We know little about martyrs like Cecilia, Nicholas, and Agnes of the early Church. All we know for sure about Agnes was born in 291 and that she died for her faith at the age of 13.

We are told that she was a Christian and early on dedicated herself to God. She did not want to marry or give her body to another person, only to give her purity back to God. The name “Agnes” means “pure”.

Stories state that she was quite beautiful and a member of the nobility of Rome. Many men wanted to marry her but she refused. This made one of the men angry to the point that he told the Roman governor that she was a Christian during a time in which Rome persecuted Christians and put them to death.

The governor asked for her to give up her belief in God but she refused and so he sent her to a house where men could take advantage of her. None of the men hurt her which angered the governor and he ordered his soldiers to put Agnes to death.

She is the patron saint of young girls, chastity, rape survivors, and the Children of Mary.

Her feast day is January 21.

For God’s Glory.

In the 4th Century, the daughter of Constantine built a basilica on the site of her tomb.