l
and came to Avila, hoping to be hospitably received. All in vain; their
heads were smashed between stones, and their bodies left to rot in the
streets. An immense serpent emerged from the city walls and kept guard
over the three saintly corpses. The first to approach was a Jew, drawn
hither by curiosity; he was immediately enveloped by the reptile's body.
On the point of being strangled, he pronounced the word, "Jesus"--and
the serpent released him. So grateful was the Jew at being delivered
from death that he turned Christian and erected a church in honour of
San Vicente, Sabina, and Cristeta, and had them buried within its walls.

This church subsisted throughout the dark ages of the Moorish invasion
until at last Fernando I. removed the saintly remains to Leon in the
eleventh century. The church was then destroyed, and, it is believed,
the present cathedral was built on the same spot.

The Moors, calling the city Abila, used it as one of the fortresses
defending Toledo on the north against the continual Christian raids;
with varying success they held it until the end of the eleventh century,
when it finally fell into the hands of the Christians, and was
repopulated a short time before Salamanca toward the end of the same
century.

During the centuries of Moorish dominion the see had fallen into the
completest oblivion, no mention being made of any bishops of Avila; the
ecclesiastical dignity was reestablished immediately after the final
conquest of the region to the north of the Sierra of Guaderrama, and
though documents are lacking as to who was the first prelate _de
modernis_, it is generally believed to have been one Jeronimo, toward
the end of the eleventh century.

The city grew rapidly in strength; settlers came from the north--from
Castile and Leon--and from the east, from Aragon; they travelled to
their new home in bullock-carts containing household furniture,
agricultural and war implements, wives, and children.

In the subsequent history of Spain Avila played an important part, and
many a stirring event took place within its walls. It was besieged by
the Aragonese Alfonso el Batallador, whose army advanced to the attack
behind its prisoners, sons of Avila. Brothers, fathers, and relatives
were thus obliged to fire upon their own kin if they wished to save
their city. The same king, it is said, killed his hostages by having
their heads cut off and boiled in oil, as though severed heads were
capable o