they know the exact day of his death

The image you see above these lines is the Basilica of Santa Eulalia in Mérida and, next to it, the early Christian crypt that it houses inside. Next to her they have just found a funeral tombstone. It is not strange: the surroundings of churches have always been places of cemetery. The strange thing is something else: we know that it is a 10-year-old Christian girl, whose name was Pascentia, and who died on May 18. Knowing the exact day of a death today, or even a century ago, is normal. That there is evidence of this for more than 1,500 years, no.

The discovery. In an urgent archaeological excavation prior to some renovation works that are going to be carried out in a private home on the Rambla de Santa Eulalia, approximately 30 – 40 meters from the basilica, the research team has found that tombstone of the girl and between seven and eight burials of adults.

The tombstone in question is made of marble and is practically complete, which allows us to know the exact day of the girl’s death, called Pascentia: “15th day between the calends of June”, the equivalent of May 18 in the Roman calendar. The year has not yet been determined precisely, but it points to 509 or 519 AD. c.

Why it is important. Gilberto Sánchez, archaeologist of the Consortium of the Monumental City of Mérida, explains that the tombstone is a true rarity because it combines several peculiarities: the first, the magnificent state of conservation of the tombstone. Then, let it be that of a girl, since similar tombstones had already appeared in the area, but belonging to bishops and illustrious people, not a minor. Finally, because it shows that in the 6th century there were still Christian burials in that area of ​​Mérida.

Context. The archaeological excavation has also allowed us to reconstruct how the place has changed over time. Thus, remains of a Roman road with its sewer have appeared under that funerary area, which was later abandoned to build a Christian necropolis on it. Later, this enclave became a humble neighborhood of Islamic Mérida in the 8th-9th centuries, with a mixed population of Muslims and Mozarabic Christians.

In detail. The tombstone has ornamental motifs such as a laurel wreath, two doves facing each other and what appears to be a chrismon, symbols of Christianity. It also includes expressions such as “famula Dei” (“servant of God”) and “requiescat in pace” (“rest in peace”). According to the archeology team, Pascentia probably belonged to a noble family, as denoted by the mere fact of her burial there, the design and materials of the tombstone, and the fact that it was made by a specialized workshop.

Yes, but. In the absence of knowing the exact year of her death and more details about her identity, after the discovery of this girl buried in the surroundings of the Basilica of Santa Eulalia in Mérida, it is inevitable to relate her to another famous Mérida girl from ancient times: Santa Eulalia, the one after whom the Basilica is named. However, as the research archaeologists have explained, there is no relationship between the two: the martyr lived two centuries earlier, in Roman times, while Pascentia is from the Visigoth period.

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Cover | Ángel M. Felicísimo and Juanje 2712