Festa del Santissimo Redentore di Palmanova

The patron saint of the star-shaped city

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

Solemn Mass and blessing of the gonfalon

The central moment is the solemn Holy Mass in the Dogal Cathedral, accompanied by city 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 1602 flag-raising

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, General Proveditore of the Homeland of Friuli, hoisted the banner of the Serenissima in the centre of the hexagonal square. Hundreds of figures in precious period costumes, helmets, and armour recreate the atmosphere of four hundred years ago: nobles and ladies dance, knights perform in equestrian carousels, halberdiers and pikemen demonstrate the use of weapons.

An identity event

The Festa del Redentore 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 region in July, it is an opportunity to experience the UNESCO fortress in its most solemn and festive attire.