Aurea of San Millán

Infobox Saint
name= Saint Aurea of San Millán
birth_date=c. 1042
death_date=1069
feast_day= March 11
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church


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birth_place= Villavelayo
death_place=San Millán de la Cogolla
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Saint Aurea ( _es. Santa Oria) (Villavelayo, c. 1042–San Millán de la Cogolla, 1069) was a Benedictine hermit attached to the abbey of San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja. She is commemorated on 11 March.

Aurea was born around the year 1042 in the village of Villavelayo, Spain in a region controlled by Moors. As a youth, Aurea studied the Scriptures and the lives of the early martyrs of the Church. Her favorite saints to meditate upon and try to copy were Saint Agatha, Saint Eulalia, and Saint Cecilia.

As a young woman, Aurea decided to leave home and join a religious convent. She was welcomed into the convent of San Millan de la Cogolla and completely applied herself to monastic life. Soon after joining the convent, Aurea received a vision of her three favorite saints and was encouraged to follow her chosen lifestyle with more zeal. According to tradition, she performed many miracles and many people began to seek her advice and prayers.

Aurea spent only a few years of her life in the monastery. Around the year 1069 she contracted a painful disease and died. At the time of her death, Aurea was twenty-seven years old.

Veneration

Gonzalo de Berceo wrote an account of her life called the "Vida de Santa Oria".

External links

* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=552 Aurea at "Catholic Online"]
* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/SAINTS/sainta2d.htm Aurea at "Patron Saints Index"]