Eulalia of Barcelona
dove | |
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Patronage | Barcelona, Spain; sailors; against drought [1] |
Eulalia (c. 289 – February 12, 303), co-patron saint of Barcelona, was a 13-year-old Roman Christian virgin who was martyred in Barcelona during the persecution of Christians in the reign of emperor Diocletian (although the Sequence of Saint Eulalia mentions the "pagan king" Maximian). There is some dispute as to whether she is the same person as Eulalia of Mérida, whose story is similar.[2]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Barcelona_Cathedral_Interior_-_Saint_Eulalia_of_Barcelona_by_Pedro_Garc%C3%ADa_de_Benavarre.jpg/220px-Barcelona_Cathedral_Interior_-_Saint_Eulalia_of_Barcelona_by_Pedro_Garc%C3%ADa_de_Benavarre.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Barcelona_Cathedral_Interior_-_Crucifixion_of_St._Eulalia_by_Pedro_Villar.jpg/325px-Barcelona_Cathedral_Interior_-_Crucifixion_of_St._Eulalia_by_Pedro_Villar.jpg)
Eulalia, age thirteen, was the daughter of a noble family that lived near the city of Barcelona. Amid the persecutions under Diocletian, governor Dacian arrived in the city intent on enforcing the decrees. Sometime later, Eulalia left her home, entered the city and confronted the governor for his merciless persecution of Christians. Unable to dismiss the eloquent arguments of a young girl, Dacian soon had Eulalia stripped and flagellated, which was followed by bloodier tortures that were not to cease unless she admitted the error of her ways. Resisting to the end, she prayed that God would take her to Heaven, and died of her wounds.[3]
A dove is supposed to have flown forth from her mouth following her death. Then, a sudden snowstorm covered her body like a garment.[3]
It is traditionally believed that her tortures culminated in her crucifixion on an
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Barcelona_Cathedral_Interior_-_Crypt_of_Santa_Eulalia.jpg/220px-Barcelona_Cathedral_Interior_-_Crypt_of_Santa_Eulalia.jpg)
Veneration
Her body was originally interred in the church of Santa Maria de les Arenes (St. Mary of the Sands; now
Eulalia is commemorated with statues and street names throughout Barcelona.[7] For example, Eulalia is traditionally believed to have been placed in a barrel with shards of glass and rolled down the street named Baixada de Santa Eulàlia ("Saint Eulalia's descent").[7]
See also
- Sequence of Saint Eulalia – French hagiography from AD 880
- Saint Eulalia of Barcelona, patron saint archive
References
- ^ https://orthochristian.com/118409.html
- ISBN 0-19-514863-0.
- ^ a b "Virgin Martyr Eulalia of Barcelona", Orthodox Church in America
- ^ Santa Eulalia de Barcelona (in Spanish)
- ^ Santa Maria del Mar Archived 2006-02-05 at the Wayback Machine from The New York Times travel guide.
- ^ Festes de Santa Eulàlia Archived 2008-09-17 at the Wayback Machine from Barcelona municipal website (in Catalan)
- ^ ISBN 0-86091-353-8.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
External links
- St. Eulalia of Barcelona from the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Saint of the Day, February 12: Eulalia of Barcelona Archived 2017-09-25 at the Wayback Machine at SaintPatrickDC.org
- St. Eulalia page at the Christian Iconography web site