What would you answer if they asked you? Who is the patron saint of Navarre?? Try it, most people think it is San Fermin. The answer may seem reasonable considering the world famous Sanferminesbut it’s not the right.

San Fermin is undoubtedly the most famous and celebrated saint in Pamplona, ​​thanks to the famous festivals that bear his name. Countless people in the Navarrese capital dress in white, put on his red sash and enjoy the streets packed with people from all over the world for the festivities for a week.

With its unique mix of tradition, excitement and overflowing joy, the Sanfermines make Navarra an international tourist destination. In 2023, nearly 1.4 million people attended some of the 542 official events of the festivities, according to data made public by the city’s mayor, Cristina Ibarrola.

In 2024the San Fermin Holidays They start on Saturday, July 6 and end on Sunday, July 14, and They have an extensive program of activities.

Who is (really) the patron saint of Pamplona

Despite the great popularity of San Fermin, The true patron of Navarre is not him but Saint Saturninus. The holiday of Saint Saturninus is celebrated on November 29tha date with much more discreet and solemn celebrations than that of San Fermín. However, Saint Saturninus and Saint Fermin are two saints who are historically related.

Saint Saturninus, the patron saint of Pamplonawas a bishop of Toulouse, France, who evangelized the pagan territories of Navarre during the 3rd century. According to tradition, Saint Saturninus baptized some 50,000 people in Pamplona.

Among those he baptized were Firmus, a Roman senator who lived in Pamplona in the 3rd century, his wife Eugenia and their son Fermin, who would later be known as San Ferminexplain the local council.

The story goes that Saint Saturninus, also known in Pamplona by its French name, Saint Cernin, He was martyred in Toulouse, where he was tied to a bull and dragged to be quartered.

In the center of Pamplona there is a church that bears his name and that was built next to a well, Located at the confluence of San Saturnino, Mayor and Jarauta streets, where, according to tradition, the patron saint baptized the first Christians in the city.

In the 17th century, Navarre faced a crisis over who should be its patron: San Fermin either Saint Francis Xavierwhose festival is commemorated on December 3, Navarre Day. In 1657a Solomonic decision adopted by Pope Alexander VII determined that Both would share the patronage of the Kingdom of Navarre.

The devotion to Saint Saturninus It spread in Navarre from the 11th century, especially due to the arrival of French merchants and clerics to the city. This led to the fact that, in the XVII centurythe Pamplona City Council officially named him patron saint of the city in 1611.

Celebrations in honor of Saint Saturninus

Every November 29thPamplona celebrates the feast of San Saturnino with a procession of the Municipal Corporation together with the Cathedral Chapter, a mass in his honour and the participation of the Comparsa de Gigantes y Cabezudos, bagpipers and txistularis. These celebrations keep the devotion to the patron saint of the city alive.

This is the Prayer to Saint Saturninus:

Lord Jesus Christ,

true light that always illuminates the world,

that through the preaching of your martyr and bishop Saint Saturninus,

You visited the city of Pamplona and illuminated it with the light of faith,

Grant us, through his intercession,

firmly confess the same faith and finally reach the source of eternal light.

You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Who was San Fermin?

According to legend, Fermín was born in Pamplona, ​​son of Senator Firmo and Eugeniawho converted to Christianity under the influence of Honest of Nimes. Fermin was baptized in the well of Saint Cernin, and under the tutelage of Honest, he learned the religion and was ordained in Toulouse at the age of 18, before being appointed the first bishop of Pamplona, ​​in Amiens at the age of 24.

It is said that it was slaughtered in Roman Gaul for refusing to stop preaching. The Abbey of St. Acheul in Amiens, France, was founded over his supposed tomb in 1085. In the 12th century, Bishop Peter of Paris brought a relic of his head to Pamplona, ​​initiating the celebration of Saint Fermin.

Since when is San Fermin celebrated on July 7?

Until the 14th century, the festival of San Fermin It was celebrated on October 10th. In 1591Pamplona requested to move the festival to July 7 due to the bad autumn weather. According to Javier Solano, an expert on Sanfermines, the autumn weather in Pamplona was unfavorable, so it was decided to move the festival to a warmer month with better weather conditions. Since then, San Fermín has been celebrated on July 7.

Did San Fermin really exist?

Throughout history, the appearance of apocryphal saintscharacters created from hagiographic legends, partial or exaggerated historical facts, manipulated or, simply, without a real basis, but who have attractive and stimulating biographies and profiles that awaken the devotion of the people.

One of these saints could have been San Fermin. That was, at least, the conclusion of the researchcarried out separately, in 1970 by several Navarrese historians and an archaeologist from Amiens, where it is firmly stated that The story of San Fermin has no historical basis whatsoever.

This is also confirmed by the rigorous study carried out by the historian Roldán Jimeno Aranguren, which is part of his doctoral thesis, where he reveals a multitude of inconsistent data, inconsistencies and falsehoods concerning the legend.

In any case, it is unquestionable that today San Fermin is a character who arouses general sympathy. In addition to giving the Sanfermines their name, his figure is an icon associated with the festivities.