On this page you can gather information on La Mercé or Virgin of
Mary Festival as well as the history of the Order of the Blessed
Virgin Mary of Mercy and the Mercedarians. The La Mercé Festival
is dedicated to the patron saint of Barcelona, the Virgin of
Mercy. The festival begins on the 24th of September and, with
thousands of participants, it is the largest celebration in
Barcelona. The Virgin of Mercy is credited with many apparitions
and signs, as well as having contributed to winning battles,
making her one of the Virgins with the most devoted following.
The story tells that the Virgin appeared before St. Peter
Nolasco, from Barcelona, on the first day of August in 1218. It
was a turbulent period of time in the Mediterranean, especially
in the South of Spain. The Saracens and the Turkish were
aggressively attacking the Spanish coasts and taking hundreds of
prisoners as slaves to their territories. St. Peter Nolasco
spent his fortune buying these men’s freedom while praying to
the Virgin to shed light up