E03511: The Lives of the Fathers of Mérida written in Latin in 633/660, in Mérida (southern Spain) tells a story about a man who went at night to the church of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033) and witnessed there the Lauds celebrated by the saints. After the office, he saw them go to the adjoining basilica of *John, the Baptist (S00020).

Lives of the Fathers of Mérida, 4.9

[1] Quidam uiro religioso iterum intente ad officium eclesiasticum recurrenti quadam nocte, dum in lecto suo intempeste noctis sopore depressus iaceret, uisum est ei quod signum ad matutinum dedissent. [2] Qui statim consurgens omni festinatione ad eclesiam, ne ei tempus sacri officii preteriret, occurrit cursu que rapidissimo properans anelabundus illic peruenit. [3] At ubi ingressus est eclesiam sancte Marie, que sancta Iherusalem nunc usque uocatur, audiuit uoces mire modum modulationis canentium respiciens que ad corum uidit stantem multitudinem sanctorum. [4] Qui nimio pauore concussus atque in tremore uersus sese in angulum baselice silenter contulit atque tacite contemplans, sollicite abscultans audiuit consueto ordine omne ab eis officium esse conpletum. [5] Quo expleto, paulo aduc ante gallorum cantu cum laudibus peruenerunt ad eclesiam sancte Marie ad baselicolam sancti Iohannis, in qua babtisterium est; que nimium contigua antefate baselice, pariete tantum interposito, utreque unius tecti tegmine conteguntur.

'1. Once a certain devout man, thinking over the office of the church while he lay in bed, was overcome by sleep in the stillness of the night. He dreamt that the sign for Lauds had been given 2. and rising at once, he went with all haste to the church. In order not to miss the time of the sacred office, he sped on his way running and arrived there breathless. 3. When he entered the Church of St Mary which is now called Holy Jerusalem, he heard the voices of men singing with wonderful modulation and looking towards the choir he saw a multitude of saints standing there. 4. Struck with the extremes of terror and trembling, he took himself off silently into a comer of the basilica. Carefully hidden and looking on in silence, he heard the whole office performed by them in its customary order. 5. When they had finished their office shortly before cock-crow, they went singing praises from the church of St Mary to the little basilica of St John where the baptistery is. This is hard fast by the church of St Mary: there is merely a wall between them, and both are covered by the same roof.'

Further on, the man witnesses the meeting of the saints with the black giants whom they asked to go to the episcopal palace and deal Bishop Fidelis a serious wound so that he can go to heaven. The giants obey but return twice saying they were not able to enter the cell of the bishop; they are allowed to do that by the Lord only third time. They enter and hurt Fidelis. At dawn, a man who witnessed it all went to the bishop, and told him this story. Fidelis admits that these things were not hidden from him. Shortly after he fells ill, see E03509.

Text: Maya Sánchez 1992, 41-44 (text numbering from Garvin 1945, as used by Fear). Translation: Fear 1997: 69-70.