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S. Avia, or Aveze, as she is called in France, according to the legend,
was born in Sicily, at the beginning of the 3rd century . . . [She]
accompanied S. ursula on that famous expedition with eleven thousand
virgins, which ended in their martyrdom at Cologne (Oct. 31st) at the
hands of the Huns. Only three of the eleven thousand were spared.
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I once had a conversation with a linguist friend about this story, where he told
me that the "eleven thousand virgins" are thought to have their source in a
phrase originally written something like "XI m~ virginae" (apologies for my
undoubtedly incorrect Latin) which should have been read as "eleven martyred
virgins" ... has anyone else heard of this?
Jonathan Gilbert
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