Anno Domini · September 11, 1334

The Miracle
of the Mannaja

A pilgrim, an unjust sentence,
a blade that refused to strike.

The story

A story that Pietralunga
has kept for centuries

The Palio della Mannaja is born from a memory. An event passed down from generation to generation, woven from history and faith, justice and miracle. At its center is a foreign pilgrim, a small medieval Umbrian community, and a moment that — according to tradition — forever changed the fate of one man and the identity of a town.

That memory is still alive. Every August, Pietralunga returns to 1334.

Chapter I

The Journey

In the summer of 1334, Giovanni di Lorenzo da Piccardia (Picardy) was on the road. A pilgrim bound for Lucca to venerate the Volto Santo — the venerated image kept in the Cathedral of San Martino, a destination for pilgrims from all over Europe — he walked the ancient roads of Umbria, far from his homeland.

Like many pilgrims of his time, Giovanni traveled in faith. The journey to the Volto Santo was an act of devotion, a passage through whole towns, dirt roads, bridges and hills. Pietralunga was one stop along that road.

Giovanni di Lorenzo da Piccardia walking toward Lucca — historical reenactment

Chapter II

The Accusation

In Pietralunga, Giovanni's journey came to a halt. According to tradition, the pilgrim was implicated in an accusation of murder. A stranger, with no roots in the town and no one to speak in his defense, he found himself alone before the justice of a distant age.

Popular memory holds that the accusation was unjust: a mistake, or a deliberate wrong done to someone with no means to defend himself.

Giovanni unjustly accused by the townspeople — historical reenactment

Chapter III

The Sentence

The verdict was pronounced: death by beheading. The mannaja — the instrument of execution — was made ready. For Giovanni da Piccardia, every human possibility seemed exhausted.

It was September 11, 1334. Tradition places the most dramatic moment of the story on this date: the foreign pilgrim stood facing the end, in a land not his own.

The mannaja — the instrument of execution, historical reenactment

Chapter IV

The Prayer

In the darkest hour, before the blade fell, tradition tells that Giovanni entrusted himself with all his heart to the Volto Santo of Lucca. It was his protector, the destination of his pilgrimage, the intercessor toward whom his steps had been turned.

In that moment, it was to Him that he turned his final prayer. There was nothing else left to appeal to. Only faith.

Giovanni in prayer in his darkest hour — historical reenactment

Chapter V

The Miracle

What happened moments later is the heart of the miracle. According to tradition, the blade of the mannaja bent — it turned aside, unable to complete its course. The execution did not take place.

Giovanni di Lorenzo da Piccardia was safe. The miracle was recognized, and Pietralunga did not forget. That memory has remained alive for centuries, becoming the foundation of one of the most heartfelt historical reenactments in Umbria.

"The blade turned aside, and life returned where death seemed certain."

The Podestà delivers the document recognizing the miracle — historical reenactment

From memory to Palio

From grace to the Palio

Six centuries of memory, kept and renewed every year in August.

Anno Domini 1334

The pilgrim's journey

Giovanni di Lorenzo da Piccardia, a pilgrim bound for the Volto Santo of Lucca, travels the roads of Umbria and arrives near Pietralunga.

September 11, 1334

The Miracle of the Mannaja

Unjustly accused and sentenced to death, Giovanni entrusts himself to the Volto Santo. According to tradition, the blade of the mannaja bends and turns aside, saving the pilgrim. The miracle is recognized by the community.

14th – 19th century

A memory kept alive

For centuries the story is passed down from generation to generation, through devotion and local religious celebrations. Pietralunga keeps this story as a founding part of its own identity.

1982

The Palio della Mannaja is born

The Pro Loco of Pietralunga creates the first edition of the Palio della Mannaja, a historical reenactment inspired by the 1334 miracle. The event is born to preserve and celebrate the history and traditions of the Umbrian town.

Every August

The reenactment continues

The historical procession retraces the streets of the town, the Reenactment of the Miracle brings that moment from 1334 back to the stage, and the Corsa del Biroccio between boroughs and districts decides the year's winner.

2026 · 43rd edition

The Palio della Mannaja today

From August 3 to 9, 2026, the 43rd edition takes place. Seven days of history, shows, conviviality and reenactment in the medieval heart of Pietralunga. The memory of 1334 is still alive.

The legacy of 1334

Symbols of the Miracle

Every element of the story carries a meaning that the Palio renews every year.

The Mannaja

The instrument of the sentence becomes a symbol of grace. From a weapon of death to the emblem of a miracle: the mannaja gives its name to the entire reenactment.

The Pilgrim

Giovanni di Lorenzo da Piccardia: a stranger on Umbrian soil, far from his native Picardy, alone before a justice that did not know him. His journey is the narrative thread running through the whole story.

The Volto Santo

The sacred image kept in Lucca, the destination of Giovanni's pilgrimage. According to tradition, it was the prayer to the Volto Santo that interceded at the moment of the execution.

