Agnes of Rome

Saint Agnes of Rome (Johann Schraudolph, 1842)

Agnes of Rome (c. 291 - 304) was a Roman Christian adolescent who was executed for her faith in the 4th century. She is venerated as a virgin martyr and as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Churches. She is one of several virgin martyrs commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass, and one of many Christians martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian.

Quotes about

• Agnese, a young woman full of wisdom, as Ambrogio tells us in his “Passione,” left death behind and found life at the age of thirteen. Her young age was evident, but the maturity of her mind was extraordinary: young in body, but mature in soul, beautiful in appearance but even more beautiful in faith. It happened that while she was returning from school, the prefect's son fell in love with her. He promised her endless jewels and riches if she agreed to marry him. Agnes replied: "Stay away from me, get out of sin, food of evil deeds, nourishment of death! Another loved me before you.

• Jacopo da Varazze, Legenda aurea, Alessandro and Lucetta Vitale Brovarone (editors), Einaudi, Torino, 1995, p.140. ISBN 88-06-13885-5 (in Italian).

• Then the prefect had her stripped and taken to the brothel. But the Lord made Agnes' hair so thick that it covered her better than a dress, and when she entered that vile place, she found the angel of the Lord waiting for her, who illuminated the room with a shining light and prepared a pure white stole for her. Thus the place of sin became a place of prayer, so much so that Agnes came out purer than when she had entered, when that great light had honored her.

• Jacopo da Varazze, Legenda aurea, Alessandro and Lucetta Vitale Brovarone (editors), Einaudi, Torino, 1995, p.141. ISBN 88-06-13885-5 (in Italian).

• [January 21] Memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr, who, while still a girl in Rome, offered the supreme testimony of faith and consecrated the virtue of chastity with martyrdom; in fact, she overcame both her young age and the tyranny of the tyrant and thus acquired great admiration among the people, obtaining even greater glory with God. On this day, we celebrate the deposition of her mortal remains.

• ‘’Martirologio Romano‘’, *Martirologio romano, translation into Italian by Istituto San Clemente I Papa e Martire (Stefano Calvi), vatican.va.