Every 7th of January the feast day of Saint Raymond of Penyafort, patron saint of Catalan lawyers, is celebrated at the Cathedral of Barcelona, where his tomb is located. The Association of Friends and Devotees of Saint Raymond of Penyafort participates in that celebration.
Saint Raymond of Penyafort was born in Santa Margarida i els Monjos, at the castle of Penyafort. He was a student at the school of the Cathedral of Barcelona and afterwards joined the Dominicans. He studied law at the university of Bologna. He was also and advisor and confessor to the Pope in Rome, as well as to kings and, especially, to James I of Catalonia and Aragon. He wrote works on confession and on marriage, such as Summa paenitentiae and Summa matrimonii.
Saint Raymond of Penyafort retired to the convent of Saint Catherine in Barcelona and died there in 1275. He was canonized on 29 April 1601 in Rome by Pope Clement VIII. Extraordinary events have been attributed to him, such as the legend of him sailing by sea from Sóller to Barcelona on his own blanket.
In 1835 the convent of Saint Catherine was practically abandoned. As a result, the tomb of Saint Raymond of Penyafort was moved to the Cathedral of Barcelona.
