The Chief of Defence presides over the ceremonial flag-raising ceremony in honour of Madrid’s patron saint

• The Chief of Defence was accompanied by the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.

The Chief of Defence, Admiral Teodoro E. López Calderón, presided over the solemn flag-raising ceremony held today in the Descubrimiento gardens in Madrid’s Plaza de Colón to mark the feast day of San Isidro, the patron saint of Madrid. The Spanish CHOD was accompanied, among other civil and military authorities, by the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida Navasqüés.

With this ceremony, the Armed Forces pay tribute to and express their gratitude to the city of Madrid. On this occasion, the flag-raising was carried out by the Army. The Joint Honour Guard was composed of four sections – from the Army, Navy, Air and Space Force, and Guardia Civil – with the Command, a squad of grenadiers, and the band of the ‘Inmemorial del Rey’ No. 1 Regiment.

Following the honours for the Spanish CHOD, a review of the Joint Honour Guard was held, after which the flag-raising ceremony took place. The ceremony concluded with a parade.

The flag-raising ceremony in Plaza de Colón is held on a regular basis once a month. Furthermore, on four occasions a year, it is held as a special event and is known as a ‘solemn raising’.

The first of these four solemn raising ceremonies is on 15 May, to mark the feast day of Saint Isidore. The second is on 19 June, the anniversary of the proclamation of His Majesty the King, and is presided over by the President of the General Council of the Judiciary. The third takes place on 12 July, coinciding with the anniversary of the Constitutional Court’s entry into operation, and is presided over by the President of that Court. On 6 December, Spanish Constitution Day, the last of the year is held and is co-chaired by the Presidents of the Congress and the Senate.

The flag measures 300 square metres (21 x 14) and weighs 35 kilograms. It was raised for the first time in 2001, when the previous 21-metre flagpole was replaced by the current 50-metre one. This flagpole has a swivel head to turn in the same direction as the wind, thus preventing the flag from wrapping itself around the pole, which weighs almost 20 tonnes and is anchored in a base resting on four pillars of the Colón underground car park.