Patron Saint of Salamanca

Anyway, I have the day off of classes today and I figure that I would catch on blogs and such. But first, what I saw today before I stopped in the cafe.

I was walking towards the Cafe y Te (place where I go to when the school buildings and ISA office are closed for wifi) and in the Plaza Mayor I heard a band playing and saw police officers surrounding a group of costumed people and well dressed men and women with medallions around their neck. Obviously, I went over and started taking pictures (I left my camera in my room. These are all cell pics.) Pictures which will be up on facebook sometime this weekend. As it turns out, today is the celebration of the patron saint of Salamanca.
I'm assuming that the men and women with the medallions were either important government officials or part of the descendants of the patron family of Salamanca (more on this later.) The procession had a band at the front followed by costumed men and women in what I believe to be traditional garb followed by and honor guard with swords followed by the gov officials/descendants, all of which were surrounded by police and private bodyguards (one shoved me to the side as I was trying to take a picture.).
The usual photographers and cameramen were taking pictures and shooting film and the the procession would stop while the men and women posed. They were all heading towards the New Cathedral for service which would explain why Salamanca is virtually empty. Everyone is either at church or somewhere else in Spain.