The 103rd Feast of Saint Agrippina di Mineo opened on Thursday night marking the start of the 2017 feasts in Boston’s North End. After a dedication, blessing and unveiling, the children’s procession led the way on Hanover Street followed by the large statue of Saint Agrippina to the Greenway before returning to her new weekend feast chapel. To carry the statue, 20 men coordinate in a complex rhythm to keep the 1600 pound heavy statue in the air.

Saint Agrippina Di Mineo was a beautiful blond princess who was unmercifully tortured to death by the Emperor Valerian in 256 AD. After her death, her body was taken from Rome to Mineo, Sicily, by three holy women; Bassa, Paula and Agatonica.