This anniversary prompted a change in the usual protocol, advancing the opening of the reliquary chest from the main altar of the Prioral de Sant Pere, where the saint's reliquary bust is kept year-round. Traditionally, this moment occurs on the eve of the festival.
Once the chest was opened, the image of Saint Peter was transferred to the Plaça del Mercadal. The procession included municipal and religious authorities, as well as the banners of the city's confraternities. Upon arrival at the square, the festive procession welcomed the image with a joint dance before the lighting of the 'Tronada'.
“"We are committed to keeping the flame of our history and tradition alive."
The lighting of the extraordinary 'Tronada' was carried out by Patrícia Terradellas, president of El Círcol, in recognition of the entity's 175th anniversary. During the procession, the city's flag was carried by representatives of neighborhood associations: Xalets Quintana (with Francisco Tomàs), Montserrat (with Antonio Valverde), and Gaudí (with Antonio Valverde). The first two neighborhoods are celebrating their 50th anniversary, while the Gaudí neighborhood reaches 40 years.
The commemoration recalls the entry of Saint Peter's relic into the priory church on June 28, 1626. According to a 18th-century text, it is a bone fragment from the apostle's skull, described as 'part of a certain bone from the back of the head, called the gem'.
This date coincided with the inauguration of the new main altar of the Prioral, after the previous one had been dismantled for polychroming and gilding. The reliquary bust, specifically crafted to house the relic, had been kept in the church of the convent of Sant Joan during the renovations, awaiting transfer to the parish temple, a celebration that Reus has chosen to commemorate four centuries later with this festive day.
