The Verbicaro'S Battenti

• Photographer
  Domenico Iannantuono

The scourging rites which still take place in Calabria during Holy Week are rituals that can be traced back to ancient practices of mortification of the flesh and the spirit for devotional purposes, as well as blood regeneration, virility and vitality practices. After a brief and intimate preparation the "Battenti" appear suddenly. They start their ritual by striking with force on the thighs with a "cardillo" (a cork stopper with thirteen glasses fragments stuck in one of the ends and welded with wax) and marking with his own blood the square outside the church and the votive chapels.

Domenico Innantuono is a freelance photographer based il Puglia. His work brings together a whole series of interests, ranging from music to travel, from reportage to cultural and religious anthropology.