Sociological Perspectives Female Eremitism: Fantasy or Reality?

This study investigates the Feast of Saint Rosalia in Palermo, one of the most significant religious and civic events in Sicily, celebrated annually between July and September. Drawing on documentary sources and ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2007 and 2013, the research explores how the festival functions as a dynamic container where sacred devotion, civic identity, institutional presence, and economic interests intersect. The analysis situates the feast within the broader context of territorial and cultural transformation. Through processions, altars, and pilgrimages, the event reveals a continuous negotiation between ecclesiastical and secular institutions, between the playful and the devotional, and between collective identity and individual spirituality. Field observation demonstrates that the feast acts both as a mirror and as a catalyst of social change in Palermo. Methodologically, the study employs participant observation, qualitative interviews, and audiovisual documentation to capture the festival’s symbolic, spatial, and relational dimensions. The findings highlight the mutual dependence between ritual and territory: while the urban environment conditions religious expression, devotional practices, in turn, shape the evolution of the city’s social and symbolic landscape.