Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer of Palmanova

The patron saint of the star-shaped city

Palmanova, founded by the Republic of Venice in 1593, has the Most Holy Redeemer as its patron saint, the titular of its Dogal Cathedral. The patronal feast falls on the second Sunday of July and blends, like few others in Friuli, the religious dimension with the civic and historical one, intertwining with the memory of the Serenissima that shaped the fortress-city.

The solemn Mass and the blessing of the gonfalon

The central moment is the solemn Holy Mass in the Dogal Cathedral, accompanied by the city's choirs and musical associations. At the end, the traditional blessing of the city and the Marcian gonfalon takes place, the banner with the effigy of the Lion of Saint Mark, a symbol of the indissoluble bond between Palmanova and Venice.

The flag-raising of 1602

The heart of the civic re-enactment is the ceremony of the flag-raising in Piazza Grande, which commemorates an episode from July 1602: when Gerolamo Capello, Proveditore Generale della Patria del Friuli, raised the banner of the Serenissima in the center of the hexagonal square. Hundreds of participants in precious period costumes, helmets, and armor recreate the atmosphere of four hundred years ago: nobles and ladies dance, knights perform in equestrian displays, and halberdiers and pikemen demonstrate the use of weapons.

An identity event

The Feast of the Redeemer is promoted by the Municipality of Palmanova and the city's Pastoral Collaboration and is ideally linked to the major historical re-enactment "A.D. 1615 Palma alle Armi" in September, with which it shares spirit and participants. For those visiting the Bassa Friulana in July, it is an opportunity to experience the UNESCO fortress in its most solemn and festive attire.