Few people are aware that Santa Madrona is a fellow co-patron saint of Barcelona’s, along with Mare de Déu de la Mercè and Santa Eulàlia. For five years now a series of annual activities have been organised around 15 March, Santa Madrona’s saint’s day, to promote the saint’s image and links to the Raval neighbourhood. Several of the Raval’s popular culture groups will be getting together on Saturday 16 March and on Sunday 17 March Poble-sec’s human-tower makers will be holding a human-tower-making day in honour of Santa Madrona at the square named after her at the end of the Rambla.

Saturday will see Raval’s stick dancers and giant, ox and cow procession figures playing host to the Raval Popular Culture Festival. It will start at 5.30 pm, with a get-together of all the participants at Plaça de Gardunya, where there will be some fifteen groups from all spheres over from the rest of the city and parts of the country. A presentation will be given at 5.30 pm of “lluïment” (traditional step) groups and dances, after which a music procession will be held along the Raval’s streets. The event will come to its conclusion at 7 pm at Plaça de Joan Amades, with a fire show given by the Colla del Drac del Poblenou.

Finally, the Castellers del Poble-sec human-tower group will be playing host, on 17 March, to Santa Madrona’s saint’s day, at the square named after her. It will kick off at noon and feature the Vila de Gràcia and the Sabadell human tower groups as well as Poble-sec’s. And for anyone keen to find out more about Santa Madrona, every first and third Sunday of the month will see the Coronela de Barcelona be opening up the Jardins del Baluard, where there is a sculpture dedicated to the patron saint.