Barcelona is a city full of festivals, music, tradition and color—but La Mercè isn’t just any celebration. It’s the celebration. Every September, the entire city transforms into a living stage to honor Our Lady of Mercy, the patron saint of Barcelona.
The name “La Mercè” comes from Mare de Déu de la Mercè, a Marian devotion dating back to the 13th century, when the Virgin is said to have miraculously intervened to save the city from a plague of locusts. She was officially declared patroness in 1687, but it wasn’t until 1871 that the city council institutionalized the festival.
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