Paul Scerri is a crucial part of the Valletta Good Friday procession but has not seen the spectacle since 1998.  

For the last quarter of a century, Scerri has been behind a drape carrying the statue known colloquially as the "Monument" out of Ta' Ġieżu church. 

He is one of four statue bearers carrying the heavy statue, which depicts Jesus in his tomb.  

Lifting the Valletta “Monument” is the pinnacle of statue bearing in Malta, he says.

“It's like having a PhD in the craft,” Scerri said proudly.  

Three years after the last Good Friday procession, Scerri will again be carrying the statue on Friday evening.  

Holy Week activities were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with most 2022 Good Friday processions, including Valletta, cancelled due to bad weather.    

The art of statue bearing

The craft of statue bearing is taken very seriously in Valletta’s Saint Paul’s parish, Edward Bonello said.  

Bonello used to carry statues himself and is still active in the procession.  

“It’s an ancient craft,” he said. 

Statue bearers train throughout the year to keep their strength and get the technique right, he said, adding that Valletta’s statues are heavy and that the route is particularly difficult.  

“The procession first goes uphill and then downhill, ending with a 70-step descent,” he said. 

“It's an inhuman feat to carry the statues,” Bonello said.  

The "Monument" is considered to be one of the heaviest Good Friday statues on the island. Bonello says it is the most difficult statue to carry, with no other statue bearer in Malta carrying as much weight.

Traditionally, statue bearers carry anything between 60kg and 100kg each on their shoulders. But larger statues like the "Monument" can weigh as much as half a tonne, meaning their bearers must be able to handle significantly more weight.    

The 19th-century statue of Jesus in the Tomb includes four human-sized angels who surround Jesus in his heavily ornamented tomb. Unlike other statues, the wooden beam is much shorter.

That makes it much harder to carry, Bonello said, and being blinded by drapes on all sides adds another difficulty to the task. 

Carrying this statue requires experience and skill, Bonello said, meaning that statue bearers need to carry several other statues before they are trusted with the “Monument,” he said.  

The weight of responsibility

Scerri carried his first statue, Jesus Christ chained, in 1983. He was just 13 years old. 

“That statue is often carried by people who are just starting out and you graduate from one to another throughout the years,” Scerri said.  

Now 54, Scerri is responsible for the “Monument”, meaning he will be coordinating and leading the three other statue bearers by his side come Friday evening.  

Scerri feels the weight of responsibility given to him. One false step or a bout of bad weather could ruin the statue and procession.  

But he feels immensely proud.  

“We’re at the peak of statue bearing,” he said.  “Like any other hobby, you need to have a love for it."

Scerri hopes his 11-year-old son will follow in his footsteps.  

“He can’t see a statue without telling me he wants to carry it,” he said. 

A centuries-old tradition

Most of those participating in Friday’s procession no longer live in Valletta, but still have a special connection to the parish and feel they are “from the city,” Scerri said.  

Carrying a statue on Good Friday is considered an honour, religious culture aficionado Godfrey Farrugia said. 

But some statues, such as the Crucifixion, our Lady of Sorrows, and Christ the Redeemer are especially significant, he said.

“People often make vows to them,” he said. 

Contrary to village feasts, the Good Friday procession is a solemn affair that reminds people of Jesus’s suffering. 

Good Friday processions started in Vittoriosa in the 17th century but soon spread to villages like Żebbuġ, Qormi, and Mosta. Statues started being introduced in the 19th century, Farrugia explained. 

Similar celebrations are popular across the Latin Catholic world, but the tradition of having armies of men dressed as Roman soldiers is unique to Malta.

“Some even spend thousands of euros to have their tailor-made uniform,” Farrugia noted.