St. Eulalia of Mérida

St. Eulalia of Mérida (died c. 304) was, according to ancient tradition, a young Christian girl of Mérida in the Roman province of Lusitania, in present-day Spain, only twelve or thirteen years old, during the persecution of Diocletian. When the edicts against the Christians were published, she is said to have presented herself boldly before the Roman magistrate, professing her faith and rebuking the worship of idols despite her family's efforts to keep her safely hidden.

Refusing to sacrifice to the gods, she was subjected to torture and burned, and her death was celebrated in a beautiful hymn by the Christian poet Prudentius, who wrote not long after and helped spread her fame. Her cult became one of the most important in Spain; a great basilica was built at Mérida, of which she is the patroness, and she is among the most venerated of the Spanish child-martyrs, a model of youthful courage in confessing Christ.