St. Engratia of Spain

Commemorated on April 16

Engratia was a native of Braga, Spain who had been promised in marriage to a nobleman of Rousillon. He sent as her escort to Gaul her uncle Lupercius along with sixteen noblemen and a servant named Julia.

Upon reaching Zaragoza, they learned of the persecution of Christians by Governor Dacian. Engratia attempted to dissuade the governor from his persecutions, but was whipped and imprisoned when it was discovered that she was a Christian.

She died of her wounds, receiving a martyr’s crown along with her companions, in 303.

The Church of Santa Engracia de Zaragoza was built on the spot where Engratia and her companions were said to have been martyred. It was destroyed in the Spanish War of Independence, with only the crypt and the doorway being left. It was rebuilt in the late 19th or early 20th century, and served as a parish church.

By permission of www.orthodoxeurope.com