The inhabitants of Aeclanum worshiped the goddess Pale because she was the goddess of wheat, generously produced by that land. To give thanks for the harvest and to ask for future protection, the farmers offered the deity their carts overflowing with hay and straw. They could then hope for a mild and favorable winter.
The very heavy carts were pulled by three yokes of oxen, which with immense effort dragged these “ex-votos” from the granaries built in the countryside to the place of worship of the goddess. The fodder offered by all the farmers was then collected and combined to form a huge sheaf which, amidst dances and songs, was set on fire. Over time, that cart full of wheat has been transformed into a gigantic obelisk, clearly recalling ancient propitiatory rites, and instead of oxen there is a tractor pulling its trailer full of hope.
Until a few years ago, the three yokes of oxen were still used for transporting the work. The strongest animals were chosen to pull the cart, and for the occasion they were adorned with ribbons and rosettes. But those beasts were inevitably destined for slaughter after losing about forty kilograms of their weight due to the eight-hour effort. After strong protests from animal rights activists, the organizers had to replace the oxen with a modern tractor.
The artwork is 25 meters high and bears at the top the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows who reigns in defense of the entire population. Its weight is incalculable, but some venture an estimate of twenty tons; the spire is made up of ninety-nine panels of straw worked into “small braids,” “braids,” “laces,” and “plaited straw.” The panels put together form columns, arches, capitals, cornices, figures of angels, and coats of arms. If all the straw threads used in the construction of the obelisk were joined, a thread about three thousand kilometers long would emerge. The structure consists of seven floors or “registers” and rests on a cart of about 20 square meters, duly reinforced.
