St. Aurea was born around the year 1042 in the village of Villavelayo, Spain. As a youth, Aurea studied the Scriptures and the lives of the early martyrs of the Church. Her favorite saints to meditate upon and imitate were Agatha, Eulalia and Cecilia.
As a young woman, Aurea decided to leave home and join a convent. She was welcomed into the convent of San Millan de la Cogolla and completely applied herself to monastic life. She then followed the life of asceticism. By the age of 20, she was living in a cave where Aurea received a vision of her three favorite saints and was encouraged to follow her chosen lifestyle with greater zeal. God used St. Aurea to work many miracles and many people sought her advice and prayers.
Aurea spent only a few years of her life in the monastery. Around the year 1069 she contracted a painful disease and died at the age of 27.
