ST. AGATHA OF ROME (FEB. 5TH)

Icon of St. Agatha, Complesso domenicano di Santo Stefano, Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, Italy, painted by Bergognone in the Netherlands, AD 1510

Edited by Bp. Joseph

Today, February 5th, we celebrate St. Agatha of Rome, a profoundly popular Christian witness in the Early Western Church, and one of the verifiable prototypes for later hagiographies of many Virgin Martyrs. The earliest reference to her is found on foundation stones of churches built in Rome and vicinity in the AD 480’s, and her legend was adapted by Arians in the 6th Century, who wished to portray her as an early Arian Martyr, calling her “St. Agatha of the Goths.” St. Gregory the Great was central in rehabilitating her image, publishing ancient Orthodox hagiographies of the saint, and placing her name in the Canon of the Mass, permanently ensconcing her at the center of the Western Rite Tradition. 

According to the 13th Century Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine, 15 year-old St. Agatha, from a rich and noble family, made a vow of virginity and rejected the amorous advances of the Roman prefect Quintianus, who thought he could force her to turn away from her vow and marry him. His persistent proposals were consistently spurned by St. Agatha. This was during the persecutions of Decius, so Quintianus, knowing she was a Christian, reported her to the authorities. Quintianus himself was governor of the district.

Quintianus expected St. Agatha to give in to his demands when faced with torture and possible death, but Agatha simply reaffirmed her belief in God by praying: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil." To force her to change her mind, Quintianus sent St. Agatha to Aphrodisia, the keeper of a brothel, and had her imprisoned there; however, the punishment failed, with Agatha remaining a Christian.

A Greek Style Depiction of St. Agatha 

Sts. Agatha and Lucy, Two Similar Saints with a Roman Story of Persecution 

A Contemporary Eastern Orthodox Icon of St. Agatha

Quintianus sent for St. Agatha again, arguing with her and threatening her, before finally having her imprisoned and tortured. She was stretched on a rack to be torn with iron hooks, burned with torches, and whipped. Amongst the tortures she underwent was the excision of her breasts with pincers. After further dramatic confrontations with Quintianus, represented in a sequence of dialogues in her passio that document her fortitude and steadfast devotion, st. Agatha was then sentenced to be burnt at the stake; however, an earthquake prevented this from happening, and she was instead sent to prison, where St. Peter the Apostle appeared to her and healed her wounds. St. Agatha later died in prison, probably in the year AD 251 according to the ancient hagiographies. 

COLLECT 

ALMIGHTY GOD, may the Virgin Martyr Saint Agatha implore Thy heavenly compassion for us, O Lord, we pray, for she found favor with Thee by the courage of her martyrdom and the faithfulness of her chastity. Through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

(Portions of the text taken from Wikipedia)