Eulalia of Barcelona

Biography

He also compiled the accounts of her martyrdom and probably composed the liturgical hymn «Fulget hic honor» and the texts of a proper Mass.

She has been co-patroness of the city of Barcelona since 1868, a title she shares with Our Lady of Mercy.

In other parts of Spain and the world she is known as Eulalia of Mérida, and her feast is celebrated on February 12.

Her martyrdom took place during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (285–305). Raised as a Christian, the very young Eulalia was only thirteen when she appeared before Governor Dacian and, despite the fierce persecution Christians were then suffering, openly professed her faith.

Before the judge, Eulalia praised the virtues of Christianity and the glory of the Cross. The magistrate ordered her to be scourged and her limbs torn with hooks and fire; after being tortured on the rack, she was crucified. At her death, according to the account, her soul was seen leaving her mouth in the form of a dove.

A later tradition from the seventh century adds further details, including a sudden snowfall that covered the martyr's body exposed on the cross. Because of the Muslim invasion (711), devotion to Saint Eulalia was not resumed until 877, when Bishop Frodoin found her relics in the church of Saint Mary of the Sands, now the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. They were transferred to Barcelona Cathedral, where they have been venerated ever since. In 1327 her remains were placed in the new cathedral in a marble tomb made by an artist from Pisa.

The similarity between the stories of Saint Eulalia of Barcelona and Saint Eulalia of Mérida has led some to think that they were one and the same saint. There is, however, no conclusive evidence. It therefore remains possible that they were two different saints with the same name. In Mérida, Saint Eulalia bears the title «perpetual mayoress».