Inmates in New York are suing the state Department of Corrections over its decision to lock down prisons during next Sunday’s totality eclipse.

The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in upstate New York claims the April 8 lockdown violated inmates’ constitutional rights to practice their faith by preventing them from attending major religious events.

The plaintiffs are six men of various religious backgrounds who are incarcerated at Woodburn Correctional Facility in Woodburn. They include a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-day Adventist and two Santeria believers, as well as an atheist.

“Solar eclipses are rare natural phenomena that hold great religious significance for many people,” the complaint reads, noting that biblical passages describe an eclipse-like phenomenon during the crucifixion of Jesus and that sacred Islamic writings Describes a similar incident when the son of the Prophet Muhammad died.

The lawsuit states that this celestial event last occurred in the United States in 2017 and will not occur again in the United States until 2044, “requiring gathering, celebration, worship and prayer.”

The lawsuit alleges that one of the atheists received special permission last month to view the eclipse using state-provided glasses, but that was before a system-wide lockdown was issued.

Four other plaintiffs then sought permission but were denied by officials, who ruled that the eclipse was not listed as a holy day for their religions, the lawsuit said. A sixth inmate said he never heard back.

Department of Corrections spokesman Thomas Miley said the agency does not comment on pending litigation but considers all requests for religious accommodations. Content related to viewing the eclipse is currently under review, he said.

The department’s acting commissioner, Daniel Martuscello III, issued a memo on March 11 announcing that all state correctional facilities would open on a holiday schedule next Monday.

That means incarcerated people will remain in their housing units except for emergencies from 2 to 5 p.m., which are normal hours for outdoor recreation at the prison, the lawsuit said.

Nearly two dozen prisons will also not have visitation during next Monday’s totality period, while visitation at other correctional facilities will end at 2 p.m.

Matucello said the department will distribute eclipse safety glasses to staff and incarcerated individuals at the prison in the path of totality so they can view the eclipse from their designated workstations or housing units.

Communities in the western and northern parts of the state are expected to get the best viewing of the total solar eclipse, including Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Lake Placid and Plattsburgh.

Parts of New York are expected to see a total solar eclipse around 3:15 p.m. and in its final minutes, when the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun, temporarily blocking the sun and turning day to night.