Saint Agnes

The life of St. Agnes

There is not much known about the life of Saint Agnes. According to tradition, Agnes was born in Rome at the end of the 3rd century and at first secretly adopted the Christian faith in her youth. Only her parents and other Christians were aware of the religion of the young and strong-willed woman. Due to the prohibition at that time to celebrate Holy Mass in public or to profess the Christian faith in public, the still small Christian community was forced to keep its community secret. When Agnes was about 12 or 13 years old, she was supposed to marry a Roman man, a heathen. Agnes, who had promised virginity to Jesus, refused to marry him.

When it became public that Agnes was a Christian, the young woman was denounced, tortured and finally killed. It is unclear whether Agnes was beheaded or burned. After her cruel death, the indomitable woman was buried on an arterial road in Rome, the Via Nomenata, where a church can still be admired today, which was built over the grave of St. Agnes.

The legend of Saint Agnes

Legend has it that the short life story of St. Agnes was even more cruel. By the way, Agnes is the first of the virgin martyrs, about whom the chronograph already reported in 354, although her existence is historically not secured.

It is reported that Agnes was a very beautiful girl, whom the son of the city prefect Symphronius courted. Agnes declined the offer of marriage on the grounds that she was already engaged and admitted on inquiry that her fiancé was Jesus Christ. Since she showed herself to be unwavering at the trial, the judge ordered that she be taken to a brothel and made a prostitute. But Agnes' curly hair wrapped around her beautiful body like a protective cloak. Moreover, an angel appeared and wrapped the girl in a brightly shining robe of light.

When the son of the prefect nevertheless tried to approach her indecently, he dropped dead. Agnes prayed, after which the young man came back to life and accused Agnes of sorcery. Agnes, condemned to death by fire, was not affected by the blazing flames. Finally, the prefect had Agnes killed in the same way that lambs were killed: with a stab in the neck. Numerous carvings, wooden figures and paintings show the saint with a lamb, probably for this reason.

In the eighth night of the wake another miracle is said to have taken place: Emerentiana, the milk sister of Agnes, appeared, a circle of beautiful virgins, in the middle of which Agnes and a white lamb could be seen.

The commemoration of Saint Agnes

January 21 is the day of commemoration in honor of Saint Agnes. To this day, every year a feast is celebrated in her Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where a clergyman blesses two lambs, from whose wool the so-called "pallias" are made. These are badges worn by the archbishops of the church. Numerous country rules refer to the weather or the harvest in the new year. It is also customary not to make or send New Year's wishes after Agnes Day.

St. Agnes as patron saint

Saint Agnes is the patron saint of children and virgins. If you are interested in a wooden figure of St. Agnes, you will recognize an image of the Virgin by the representation of a beautiful woman with a lamb. Agnes is also typically depicted with a sword.