Roots of the cult of San Blas in Santiago de la Ribera

The Romería of San Blas takes place on 3rd February, when the figure of the saint is carried from Santiago de la Ribera to his church in the Calavera district

The roots of the cult of San Blas in the San Javier municipality date back to the period when what is now the Region of Murcia was re-conquered by the Christian forces of Castile y León after 500 years of Moorish occupation.

The advancing forces of the Reconquista, under the leadership of Prince Alfonso of Castilla, later to become King Alfonso X “El Sabio”, reached the Taifa of Murcia in 1243, and took power by the treaties of Alcaraz and Almirza, bringing Murcia under the protectorate of Castile y León.

Initially there was peace, but within 20 years Alfonso was losing control following a series of uprisings and unrest and called for help from his father-in-law, Jaime I 'El Conquistador' (The Conqueror) of Aragón. On 3rd February, 1265, the Feast of San Blas, Jaime entered the City of Murcia by the Puertas de Orihuela and took the city from the Moors.

On that day Jaime I was accompanied by troops from Aragón and Castilla, along with those of Maestre de Santiago D. Pelayo de Corvera. On arrival he ordered that a thanksgiving Mass be held and a temple built on the spot of the Mass, and the temple was to be dedicated to Saint Eulalia of Barcelona.

With the King of Aragón came the Trinitarian monks from the same city, and they settled in a monastery on the land donated by the monarch to Fray Tenza, in order to pay homage to San Blas, in honour of whom a church was built in order to house religious relics. This area is now occupied by the old Condomina football stadium and the area just to the north of the City of Murcia.

When the monastery and hermitage fell into disuse, the cult moved to the parish of Santa Eulalia, maintaining the cult of San Blas in Murcia. Hundreds of years later the cult reached San Javier and La Ribera when Trinitarian monks settled there in the 16th century.

The Trinitarian monks and the church of San Blas: origins of the Fiesta of San Blas

In his book El Municipio de San Javier en la historia del Mar Menor (1957), Jiménez de Gregorio says that San Blas is "the oldest part of the current municipality of San Javier, and was previously its capital. Currently the church of La Calavera falls under the patronage of San Blas, who has replaced San Juan. It's possible that there used to be two hermitages, and when that of San Blas disappeared, the effigy of the saint was taken to the nearest alternative, the hermitage of San Juan de la Calavera, and over time the new image superseded the old one ".

The settlement of San Blas was in the area known from ancient times as La Calavera, which now belongs to Santiago de la Ribera (San Javier). The name derives not from bones ("calavera" means "skull" in Spanish) but, according to Jiménez de Gregorio, from "cala" (puddle or pool) and "vera" (shoreline).

Here, on the shoreline of the Mar Menor, the Trinitarians built houses and hermitages in the 16th century. Originally the hermitage was dedicated to St John the Baptist, but over time the cult of San Blas took over.

From the first romerías to the present day

In 1971 local resident Josefina Escudero proposed the idea of celebrating the Feast of San Blas with a Romería to take the saint from the Parish Church of Santiago de la Ribera to his church. The initiative was well received, although there was some opposition from those who maintained that the saint should not be moved, and the first Romería was eventually held in 1980.

From a small celebration it has become a full-blown Romería, and is now one of the best attended events in the municipality of San Javier, held every year on 3rd February. It is the only non-maritime Romería in the Mar Menor (ie the only one in which the image of the saint is not taken out to sea by boat), and consists of a novena in honour of the saint, a Holy Mass, a procession and informal gathering afterwards to drink wine and eat sweet pastries.

In 1987 a new image of San Blas was created by the sculptor Henarejos, which is on display all year round in the parish church.

In 2003 a new Ermita de San Blas was built in the vicinity of the previous one, and lithurgical ceremonias are performed there in his honour.

By the Ministerial Order of 19th January, 2004, the Romería de San Blas de Santiago de la Ribera (San Javier), was declared a Fiesta of Regional interest for Tourism.

The romería de San Blas: a fiesta with its own personality

Since it was declared a Fiesta of Regional interest for Tourism, the Feast of San Blas has become an event of regional as well as local significance.

The day revolves around the romería itself, during which the image of the saint is escorted by thousands of locals, from the parish church in Santiago de la Ribera to the Ermita de San Blas, then focuses on entertainment and food, including paellas made with rice, calderos, and migas with spicy sausage and bacon fat, cooked by the peñas participating in the festivities within the municipality who set up an encampment in the area close to the hermitage.

A little market is set up and there are numerous fairground attractions. The most popular stalls sell "torraos" (sweets), refreshments and terracotta pendants of San Blas, and are located near to the hermitage. The other stalls are situated along Avenida Luis Federico Guirao.

The purchase of a terracotta San Blas is also part of the tradition of attending the romería. These are placed above the bed of a child and are believed  to help prevent throat infections.

Over time, the events relating to the festivity of San Blas have extended to encompass the nearest weekend to the festivity, with a range of social activities taking place over the course of the weekend.

The Brotherhood of Santiago and San Blas

This was founded in the Santiago Apóstol parish in 1987, when the parish priest was Juan García Inza, and the group contributes not only by promoting the cult of the two co-patrons of Santiago de la Ribera, but also by raising the level of cultural activity in the town with programs of music and conferences held in the name of the annual religious chapters and Holy Masses.

A Fiestas Committee looks after the smooth running of the Fiesta de San Blas, and Rondalla y Coro Santiago Apóstol, founded in 1888, is a a choral group which accompanies the Huertana Mass at the end of the Romería .

Find ot more here about the history of San Javier, or click for more information about the San Javier municipality: SAN JAVIER TODAY.