St. Augustine, Fla. — On Friday, Feb. 12 at 10:00am, the City of St. Augustine will mark Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles’ 502nd birthday with a brief wreath-laying ceremony at the base of his statue in front of City Hall, located at 75 King St.
The ceremony will include a socially distanced processional and a reading of the proclamation in front of the statue of Don Pedro Menendez by a group of reenactors from Historic Florida Militia.
The area in front of city hall was named Parque de Menendez in a ceremony on Feb. 15, 1978 by the City Commission and attended by the Ambassador of Spain to the United States.
The statute itself is a replica of one in Avilés, given by “the People of Avilés, Spain to the People of St. Augustine, Fla. on Sept. 8, 1972.
Menendez, who founded the city on Sept. 8, 1565, was born in Avilés, a port city in the Asturias region of Spain, on Feb. 15, 1519, following a career in the Spanish Navy during the reign of Spanish King Phillip II. His voyage to Florida in 1565 was in response to the French having founded Fort Caroline, who were defeated soon after the arrival of Menendez and the establishment of St. Augustine.
Media inquiries may be directed to Melissa Wissel, Communications Director, at (904) 825-1053, or via email at mwissel@citystaug.com.
Cox Media Group
