Martyr Eulalia of Barcelona

The Martyr Eulalia lived near Barcino (today's Barcelona) and suffered around 304 during the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian. She is the patron saint of Barcelona; her name entered the Russian calendar through St Dimitry of Rostov.

According to her Life, she was raised in a Christian family and at 13 or 14 lived a secluded life of prayer, reading of Scripture and handiwork. When the governor Dacian came to the city to root out Christians, she secretly left home at night, made her way through the crowd and boldly rebuked him for forcing people to sacrifice to idols. She was beaten, hung on a tree, torn with iron hooks and burned with candles, and died while praying; those present saw a white dove fly from her mouth towards heaven. Accounts differ in details: some say she was crucified and beheaded, and that snow covered her body. Her legend was in antiquity partly confused with that of St Eulalia of Mérida.

In December 2018 the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church included her in the Synaxis of Saints who shone forth in Spain and Portugal, celebrated on the Sunday before October 12. Her own feast is August 22 (September 4 New Style).