What to expect at San Raffaele Arcangelo Ghilarza 2026
From 15 to 25 October 2026 Ghilarza carries Saint Raphael the Archangel to the San Serafino novenario above Lake Omodeo: ten days of novenas, processions and the Saint’s rounds, with concerts, open-air dinners and a night of Sardinian songs and dances in traditional dress.
San Raffaele Arcangelo 2026 Programme
For eleven days the feast of Saint Raphael the Archangel turns the San Serafino novenario, in the countryside of Ghilarza, into a small village in celebration. Organised by the festival committee with the support of the Municipality and the Pro Loco, the programme pairs the evening rosary and novena with a civic line-up of Sardinian music, karaoke, community dinners and a big night of folk groups and tenores, before the Saint returns to the parish church on the closing Sunday.
Civic programme
Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October: the music begins
The first weekend opens on Friday 16 October at 22:00 with a show by Dilliriana. On Saturday 17 October, again at 22:00, the band Istentales takes the stage, followed by a set from DJ Succu.
Sunday 18 October: children, dances and dinner in the square
At 16:00 the afternoon belongs to the youngest with Petit Animazione: face painting, balloons, group games, popcorn and plenty of fun. At 18:00 comes the Fantasias de Ballos show, followed by dinner in the square prepared by Fogos Lab of Andrea Fadda.
Monday 19 to Thursday 22 October: karaoke, Guccini and a pasta feast
On Monday 19 and Wednesday 21 October the square comes alive with karaoke run by the committee. Tuesday 20 October brings a tribute to Francesco Guccini with the band Dietro a frasi di canzoni. On Thursday 22 October at 21:00 it’s time for “Pappande pasta in d’unu sero festande”: an open-air dinner of pasta served four different ways, followed by a concert by Tee Doo.
Friday 23 October: “Una este de pannu colorida”
At 22:00 the stage hosts “Una este de pannu colorida” (“a dress of coloured cloth”), an evening of Sardinian songs, dances and music with several couples from folk groups in traditional dress, the tenores and traditional musicians. Afterwards there is dancing in the square with the “Tres” of C. Boeddu, with G. Calbini, G. Selloni and M. Deledda.
- Bitti — Tenores Romanzesu
- Couples from Sardinian folk groups and traditional musicians
Saturday 24 October: lunch for the over-nineties, raffle and Ballade Ballade Bois
At 13:00 the community gathers for the lunch for the over-nineties, a tribute to the town’s elders. In the evening, at 22:00, the raffle draw is followed by the Ballade Ballade Bois show, and the party runs late into the night with DJ Agus.
Religious programme
Thursday 15 October: the Saint sets off
The feast opens at 18:00 with Holy Mass in the parish church of Ghilarza; afterwards the statue of Saint Raphael leaves the town for the San Serafino novenario, where it stays for the whole festival.
16 to 24 October: rosary, novena and the Saint’s rounds
Every evening from Friday 16 to Thursday 22 October the novenario gathers at 18:30 for the Rosary and at 19:00 for Holy Mass and the Novena; on Friday 23 October Mass and Novena are at 19:00. On Saturday 17 October, after Mass, the first Giro del Santo (the Saint’s round) takes place at 21:00. On Sunday 18 October the morning is devoted to the main celebration: the Rosary at 11:00, followed by the procession, Novena and Mass. On Saturday 24 October the rite is repeated at 11:00 with Rosary, procession, Novena and Mass, and at 21:00 with the second Giro del Santo.
Sunday 25 October: the return to the parish
To close the feast, at 12:15 the statue comes back to town for the return and welcome of Saint Raphael in the parish church.
How to Get to the Feast of San Raffaele Arcangelo
Distances from the main cities
Cagliari
~129 km · ~1h 45min
Olbia
~146 km · ~2h
Alghero
~105 km · ~1h 35min
Event venue
San Serafino novenario — Feast of San Raffaele Arcangelo
Ghilarza (OR) · Località San Serafino, above Lake Omodeo
🚗 By car
Ghilarza lies right by the SS131 Carlo Felice highway: from Cagliari and Oristano head north to the Abbasanta/Ghilarza exit; from Sassari drive south on the same road to the same exit; from Olbia take the SS131 DCN to Abbasanta. From the town follow the signs for the San Serafino sanctuary, about 6 km away on the plateau overlooking Lake Omodeo.
🚌 Bus and train
ARST regional buses link Ghilarza with Oristano, Abbasanta and the villages of the Guilcer; the nearest railway station is Abbasanta. The San Serafino novenario is not served by public transport, so you will need a car from the town. Check ARST timetables in advance, especially for evening returns.
✈️ Nearest airport
Alghero-Fertilia Airport (approx. 100 km); alternatively Cagliari-Elmas (approx. 120 km).
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Weather forecast
Frequently Asked Questions about the Feast of San Raffaele Arcangelo
Is there an entrance fee for the feast of San Raffaele Arcangelo?
No, celebrations, concerts and shows are free to attend. You only pay for the open-air dinners, such as the pasta dinner on Thursday 22 October, food and drinks, plus the raffle tickets drawn on Saturday 24 October.
Where does the feast take place?
The heart of the celebrations is the San Serafino novenario, a sanctuary village in the countryside of Ghilarza overlooking Lake Omodeo. The opening Mass on Thursday 15 October and the Saint’s return on Sunday 25 October take place in the parish church in the town itself.
Are there activities for children?
Yes: on Sunday 18 October at 16:00 Petit Animazione hosts an afternoon for the little ones with face painting, balloons, group games and popcorn.
When can I see the folk groups in traditional dress?
On Friday 23 October at 22:00, during the Una este de pannu colorida night: Sardinian songs, dances and music with several couples from folk groups, the Tenores Romanzesu of Bitti and traditional musicians, followed by dancing in the square.
History and Traditions
Ghilarza, the main town of the Guilcer and the place where Antonio Gramsci spent his childhood and youth, keeps alive one of the most vibrant traditions of central Sardinia: the novenari. Its countryside is home to four sanctuary villages — San Serafino, San Michele, Nostra Signora di Trempu and San Giovanni — where for nine days families move to live beside the church to pray, sing and celebrate together.
The oldest is San Serafino, on the Perda ’e pranu plateau overlooking a bend of Lake Omodeo. The sanctuary was built over a 7th-century Byzantine church, itself probably raised on Roman remains; enlarged in the Middle Ages, it kept that appearance until 1884, when two side chapels gave it its present cross-shaped plan. Around the church stand the muristenes, the small stone houses that lodge the novenanti. During the novena the procession passes every house, children walk ahead of the Saint knocking on the doors to announce his arrival, prayers are recited and the gosos, devotional songs in Sardinian, are sung; when the bells fall silent and the Saint returns to the church, the dancing begins.
It is in this setting that every October Ghilarza honours Saint Raphael the Archangel, the angel of the Book of Tobit, guide of travellers and protector of health, whose name means “God heals”. The statue portraying him beside the young Tobias leaves the parish church for the novenario and stays there for the whole feast, among rosaries, processions and the two rounds of the Saint, before returning to town on the final Sunday. It is a rite that blends faith and community life and brings families back to the muristenes in the heart of autumn, just a few kilometres from Sedilo and the sanctuary of San Costantino.