops for shopping. The mayor inaugurates the Christmas tree in Piazza Venezia in the evening.
The Roman cuisine is perfect for the cold season.
If the weather is nice, you can enjoy the holiday outside Rome. Not far away are the catacombs on the Via Appia Antica.
It is also impressive to visit the excavations of the antique trading town in Ostia Antica, which you can reach by metro from Piramide station. After visiting the excavations, you could take the metro to Ostia and enjoy the sea breeze and a nice fish platter.
