Barcelona culture: history of Sant Jordi

On Thursday 23rd April 2020, the city of Barcelona and the Autonomous Community of Catalonia will celebrate Sant Jordi. Otherwise known as Saint George, the Patron Saint of Catalonia has represented Barcelona and the surrounding area for hundreds of years. This dates back to when Catalonia was under the crown of Aragon, this unity led to fellow regions sharing the patronage of Sant Jordi. That is why he is also the Saint for Valencia, the Balearics, Malta, Sicily and Sardinia. The crown of Aragon brought them all together.

Therefore, the 23rd April is a very important day in the calendar for most of Northern Spain and some parts of Italy. However, the Catalonian tradition is the one that we will focus on for the remainder of this article. A day of romance, it is the Barcelona equivalent of Valentine´s Day. We will discover why it is customary to give your loved one a rose and a book on the day of Sant Jordi in Barcelona.

Rose origins

The story…