Justice

The unjust accusation and the groundless sentence are the story's shadow. The miracle is not only an act of faith: it is also the redemption of someone who had no voice to defend himself.

The Community

Pietralunga did not simply witness the miracle: it kept it for centuries and turned it into a living reenactment. The Palio exists because a community chose not to forget.

Memory

Six centuries of oral tradition, celebrations, processions and reenactments. The memory of the Miracle of the Mannaja is a form of collective identity that endures through time.

The Volto Santo, the sacred effigy kept in the Cathedral of San Martino in Lucca

Giovanni's pilgrimage

The Volto Santo of Lucca

Legend, faith and history across the centuries

Two stories cross the centuries and intertwine with Giovanni's own: the legend of the miraculous origin of the Volto Santo, and the historical account of the miracle that saved him from the blade. Here we retrace them both, along with the documents that still preserve them today.

The Volto Santo: between legend and destiny

An ancient legend, handed down by the deacon Leobino, tells of the disciple Nicodemus who, inconsolable after the death of Jesus, tried to preserve his memory by carving his image at the moment of the crucifixion. Despite all his efforts, he could not capture the face of Christ. Exhausted and discouraged, he fell asleep. When he woke, he found the face miraculously completed, the work of a divine hand.

Nicodemus treasured the sculpture and carried it with him to Ramla. After his death, it was entrusted to his friends: first Isacar, then Seleucus. In the early 8th century, Bishop Gualfredo, returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, stopped in Ramla. There he dreamed of an angel who revealed to him the presence of the Cross with the Volto Santo. The vision was interpreted as a clear sign of divine will: the Cross had to be carried to a place where it could be publicly venerated.

It was taken to the nearby port of Jaffa, loaded onto a boat and entrusted to Divine Providence to reach a land worthy of receiving it. Also placed aboard were two vials said to contain the blood of Christ, said to have been collected by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. The boat arrived on the coast of Luni, astonishing the local inhabitants, who tried in vain to bring it ashore.

In the days that followed, the bishop of Lucca arrived in Luni. He too had dreamed of an angel revealing to him the presence of the sacred boat. Once ashore, he invoked the name of the Lord and the boat slowly drew near. A dispute then arose between the people of Luni and those of Lucca over who should keep the relic. The bishop proposed a solution: one vial would go to the people of Luni, while the boat, the Holy Cross and the other vial would go to the people of Lucca.

But just as they were about to leave, the people of Luni changed their minds and claimed the entire contents of the boat. At that point, the bishop proposed a new test: the Holy Cross would be placed on a cart drawn by oxen, left free to choose their own path. If they headed toward Lucca, the relic would belong to Lucca; if they headed toward Luni, it would stay there. And so it was done. Once released, the oxen headed straight for Lucca without hesitation. The sacred image was carried into the church of San Frediano.

But the following morning something extraordinary happened: the faithful who came to pray found that the Volto Santo had vanished. It was found near the Church of San Martino. The event was interpreted as a miraculous sign, and a new church was built on that spot. In the centuries that followed, the Volto Santo became an object of deep veneration and a destination for pilgrims from all over Europe.

The miracle of the blade: where history meets faith

On September 11, 1334, a pilgrim named Giovanni di Lorenzo d'Arras, originally from Picardy, in France, was traveling from Loreto to Lucca intending to kneel before the Volto Santo. Near Pietralunga, he came across the body of a man lying by the river. Approaching to help, he realized the man was already dead. Some women who were washing clothes nearby saw him at the scene and accused him of murder. Giovanni was arrested and given a summary trial. Despite his innocence, he was sentenced to death by beheading.

On the eve of the execution, Giovanni entrusted himself to the Volto Santo, praying fervently and making a solemn vow. On the day of the execution, as his head lay on the block, the executioner struck, but the blade miraculously did him no harm. The execution was attempted two more times, but each time the blade struck as if it had hit stone. Witnessing this, the crowd cried out that it was a miracle, and Giovanni was declared innocent and released.

He traveled to Lucca to fulfill his vow and kneel before the Volto Santo. There he was received by Bishop Guglielmo II di Montalbano, to whom he recounted what had happened. The bishop, however, wanted official confirmation of the miracle and asked for written testimony and evidence.

Giovanni returned to Pietralunga, where he obtained from the Podestà the execution blade and the official documents confirming the events. These include autograph letters from the Podestà Branca de' Branci (today kept in the library of the Convent of the Capuchin Friars of Monte San Quirico, Lucca), the bishop's reply (held in the Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, the Laurentian Library), and the blade itself, still displayed in the Cathedral of San Martino in Lucca, near the Chapel of the Volto Santo.

