On April 23 the festival of Sant Jordi will take place throughout Catalonia and like every year, the streets of Barcelona will be filled with roses and books This is a special day for all Catalans, since the feast of the patron saint of Catalonia is celebrated and for this reason we want to share with you an article dedicated to learning more about this important Catalan festival.
Let’s start!
Catalan popular legend
In real life, he was a charismatic Cappadocian Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and defended his faith until the day he died.
Later and due to his deeds he was elevated to the rank of saint, where many populations such as Libya or Georgia adopted him as their patron.
Its original history, as well as its symbology, can be found in the book Legenda sanctorum, written in the 12th century.
Many of the interpretations relate the dragon to the devil, the white horse to the church, and Saint George to the believer.
The pattern of lovers
Although Sant Jordi is the patron saint of knights in Catalonia, it has also been adapted as the Catalan “Saint Valentine”.
This fact is mainly due to a fifteenth-century tradition that consisted of giving roses to the promised woman as an offering. Later, as a result of els jocs florals, women or men usually also give books as gifts.
Likewise, April 23 coincides with the deaths of Shakespeare and Cervantes.
the floral games
A Greek myth with many similarities
The story of the Greek hero Perseus has many similarities with the Catalan myth.
Like the tale there is a princess, a kingdom in trouble, a headless dragon/gorgon, and a reward for salvation.
According to some historians, there is a hypothesis that this legend will be integrated into the Christian conversion of Cappadocia, where one of the pagan Phrygian gods was Sabacius, who was generally represented fighting a snake on horseback.
Thanks to his example of bravery and chivalry, he was adopted as the patron of several orders of chivalry.
such as the Order of the Garter, the Teutonic Order, the Order of Calatrava, the Sacred Constantinian Order, the Order of Saint George of Alfama…
Casa Batlló the living representation of the dragon
Gaudí, one of the most important Catalan architects, wanted to pay tribute to the legend of Sant Jordi in one of his best-known works: Casa Batlló.
The architecture of Casa Batlló is made up of elements and icons that refer to the elements of the legend, for example:
The roof and its scale-like tiles represent the dragon.
The four-armed cross above symbolizes the knight’s sword
The skulls on the balconies symbolize the victims of the dragon
The balcony of the roses symbolizes the princess
Inside, more curiosities can be found, such as columns that simulate the gut of a dragon or whale and a staircase in the shape of a tail that resembles that of a reptile.
A tribute to Sant Jordi in the style of My Way
We will wait for you!
