Aurelius and Natalia

Aurelius and Natalia
Died	852, Córdoba, Al-Andalus
Martyred by	Abd ar-Rahman II
Means of martyrdom	Decapitation
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast	27 July

Aurelius and Natalia (died 852) were a married Christian couple who were executed by Abd ar-Rahman II, the Emir of Córdoba for refusing to renounce their faith. They are considered martyrs and saints by the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Biography

Aurelius was born in Seville to a wealthy family. His father was a Muslim Arab and his mother a Christian Spaniard. Becoming a orphan as a child, Aurelius was raised by his aunt, who may have secretly been a Christian. At that time, Christians were being persecuted in the Moorish kingdoms in Spain.

When he was older, Aurelius, now a Christian, married Sabigotho, a girl from a Muslim family. After their marriage, Sabigotho decided to convert to Christianity and assumed the Christian name Natalia. Living in the Umayyad state of Córdoba, the couple had a daughter and secretly practised Christianity. At that time, it was a capital offense to convert from Islam to Christianity.

One day, Aurelius witnessed the public whipping of a Christian merchant who had publicly proclaimed his Christianity. Horrified by this event, Aurelius and Natalia decided that they could no longer hide their beliefs. They put aside funds for their daughter and gave the rest of their money to the poor. They then began to openly proclaim their faith and minister to Christians in prison.

Having previously been Muslims. Aurelius and Natalia were arrested under Sharia Law as apostates. The courts gave them four days to recant, but they refused. On July 27, 852, the couple were beheaded.

Veneration

The feast day for Aurelius and Natalia is 27 July. They are counted among the Martyrs of Córdoba, 48 Christians who were executed in that city between 850 and 859 AD

According to Catholic Exchange, the significance of Aurelius and Natalia is that it is futile for Christians to try and hide their faith in Christ, and that He will honor before God those who have the courage to speak up.

Sources

• Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.
• Bornos, Ángel (May 2007). Los santos más populares (in Spanish). Ediciones Robinbook. ISBN 978-84-7927-902-8. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
• Butler, Alban; Burns, Paul (1 January 1995). Butler's Lives of the Saints. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-86012-256-2. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
• Gracia, Roberto Grao (6 February 2020). El siglo de los Laicos (in Spanish). Punto Rojo Libros. ISBN 978-84-18416-19-4. Retrieved 3 March 2024.

External links

• http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=309
• http://www.familiario.com/santoral/NataliadeC%F3rdoba.htm Archived 2018-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
• http://www.santopedia.com/santos/santa-liliosa-de-cordoba