On June 11, the festivities of San Bernabé, patron saint of Logroño, are celebrated each year, along with the commemoration of “La Rioja Day.” These are days of great festive atmosphere throughout the city, with historical performances, medieval markets, concerts, gastronomic tastings...
This date commemorates the victory in 1521 against the French troops under the command of André de Foix, lord of Asparrot and count of Foix, who was trying to reach the lands of Castile through the city, after the recovery of the kingdom of Navarra occupied by the kings. Castilian-Aragonese.
Some 30,000 French and Navarrese soldiers besieged the city for 17 days, and when it was about to fall, 4,000 soldiers under the command of the Duke of Nájera arrived at the front, causing the invading army to flee. On June 11, Logroño celebrated the triumph, swearing the vow of Saint Barnabas, a festival of that day, who became the patron saint of the city.
According to legend, the city survived thanks to the wine stored in the cellars, the bread made with wheat from the granaries and the fish that were accidentally caught in the Ebro River during the siege, this fact led to the main act of this celebration, a free tasting of fish, bread and wine, at the hands of the Brotherhood of Fish, which takes place near the Puerta del Revellín, the only remnant of the old city walls.