The medieval Easter ceremony where women weep silently

religious procession — Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch

religious festival — Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch

religious event — Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch

An unusual, almost disturbing spectacle takes place every Good Friday in Romont, a small medieval town in the Swiss canton of Fribourg. Women dressed entirely in black mourn the death of Christ.

This content was published on April 19, 2019 - 11:00

I'm mainly in charge of translating, proofreading and publishing articles for SWI swissinfo.ch. I also occasionally write press reviews and original articles on "Swiss oddities" - the things that make Switzerland unique. After studying history and religious studies, I began my journalistic career at Radio Fribourg. After a spell in the newsroom at the Swiss Telegraphic Agency, I joined SWI swissinfo.ch in 2000, where I specialised in federal politics and history. I now translate, proofread and produce stories.

As a photo editor I am responsible for the editorial use of photography at SWI swissinfo.ch and our collaborations with photographers. When the opportunity arises, I take a camera and accompany one of our journalists. I trained as a photographer in Zürich and began working as a photojournalist in 1989. I was a founder of the Swiss photographers' agency Lookat Photos in 1990. A two-time World Press Award winner, I have also been awarded several Swiss national scholarships. My work has been widely exhibited and it is represented in various collections.

Olivier Pauchard, text and Thomas Kern, images

Modern Western theatre has its origins in the Medieval mystery plays, where episodes from the Bible were enacted to help people understand them, and part of this tradition can still be found in Romont on Good Friday. The oldest references to this Easter ceremony date back to 1456.

The weeping women of Romont recall the women of Jerusalem who accompanied Christ on his ascent to Golgotha to be crucified there. The ceremony takes place in and around Romont’s main church.

The sequence of events is unchanging. According to tradition, people pretend the church bells have gone to Rome just before Easter, and they use traditional rattle-like instruments to call people to Good Friday Mass at 3 pm. The ceremony starts like in any other church with the reading of the Passion according to Saint John.

But when the Way of the Cross is mentioned, the ceremony in Romont becomes different. Between ten and fifteen women dressed entirely in black then leave the church and begin a small procession around the building. A hooded man carrying a cross and symbolising Christ is followed by a single woman embodying the Virgin, then the group of weeping women, priests, choirboys and finally the congregation.

Pleureuses Romont — Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch

The weeping women carry on red cushions different objects symbolising the Passion of Christ, such as a hammer, nails, crown of thorns and a whip. One of them also wears a white cloth printed with the head of Christ. Catholics recognize her as St. Veronica, who is said to have wiped Jesus’ face with a cloth. Once the various Stations of the Cross have been completed, the assembly returns to the church to complete the Good Friday ceremony.

The weeping women maintain absolute silence, so as to preserve the sacred nature of the ceremony and not transform it into a play. Their anonymity is also strictly respected. We know only that these are young women of Romont.

This custom almost disappeared in the 1970s, but today it is more alive than ever. However, it is now almost as much a tourist attraction as a religious ceremony, as evidenced by the large number of journalists and amateur photographers present each year.

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

Swiss revealed to be a spiritual nation

This content was published on Apr 22, 2016 More than 20% of the population say that they do not have a religion, but only 12% say they are atheists. These are some of the main conclusions of the religions part of the language, religion and culture survey 2014 conducted by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), which was published on FridayExternal link. A majority…

Easter customs have deep roots

This content was published on Apr 8, 2012 Some of the old celebrations have disappeared, some have adapted, some have been revived, and some have doubtless been recently invented. It is not always easy to know which is which. Easter has today become highly commercialised, with chocolate rabbits and eggs appearing in the shops weeks ahead of the festival itself. Paul Hugger, retired…

Religious recognition in Switzerland—a cantonal affair

This content was published on Apr 26, 2017 A multicultural society is often a multi-religious one. How can Switzerland best manage its growing diversity and the frictions which can arise?