The miracle is also documented in numerous historical sources: in the Historie delle miracolose immagini (Histories of Miraculous Images, 1613), in the chapter "Miracolo del ferro che non ferisce gli innocenti" (The Miracle of the Blade that Does Not Wound the Innocent); in the Manuale Storico Universale (Universal Historical Manual) by Giovan Battista Morganti; in the work of Prof. Michele Camillo Ferrari, who carried out a detailed handwriting analysis of the Podestà's letter; in Il Volto Santo in Europa (The Volto Santo in Europe), which includes the bishop's letter and a painting titled Il Volto Santo salva un innocente con il piede (The Volto Santo Saves an Innocent Man with His Foot) (kept in the municipal library of Mâcon); and in San Martino di Lucca. Gli arredi del Duomo (San Martino of Lucca: The Cathedral's Furnishings) by scholar Michele Bacci, who recounts the episode and argues for the truthfulness of the miracle that took place in our land.

Finally, in the Cathedral of Lucca, facing the Chapel of the Volto Santo, on the right-hand column where the execution blade is kept, a marble plaque commemorates the miracle:

Stop for a moment and behold the wonder.

In the year of our Lord 1334, Giovanni di Lorenzo d'Arras, after praying before this Holy Cross, was spared from death when the blade did him no harm, revealing his innocence.

Falsely accused of murder, he offered his throat to the blade; three times the iron turned gentle to save him.

Go, and remember: no prayer is more powerful than innocence in working miracles.

Sources and further information

Codice Rapondi (Vatican City, Vatican Apostolic Library, Pal. lat. 1988)
Vatican Apostolic Library (digital version) ↗
www.archiviovoltosanto.org ↗
ARVO — Digital Archive of the Volto Santo, © 2014

The documents of the miracle

The illuminations of the Codice Rapondi

Nicodemus carves the Volto Santo, completed by an angelic hand — illumination from the Codice Rapondi — Nicodemus carves the Volto Santo, completed by an angelic hand

The bishop and the discovery of the sacred relic — illumination from the Codice Rapondi — The bishop and the discovery of the sacred relic

The Volto Santo loaded onto the ship — illumination from the Codice Rapondi — The Volto Santo loaded onto the ship

The relic's arrival and the dispute between the two towns — illumination from the Codice Rapondi — The relic's arrival and the dispute between the two towns

The ox-drawn cart on its way to Lucca — illumination from the Codice Rapondi — The ox-drawn cart on its way to Lucca

Another miraculous execution averted, told in the same codex — illumination from the Codice Rapondi — Another miraculous execution averted, told in the same codex

The reenactment

From the Miracle to the Palio

The memory of the Miracle of the Mannaja has not stayed shut inside history books or private devotion. Every August, since 1982, Pietralunga turns it into something alive: costumes, processions, drummers, competing boroughs, open taverns and — on Saturday evening — the Reenactment of the Miracle in Piazza Fiorucci.

The historical procession through the streets of the town is not a show for tourists: it is how Pietralunga renews its bond with its own history every year. The competing boroughs and districts carry into the Palio the pride of belonging to a place that chose not to forget.

The Corsa del Biroccio awards the Palio to the winner, but the true protagonist of every edition remains him: that man from the 14th century, walking toward Lucca, who entrusted himself to faith in his darkest hour.

The competing boroughs → 2026 Program →

In pictures

The Palio on stage

Giovanni walking toward Lucca — historical reenactment — Giovanni walking toward Lucca

Arrival at the river — historical reenactment — Arrival at the river

A stop to eat — historical reenactment — A stop to eat

Giovanni drinks at the spring — historical reenactment — Giovanni drinks at the spring

A gaze that lingers — historical reenactment — A gaze that lingers

Discovery of the lifeless body — historical reenactment — Discovery of the lifeless body

Giovanni checks on the body — historical reenactment — Giovanni checks on the body

Dismay before the tragedy — historical reenactment — Dismay before the tragedy

Townspeople rush to the scene — historical reenactment — Townspeople rush to the scene

The women at the river, unwitting witnesses — historical reenactment — The women at the river, unwitting witnesses

The women's dismay — historical reenactment — The women's dismay

Giovanni singled out as guilty — historical reenactment — Giovanni singled out as guilty

The men gathered around the body — historical reenactment — The men gathered around the body

The despair of an innocent man — historical reenactment — The despair of an innocent man

Locked away, awaiting judgment — historical reenactment — Locked away, awaiting judgment

The last prayer to the Volto Santo — historical reenactment — The last prayer to the Volto Santo

The mannaja turns aside — historical reenactment — The mannaja turns aside

The Podestà writes the verdict — historical reenactment — The Podestà writes the verdict

The document recognizing the miracle — historical reenactment — The document recognizing the miracle

August 2026

Live the history where it all began

Every August, Pietralunga returns to 1334 with the Palio della Mannaja. The historical procession, the Reenactment of the Miracle, the Corsa del Biroccio: seven days in which the medieval town finds its ancient voice again.

Go to the Program Discover Boroughs & Districts

A story that Pietralungahas kept for centuries