Eulalia of Barcelona

Saint Eulalia of Barcelona was born around 289 near Barcelona, in a noble Christian family. While still only thirteen, she lived during the harsh persecutions ordered under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. When the governor Dacian arrived to enforce these decrees, Eulalia’s youthful courage overcame fear: she left her home, entered the city, and publicly rebuked him for his cruelty toward believers. For this bold confession of Christ, she was seized, stripped, and subjected to severe tortures, including brutal scourging. Tradition remembers her final suffering as taking place upon an X-shaped cross, the saltire that has become her familiar sign in sacred art. Praying to be received into heaven, she surrendered her life from the wounds of her torment on February 12, 303. Eulalia is honored as co-patron of Barcelona and is especially venerated in the Archdiocese of Barcelona and in churches bearing her name. Her relics rest in the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia. Her feast day is February 12.