The legend of the patriarch's dragon

Do you know one of the most famous legends of Valencia? Do you know where to find the patriarch's alligator? Come running to find out!

Today I want to talk to you about a very curious legend that is part of the History of Valencia: the legend of the patriarch's dragon.

If you walk down Universitat street, where the large Nau building is located, you will find the Royal College Seminary of Corpus Christi, also known as the Church of the Patriarch in reference to Patriarch San Juan de la Ribera, and if you dare to enter inside, you will see the remains of a fearsome beast that starred in a story in the past. Do you want to know which one it was?

It is said that in the Turia River There was a terrible caiman or dragon that attacked the Valencians who approached, so, due to the great fear of being devoured or dismembered by a beast, no one dared to approach and they could not enjoy this very important river of Valencia.

One day, a brave young man wanted to put an end to this threat and decided to confront him, using an ingenious suit made of mirrors that he had built himself.

From here on, there are two versions about how the suit had an effect on the dragon: some believe that it was due to the great flash that the mirrors sent, but others attribute the cause to the fact that the dragon was hypnotized by the vision of its image reflected in them, which gave the young hero time to throw a large spear at it, which caused its death.

Did you know that Spanish mothers used this alligator to scare their children?

As a result of the legend, the popular saying “si parleu, a la pancha vindreu” was created, that is, “if you speak, you will come to the belly” and mothers of all times have used this saying as a threat to get their children to remain silent during all the celebrations of the Patriarch's church.

For fear of being devoured by the hungry alligator that is on the wall, the children remained without saying a word throughout the entire act.

The truth is that if we consult the Patriarch's archives, we will discover that this alligator is a gift sent by the Viceroy of Peru, the Marquis of Monterrey, to San Juan de la Ribera.

The alligator, whose name was Lepanto in reference to the famous battle, lived until 1606 when he was stuffed and hung in the temple to ask for silence.

However, the fact that the legend is not true and there is evidence of it does not detract from its value since its origin is nothing more and nothing less than recorded in a story by the great Valencian writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, published in the newspaper Pueblo on January 6, 1901 under the name “The Patriarch's Dragon.”

This story provides the legend with incredible details and symbols that are related to Freemasonry, since its famous author belonged to this institution.

I hope you liked this story and now you are eager to discover more and more legends of our beautiful city.

If you want to visit the wonderful Patriarch's church, visit the website of Hispania, Spanish school where you will find fun and interesting activities to better know the city of Valencia and all its legends and stories.

Article written by Rita Rodríguez Varela for Hispania, Spanish school.