Fiestas de San Bernabé

The Fiestas de San Bernabé are the patron saint festivities of the Spanish city of Logroño. They are held around June 11, the feast of St. Barnabas, patron saint of the city, in commemoration of the victory during the siege of Logroño in 1521. They form, along with the Day of La Rioja, which is celebrated on the 9th, a festive bridge in the city. In 2015 they were declared Festivities of National Tourist Interest.

According to legend, the city survived on fish caught in the Ebro River during the siege, as a result of which the rest of subsistence was destined to feed the last bovine animal that remained alive in the city. This was fattened and shown to the invaders to spread the legend that all the inhabitants of Logroño, including the animals, possessed a superhuman size and thus frighten the troops of the invading army. Today we know that this and other myths do not correspond to reality.

This fact led to the main event of this celebration, a free tasting of fish, bread and wine, at the hands of the Brotherhood of Fish, which takes place near the Puerta del Revellín, the only vestige of the ancient walls of the city.

From the vow of San Bernabé, which included the festive activities to be carried out, came the placement of a festive arch in each of the gates of the city, a fact that is currently maintained by placing a single commemorative arch at the beginning of Portales Street, opposite the old town hall. A procession carrying the image of the saint was also instituted, something that was formerly carried out by the farmers, and that in the eighteenth century took over by the children of the aldermen born in Logroño. Nowadays it is the members of the Brotherhood of San Bernabé who carry the image.

The tradition of the "banderazos" was also established during the procession, which is currently carried out by the mayor at 3 points in the city: at the arch of San Bernabé, at the gates of the Provincial Hospital, where the Puerta de San Francisco was formerly located, and at the Puerta del Revellín. These flags are given with the ensign of the city, formed by the cross of San Andrés, granted to the city by King Ferdinand III the Saint on the occasion of the help of the logroñeses in the capture of the city of Baeza in 1227.