| Saint Eurosia | |
|---|---|
An Italian image of Saint Eurosia, whose hands have been cut off, from the 17th century. Colle Umberto. |
|
| Died | 714 AD; or 880 AD |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Catholic Church |
| Canonized | cultus confirmed in 1902 by Leo XIII |
| Major shrine | Jaca |
| Feast | June 25 |
Eurosia or Orosia is the patron saint of Jaca, a city in the province of Huesca of northeastern Spain, in the Pyrenees, the center of her cult. In Spain, the "Fiesta of Santa Orosia" is celebrated on June 25. Tradition states that she was born in Bayonne and died in 714, martyred by the Moors at Jaca. The Moors had invaded Spain in 711. She may not have existed at all.
Her legend states that she was a member of the nobility and promised to a Moor in an arranged marriage. Eurosia escaped and hid in a cave. Unfortunately, the smoke from her fire led to her capture. She was dragged from the cave by her hair and martyred.
An alternate tradition states that she was born in 864 to the family of the Dukes of Bohemia. as Dobroslava. When she was orphaned, she was adopted by the succeeding duke, Borivoj I of Bohemia. Borivoj's wife was Saint Ludmila, who converted Dobroslava to the Christian faith. Dobroslava became "Eurosia" ("eloquent") –the Greek translation of her Slavic name.
Borivoj was deposed by pagans, but restored thanks to the efforts of Saint Methodius. In 880, Methodius was ordered by Pope John VIII to find a worthy spouse for the son of the king of Pamplona, Fortún of Pamplona. This son was heir to the throne of Aragon and Navarre, and would be a critical player in the fight against the Moors in Spain.
Eurosia, now sixteen years old, was considered a good candidate, and was brought to Spain in 880. As she crossed the Pyrenees, she planned to meet her future spouse at Jaca. However, this area had become a war zone. A Moorish captain named Aben Lupo planned to wed Eurosia for himself and attacked the Bohemian party. However, thanks to the bravery of Eurosia's escort, the young bride-to-be managed to escape through the mountains. She was pursued and eventually caught. Eurosia invoked the heavens and a lightning bolt hit the ground near her captors. Nevertheless, her limbs were amputated and she was beheaded. After she was beheaded, a storm came, terrorizing her tormentors.[1]
A shepherd of Yebra de Basa is said to have discovered her relics in the 11th century thanks to an apparition of the Virgin Mary that identified their resting place. Her head remained at the original simple shrine, while Sancho Ramírez, recognizing the importance of Eurosia's relics, brought her body to Jaca, which he had designated his capital of his kingdom of Aragon. Drawing pilgrims to his city, he shifted the traditional route of the Way of St. James, which had followed the Roman military route of the Puerto del Palo by the Monastery of San Pedro de Siresa to Berdún. He established a route through Somport and Jaca, to bring traffic through his city, reinforced by publicized miracles at the urban shrine that was now on the direct route of the Camino de Santiago[2]
There is a chapel dedicated to her in La Seo Cathedral, Zaragoza.
Her cult spread throughout Béarn and northern Italy thanks to the subsequent campaigns of the Spanish realm in those regions.
It is unclear when Eurosia became patroness of the demonically possessed. Until 1947, when the Bishop of Jaca prohibited the practice, those who were afflicted with possession were brought together in a procession and followed an urn carrying her relics.[3]