St. Eulalia of Barcelona

St. Eulalia was born in a Roman-occupied Spanish village of Sarria in 289 (the village is now a neighborhood of Barcelona. Her family was farmers, and Eulalia herded the geese. She was raised Christian, although the Roman government was suppressing Christianity at the time. 

When confronted by the Roman authorities, 13-year-old Eulalia refused to renounce her faith. She ran away from home to the nearby walled city of Barcino to appeal to the governor Dacian to stop the hostility against Christians. 

Instead, the governor sentenced Eulalia to 13 tortures, one for every year she had been Christian. After enduring all the tortures, including flagellation and hanging on a St. Andrew’s cross, she died on Feb. 12, 303. Legend says that a dove flew from her neck (or mouth) as she was killed and then a sudden snowstorm covered her body.

She was originally buried in the church of Santa Maria de les Arenes, but her remains were hidden following the Moorish invasion of 713. Eulalia is now buried in the Cathedral of St. Eulalia in Barcelona. Along with Mary, she is a patron of the city. In honor of the young goose herder, 13 geese are kept in a designated cloister of the cathedral. Her feast day is Feb. 12.