EULALIA, ii-1111-a, Spanish virgin martyr : b. Merida, Estremadura; d. 12 Feb. 303 A.D. There is some doubt whether there was only one or more martyrs of this name. At any rate there are two distinct festivals celebrated in Spain, one at Barcelona on 12 February and one at Merida, 10 December. The legends, hymns and acts about these two saints are very sundar in many points. Concerning Saint Eulalia of Merida it is reported that when she was only 12 years old, the great persecution of Diocletian was set on foot, whereupon the young girl left her matemal home and, in the presence of the Roman judge, cast down the idols he had set up. She was martyred by tor ture. Aurelius Rudentius has written (about 406) a hymn about the martyrdom of Saint Eulalia of Merida, of which there are a num ber of translations. Her relics are at Oviedo, whereas those of Saint Eulalia of Barcelona are preserved in the Barcelona Cathedral. The
latter saint is the patron saint of Barcelona and of sailors. The oldest French poem in exist ence is also devoted to the description of the life and martyrdom of a virgin Saint Eulalia; but it is a mooted question whether it refers to one of the two Spanish saints or to still another. This manuscript is to be found in the library at Valenciennes. Consult Anon., 'Annals of Virgin Saints' (London lt346) ; Baring-Gould, S., 'The Lives of the Saints' (Vols II and XV, Edinburgh 1872) ; Moretus, H., 'Les Saintes Eulalies' (in Revue des Questions Historiques,) Vol. LXXXIX, p. 85, Paris 1911) ; Rumart, T., 'Acta Pnmorum Martyrum, etc.' (Amsterdam 1713) ; Suchier, H., (Vber Inhalt und Quelle des iltesten Frarmosischen Gedichtes) (in Zeitschrift fiir Romanische Philologie, Vol. X, p. 24, Halle 1891).