Summer feast of Saint Martin: two-day festival on ‘The Happy City’ marks Utrecht’s 900th anniversary

To mark the 900th anniversary of the city of Utrecht, the summer feast of city patron Saint Martin of Tours will be celebrated on 3 and 4 July 2022. The summer feast of Saint Martin is less well known to the general public than November 11th, but in the Middle Ages it was celebrated exuberantly to mark the bond between the city's community and the patron saint.

With the theme 'The Miracle of Saint Martin - The Happy City', the festival focuses on the meaning of Saint Martin for the inhabitants of Utrecht, in the Middle Ages and now, and is initiated by Saint Martin expert Els Rose (Professor of Late and Medieval Latin). The programme includes medieval music performed by the Gregorian Choir Utrecht and new Saint Martin's songs performed by Utrecht elementary school pupils, an exhibition in the Dom Church from 10 June to 11 August, a book, a symposium, and a documentary. More information on the programme is available in Dutch.

For the performance of the music and the exhibition, medieval manuscripts from the collection of the Utrecht University Library were used. Students from Utrecht University and Ghent University have participated in this project through internships at the University Library.