Saint Eulalia of Barcelona
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| Saint Eulalia of Barcelona | |
|---|---|
 Tomb of Eulalia in the crypt of Barcelona Cathedral. |
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| Born | ca. AD 290 in Barcelona, Hispania (Spain) |
| Died | ca. AD 303 in Barcelona, Hispania |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Canonized | 633 |
| Major shrine | Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, Barcelona |
| Feast | February 12 |
| Attributes | X-shaped cross, stake, and dove |
| Patronage | Barcelona, Spain; sailors; against drought [1] |
 Saints Portal |
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Saint Eulalia (d. 12 February 303), co-patron saint of Barcelona, was a thirteen-year-old Roman Christian virgin who suffered martyrdom in Barcelona during the persecution of Christians in the reign of emperor Diocletian. There is some dispute as to whether she is the same person as Saint Eulalia of Mérida, whose story is similar[1].
For refusing to recant her Christianity, the Romans subjected her to thirteen tortures; including:
- Put her into a barrel with knives (or glass) stuck into it and rolling it down a street (according to tradition, the one now called Baixada de Santa Eulalia "Saint Eulalia's descent")[2].
- Cutting off her breasts
- Crucifixion on an X-shaped cross. She is depicted with this cross, the instrument of her martyrdom.
- Finally, decapitation.
A dove flew from her neck after decapitation. This is one point of similarity with the story of Eulalia of Mérida; in addition, that martyr's tortures are sometimes enumerated among the Barcelona martyr's. They were also similar in age and year of death.
Eulalia is commemorated with statues and street names throughout Barcelona[2]. Her body was originally interred in the church of Santa Maria de les Arenes (St. Mary of the Sands; now Santa Maria del Mar, St. Mary of the Sea). It was hidden in 713 during the Moorish invasion, and only recovered in 878. In 1339, it was relocated to an alabaster sarcophagus in the crypt of the newly-built Cathedral of Santa Eulalia [3]. The festival of Saint Eulalia is held in Barcelona for a week around her feast day on February 12[4].
[edit] External links
- St. Eulalia of Barcelona from the Catholic Encyclopedia
- EULALIA of Barcelona from catholic-forum.com
[edit] References
- ^ Haliczer, Stephen (2002). Between exaltation and infamy: Female mystics in the Golden Age of Spain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 236. ISBN 0195148630.
- ^ a b Vázquez Montalbán, Manuel (1992). Barcelonas. London: Verso, 42. ISBN 0860913538.
- ^ Santa Maria del Mar from New York Times travel guide.
- ^ Festes de Santa Eulàlia from Barcelona municipal website (Catalan)
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