Valencia Trader

Festival of San Vincente Martir, Patron Saint of Valencia

On January 22nd the traditional festivity of San Vicente Mártir, patron saint of the city, as well as of the tailor and dressmaker guilds since the 14th century, will be celebrated. Various entertaining, festive and religious activities have been scheduled.

In the morning, in the Church of San Esteban, the baptism of another Valencian saint, Saint Vicente Ferrer, a devout follower of San Vicente Mártir, will be celebrated. Each year, the event commences with the presentation of the Bults de Sant Esteve, figures of personae dressed in the fashion of the era when San Vicente Ferrer was baptised: the priest and sacristan, two assistant deputies and the city deputy, a viceroy and a vicereine, a father, a godmother and her godson, a lady and six damsels, in addition to other historical figures of those times. Also in the Church of San Vicente, in the Chapel, a mass will be held, with “fallas” groups present and the accompaniment of dolçaina i tabalet.

There are several routes in the city that lead to sites where the patron saint of Valencia lived and died. The Cripta Arquelógica de la Prisión de San Vicente Mártir, located in the Plaza de l’Almoina, has a chapel from the Visigothic era, which was discovered during the archaeological excavation process. A visit promises to be an astonishing experience, with archaeological artefacts of great value on display and an impressive audiovisual presentation. After the Christian conquest in the 13th century, a chapel dedicated to San Vicente Mártir was built on the ruins of the original building. It still stands and can be visited in the Plaza de l’Almoina.

Additionally, at the site where the saint is believed to have been buried, on the old Via Augusta, the Monasterio de San Vicente de la Roqueta, which today stands beside the Parroquia de Cristo Rey church, was erected, in order to venerate the martyr’s remains. In the Middle Ages, the site became a pilgrimage centre, attracting pilgrims from all over Europe who revered the universally famous martyr as one of the first saints in the West.