Saint Eufemia di Ourense

Euphemia (fl. 2nd century) is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. According to tradition, her body was miraculously discovered by a Spanish shepherdess at the end of the 11th century. The sacred relics were initially placed in a small church, then transported to Ourense by Bishop Peter Seguín (in office 1157–1169) and placed in the Cathedral of Saint Martin. Her cult, promoted by subsequent bishops, was deeply felt by the Spanish population, and several miraculous healings are attributed to the saint, as reported in the writings of Bishop Alfonso (12th–13th century) and King Ferdinand II of León (1160). In 1720, the remains were solemnly reinterred alongside those of Saints Facundus and Primitivus. Nothing is known of her life, though she is remembered as a martyr. Numerous, though unreliable, hagiographies were written, especially in the 16th century. She was often confused with Saint Euphemia of Chalcedon, and her feast day is indeed celebrated on the same day, September 16.