CoL49: St. Narciso

[Robin Landseadel]

	The Legend of St. Narciso:

	Just because it was difficult to cross the mountains or sea to
	conquer Catalonia, that doesn’t mean people didn’t try.  France,
	which shares Catalonia’s northern border, tried to invade
	Catalonia three times.  But all three times, Catalonian legend
	says, Saint Narciso drove them back. Saint Narciso was a
	Roman Catholic priest who was Bishop of Gerona, Spain, from
	304 to 307 C.E.  For some reason he left the provence and,
	when he returned, he was murdered while saying mass.  He
	was buried in the church and fortress of St. Felix and, people
	thought, that was that. But, legend says, when France invaded
	Catalonia in 1285, a huge swarm of biting flies emerged from
	St. Narciso’s tomb and counter-attacked so fiercely that the
	French had to turn around and retreat.  The French invaded
	again in 1653, and again, biting clouds of flies rose from St.
	Narciso’s tomb to keep the invaders out.  And when the French
	invaded a third time in 1684, the flies rose from St. Narciso’s
	tomb once more to protect the land where Narciso once lived.
	Narciso is still buried at the church of St. Felix.  And the French
	have never conquered Spain.

	http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/education/documents/lesson_plan_5.pdf