The story of Saint Agatha contains few authenticated facts. The Catholic Church venerates her as a virgin and martyr, but the details of her life and death are unreliable. According to stories of her life written centuries after her death, she was born in Sicily in about the year 231 to noble and wealthy parents. At a young age, she dedicated her virginity to God.
When she was 15 years old, a Roman prefect named Quintianus made advances at her, but Agatha rejected them. In retaliation, Quintianus persecuted her for being a Christian. He sent her to a brothel, where she refused to take customers. When the madam became angry with her, Quintianus argued with her, threatened her, and finally locked her in prison to await tortures, including the crushing and cutting off of her breasts. Quintianus argued with and threatened her further, as she displayed great fortitude and unyielding dedication to her purity.
She was then sentenced to be burned at the stake. Before this could be carried out, however, an earthquake struck and this frightened Quintianus, who sent her back to prison. While she was there, St. Peter the Apostle appeared in her cell and healed her wounds. After again professing her faith, Agatha was tortured again, this time to such an extent that she died. Her last words were, “Lord, my Creator, you have always protected me from the cradle; you have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer. Receive my soul.” Agatha died in about 251, during the persecution of Decius in Catania, Sicily. She is one of the most venerate martyrs of early Christianity.
