Barcelona begins this Sunday, September 20, the central religious acts in honor of Our Lady of Mercy, patroness of the archdiocese and co-patroness of the city, with a procession that will carry her image from the Basilica of la Mercè to the Cathedral.
The celebration precedes the solemnity of the Virgin of Mercy, which will take place next Thursday, September 24, and is integrated into the novena that has been celebrated since the 15th in the basilica dedicated to the patroness.
According to the programming of the Archdiocese of Barcelona, the procession will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Plaza de la Mercè.
From the Basilica of la Mercè to the Cathedral
The image of the Virgin will travel through the streets of the historic center until reaching Barcelona Cathedral around 7:15 p.m.
There, the Holy Mass will be celebrated after the reception of the image.
While the procession takes place, the novena Mass scheduled for 7:00 p.m. will also be held at the Basilica of la Mercè.
The transfer to the Cathedral thus opens the central days of celebrations that will culminate on Thursday with the solemnity of the patroness.
A devotion born in medieval Barcelona
The history of Mercy is inseparably linked to Barcelona.
Mercedarian tradition places the origin of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy in the city in 1218. Saint Peter Nolasco founded the new religious family dedicated especially to the redemption of Christians who had fallen captive.
Tradition also indicates the intervention of the Virgin in the foundation and links Saint Raymond of Penyafort and King James I to it.
The Order of Mercy has since developed a spirituality characterized by the willingness of its religious to give even their own lives when necessary to preserve the faith of captive Christians.
The Marian devotion that accompanied that work became deeply rooted in Barcelona and eventually made Our Lady of Mercy one of the great historical advocations of the city.
Patroness of Barcelona
The city’s connection with the Virgin of Mercy acquired a particular dimension in the 17th century. Tradition attributed to her intercession the end of a severe plague of locusts that affected Barcelona in 1687.
The City Council then agreed to proclaim her patroness, although papal recognition would come later.
Her feast on September 24 continues to bring together liturgical acts and popular celebrations each year. The religious dimension, however, precedes the contemporary festive program and is rooted in several centuries of Barcelona’s history.
This Sunday’s procession marks the beginning of this devotion in the heart of the city four days before the solemnity, carrying the image from the temple that houses it to the Cathedral.