Our Lady of Mercy

Patron saint of Barcelona

Patron saint of Barcelona and "liberator of captives", the Virgin of Mercy presides over a baroque basilica in the Gothic Quarter; her feast day on September 24, "La Mercè", is the city's main festival.

Origin and history

The current image is a 14th-century Gothic wooden carving, attributed to the sculptor Pere Moragues. The church is a Baroque basilica built between 1765 and 1775 by Josep Mas i Dordal, on the site of a medieval Mercedarian church and convent. The devotion originated with the Order of Mercy, founded in Barcelona in 1218 by Saint Peter Nolasco with the support of James I, for the redemption of Christian captives in Muslim lands.

In the 17th century, faced with a locust plague, the Consell de Cent entrusted the city to the Virgin Mary and promised to make her its patron saint if the calamity ceased. Pope Pius IX officially ratified her patronage of Barcelona in 1868. She shares the patronage of the city with Saint Eulalia. Her specific charism is mercy and the liberation of captives, both physical and spiritual.

Canonical coronation: not found in the sources.