A solemn and commemorative event
Next Sunday, Cardona will kick off the celebrations of the 625th anniversary of the arrival of the relics of the Holy Martyrs Celdoni and Ermenter in the ducal town. This celebration culminates a three-year commemorative period of parish events that began in 2022 with the consecration of the temple of Saint Michael and continued last year with the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the arrival of the Gothic image of Our Lady of Patrocini in the municipality of Bagenc.
A solemn office and a conference
On Sunday March 3, coinciding with the feast of Saints Celdoni and Ermenter, the parish church will host a solemn service officiated by the Bishop of Solsona, Msgr. Francesc Conesa, and the priests of the town. The mass will feature the songs of the Cardonina Choir and the participation of the Cardonina giants. At the end of the service, a conference will be held in the crypt where the holy bodies are kept, by Dr. Andreu Galera, director of the Historical Archive of Cardona and main scholar of the local history of these Christian martyrs.
A commemorative calendar full of activities
These events mark the beginning of a commemorative calendar that will last several months and include various activities. Among them, there will be conferences and talks on cultural and heritage aspects linked to the town and the Cardona parish, historical walks to discover the chapels and monuments of the municipality that house the iconographic footprint of the Holy Martyrs, a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Cellers, the publication of a children’s story that collects some of the miraculous episodes that happened in Cardona and attributed to these saints, as well as commemorative musical and liturgical events.
The story of the Holy Martyrs Celdoni and Ermenter
The Holy Martyrs Celdoni and Ermenter were two Roman legionnaires who were executed in Calahorra during the persecution against Christians in 303. Their relics were brought to Cardona in 1399 from Cellers by Joan de Cardona, admiral of ‘Aragon. After a controversy, the relics were deposited in the church of Sant Miquel, where they are kept to this day. The cult of the Holy Martyrs spread among the villagers of Cardona, who adopted them as their patron saints and patrons of the town.
