History of the Catholic Church in Spain who was active in many different modes of religion, including organizing convents and new congregations, and developing the theology of the Counter Reformation in Spain that permanently minimized the Protestant influence there. In the 1620s Spain debated who should be the nation's patron saint- the current patron Saint James Matamoros (Saint James the Moor-slayer) or a combination of him and the newly canonized Saint Teresa of Ávila. Teresa's promoters said Spain faced new challenges, especially the threat of Protestantism, and the declining society at home and needed a modern patron saint who understood these problems and could lead the Spanish
Columba of Spain Columba of Spain Saint Columba of Spain, or "Columba of Cordova (Cordoba)", was a nun who was born in Cordoba, Spain and martyred around 853 by the Moors. She was a nun at the monastery at Tabanos, near Cordoba, where it is related that she was beheaded by the Moors in 853. Her body is said to have been thrown into the Guadalquivir, but was rescued by the Christians. Her relics were kept and venerated in Old Castile at two churches, the priory of St. Columba and the royal Abbey of Our Lady at Nájera. Veneration of "Saint Comba" in