Holy Martyr Eulalia the Virgin (+c. 303); Holy Martyr Felix (+c. 303)
The holy Martyr Eulalia was born in Spain, near the city of Barcino (present-day Barcelona). Her parents brought her up in the faith of Christ and in piety. From the age of fourteen the maiden lived in seclusion in her parents’ house and, together with girls of her own age, occupied herself with prayer, the reading of Holy Scripture and handiwork. During the persecution of the Christians under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284–305) the governor Dacian came to the city of Barcino to slaughter the faithful. When she heard of this, Eulalia secretly left the house at night, and by morning she was already in the city. With difficulty the girl made her way through the assembled crowd and denounced the judge, who was forcing the people to blaspheme the true God and to offer sacrifice to demons. Dacian ordered the saint to be beaten mercilessly with rods, but she bore the torment bravely and told the judge that the Lord had freed her from feeling pain. The martyr was hung on a tree, flayed, and tortured with fire. Dacian asked the blessed one mockingly: “Where is thy God, on whom thou callest?” Eulalia answered: “The Lord is beside me, but because of thy foulness thou canst not see Him.” As the holy martyr prayed, “Behold, God is mine helper, and the Lord is the upholder of my soul” (Ps. 53:4), the flames turned upon the executioners, and they fell to the ground. The blessed Eulalia fervently besought the Lord to receive her soul, and in this prayer she died.
The assembled people clearly saw a white dove fly from her lips and soar up to heaven. The martyr’s parents, who found their daughter already dead, wept, but also rejoiced that their daughter had joined the company of the saints. When the lamb of Christ’s body was being taken down from the tree, a Christian named Felix said to her with tears of joy: “My lady Eulalia, thou hast been made worthy of the martyr’s crown before us!” Eulalia, who had died three days before, turned her eyes towards him and smiled. Soon Felix himself died for Christ under torture.
