San Leone Santo patrono di Sinagra

San Leone is the patron saint of the town of Sinagra, the pearl of the Nebrodi, in the province of Messina.

He was born in 709 in Ravenna, where he became a priest, and around 725 he moved to the south of the Italian peninsula. He was appointed bishop of Catania in 765 and dedicated his life to fight heresy. He performed several miracles and for this he obtained the name of Thaumaturge. He spent, as a hermit, the last years of his life in a cave in Sinagra. Legend has it that, after his death, one Easter evening some Catanese stole the remains of the Holy to bring to Catania, but after walking for the whole night, in the morning they found themselves at the starting point.

Several are the moments of celebration that the country of Sinagra dedicated to its patron saint.

The first feast of the year takes place on February 20 with the procession of the Saint's relics, but the most heartfelt tradition of the entire community of Sinagra is the one that takes place during the Easter period.

Every year, from the beginning of the year, the people of Sinagra, from all over the world, celebrate the feast.

Every year, for hundreds of years, the evening of Easter takes place the evocative "Cursa i San Liu", where the statue of the Saint is brought to the center of the country from the Church of San Leone, which is located in the countryside. The procession lasts over 4 hours, during which the devotees walk along the road making two steps forward and one backward, symbolizing the indecision of the Saint in returning to Catania, and culminates with the race on the bridge that is at the entrance of the country going to meet the sinagresi. On Easter Monday the feast continues with the procession of the Saint through the streets of the country.

The patronal festivity takes place on May 8 and the tradition wants that the statue of the Saint is brought in procession by the devotees running that shout in chorus "Viva Santu Liu" to ask the thanks for the "Miraculi di Santu Liu" the Miracles of San Leone.

The first Sunday in November there are other celebrations and the statue of the saint is carried in procession from the Mother Church to the country church located in the district Forte.