This organisation was founded on 4th January 1692 (the Pontifi cal seal bears the signature of Urban III). It became an archconfraternity in 1838-39 during
the episcopate of Monsignor Nicola Marone (the Pontifi cial seal of Gregory XVI is followed by the Royal assent of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies). The
archconfraternity concerns itself with worship in the church del Purgatorio on the ancient Via dei Mercanti, and takes care of ordinary and extraordinary
maintenance. It organises the ceremonies of the Sundays during Lent, including the solemn Via Crucis with participants and the traditional and historic “Settenario dell’Addolorata”. It organises the solemn procession of Good Friday: from 6 p.m. until the fi rst light of the Saturday, the procession
carries the beautiful “casket of the dead Christ” made in 1880, the stupendous image of Our Lady of Sorrows from the beginning of the 18th century, the precious “Legno Santo”, a fl oral tribute surrounding the silver cross made in 1887 containing the Relic of the True Cross.
The Archconfraternity of the Most Blessed Mary of the Rosary is one of the oldest in Bitonto. It organises the Procession of the Mysteries with the statues representing some moments of the Passion of Christ: eight sacred icons made of wood and papier mâché, master pieces of sculpture and the art of the common people, capable of evoking strong emotions and devotion every time the rite of the representation of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ takes place. Each statue is a concentration of belief and ecstasy, in representing the journey that brought Christ o the cross and death. During the rest of the year the mysteries are kept in the chapel on the right-hand side of the church of San Domenico, each in its own niche. (www.arciconfraternitadelrosario.it)
