Festivities in honor of Virgen del Remedio
Patroness of Alicante
Nuestra Señora del Remedio has been the Patroness of the City of Alicante since October 1950, when she was granted the honorary and perpetual title of Mayor of Alicante by the City Council of Alicante. The first processions in her honor date back to 1535, and around 1600, her Brotherhood was founded. Three years later, it was officially recognized in Rome by the Holy See. The festival in her honor is celebrated on August 5th, the date of a cholera epidemic in Alicante in 1648, during which the Municipal and Religious Councils held a procession through the city, accompanied by the Santa Faz. The procession ended at the Church of San Nicolas, now the Co-Cathedral, where, after the Mass and Te Deum, many miraculous healings are said to have occurred. In her veneration, works were carried out at the church, and it was agreed that the central niche would be dedicated to her honor.
The celebrations in honor of Nuestra Señora del Remedio begin on August 3rd and continue over several days, starting at 10:00 PM in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Alicante, with the traditional Alborada performed by the Municipal Symphonic Band of Alicante, the Tabaquera Choir, the Thevenet Choir, Orfeon Alicante, Orfeon Cantabile, Orfeon Mare Nostrum, and the Peña Lirica Alicantina. The Alborada concludes with the performance of the National Anthem, the Salve to Nuestra Señora del Remedio, the Anthem of Alicante, and the Anthem of the Valencian Community. On August 4th and 5th, 21 gun salutes are fired at noon in her honor. On the 5th, at 7:00 PM, a solemn Mass is held in honor of the Patron Saint, presided over by the bishop, at the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolas. Following the Mass, a procession carries the Patron Saint through the streets of the city, and upon returning to the Co-Cathedral, after the National Anthem and the firing of 21 gun salutes, the image is returned to its place of honor.
