Difference between revisions of "Agnes of Rome" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''Saint Agnes''' (291–304; feast day: January 21) is a [[virgin]] [[martyr]] and [[saint]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches]]. She is also acknowledged in the [[Church of England]] and the [[Anglican Communion]] as well as in [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]. She is one of seven women, excluding the [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Blessed Virgin]], commemorated by name in the [[Canon of the Mass]]. She is the [[patron saint]] of [[chastity]], [[gardening|gardeners]], girls, [[wedding|engaged couples]], [[rape]] victims and virgins.
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'''Saint Agnes''' (291–304; feast day: January 21) was a [[virgin]] [[martyr]] and [[saint]]. Also known as '''Saint Agnes of Rome''' and '''Saint Ines''' (or Santa Ynez), she is one of seven women, besides the [[Virgin Mary], specially commemorated by name in the ''[[Roman Missal]]''. Saint Agnes is the [[patron saint]] of [[chastity]], [[gardening|gardeners]], girls, [[wedding|engaged couples]], [[rape]] victims, and virgins.
 +
The name "Agnes" is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective ''hagnē'' (ἁγνή) meaning "chaste, pure, sacred." [[Hrosvit]] of Gandersheim wrote a play about Saint Agnes in the 10th century.
  
She is also known as '''Saint Agnes of Rome''' and '''Saint Ines''' (or Santa Ynez). Her feast day is January 21. St. Agnes also has a second feast on January 28, which commemorated her birthday. This feast was suppressed owing to the reform of the Church's calendar following the [[Second Vatican Council]]. [[Traditional Catholics|Traditional Roman Catholics]] continue to commemorate this feast. Hundreds of churches are named in honour of Saint Agnes, including two major well-known churches and one Anglican [[cathedral]] in [[Kyoto]], [[Japan]]. She is depicted in art with a [[domestic sheep|lamb]] as her name resembles the [[Latin|Latin word]] ''agnus'', which means "lamb." The name "Agnes" is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective ''hagnē'' (ἁγνή) meaning "chaste, pure, sacred." [[Hrosvit]] of Gandersheim wrote a play about Saint Agnes in the 10th century.
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of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches]]. She is also acknowledged in the [[Church of England]] and the [[Anglican Communion]] as well as in [[Eastern Orthodoxy]].
  
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
 +
 
According to tradition, Saint Agnes was a member of the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] nobility born c. 291 and raised in a [[Early Christianity|Christian]] family. She suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve during the reign of the [[Eastern Roman Emperor]] [[Diocletian]], on January 21 304.
 
According to tradition, Saint Agnes was a member of the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] nobility born c. 291 and raised in a [[Early Christianity|Christian]] family. She suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve during the reign of the [[Eastern Roman Emperor]] [[Diocletian]], on January 21 304.
  
The [[prefect]] Sempronius wished Agnes to marry his son, and on Agnes' refusal he condemned her to death. As [[Roman law]] did not permit the [[Execution (legal)|execution]] of [[Virginity|virgin]]s, Sempronius had a naked Agnes dragged through the streets to a brothel. As she prayed, her hair grew and covered her body. It was also said that all of the men who attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind. When led out to die she was [[burning at the stake|tied to a stake]], but the bundle of wood would not burn, whereupon the officer in charge of the troops drew his [[sword]] and [[decapitation|struck off her head]], or, in some other texts, stabbed her in the throat. It is also said that the blood of Agnes poured to the stadium floor where other Christians soaked up the blood with cloths.  
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===Source of her story==
 +
 
 +
The legend of her martyrdom was embellished over the years. Our earliest source for Saint Agnes is from the writing of Saint [[Ambrose Milan]] in the late fourth century, who gives few details except for Agnes' age and the fact that she was executed by the sword. The metrical panegyric of Pope [[Damasus I]] contradicts this, saying she suffered martyrdom by fire. Damasus adds that she voluntarily declared herself a believer immediately after the promulgation of [[Diocletian]]'s imperial edict against the Christians. He further describes her courage and modesty, as she thought nothing of her own pain but was concerned, at the moment of her death to conceal her chaste body, which had been exposed to the gaze of the pagan multitude, by means of her long, flowing hair. The Christian poet Prudentius, in his ''Liber Peristephanon'' (Crowns of Martyrdom) adds the detail that the judge in the case, in order to force her to recant her faith, threatened to send her to a house of prostitution, and carried out this threat when refused to comply.  Prudentius also relates that when a certain young man looked with lust upon upon her, he fell to the ground paralyzed and stricken with blindness. Finally, the ''Acts of the Martyrdom of St. Agnes'', belonging to a somewhat later period, bring the story to its full elaboration, in which the circumstance of her condemnation and the brothel episode is still further described, and the Agnes decapitated by the sword after remaining miraculously untouched by the flames.
 +
 
 +
===The traditional account===
 +
 
 +
The mature legend of Saint Agnes of Rome exists in at least three versions, two in Greek and one in Latin. It may be summarized as follows:
  
A few days after Agnes' death, a girl named [[Emerentiana]] was found praying by her tomb; she claimed to be the daughter of Agnes' [[wet nurse]], and was stoned to death after refusing to leave the place and reprimanding the pagans for killing her foster sister. Emerentiana was also later [[canonized]].
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The Roman [[prefect]] Sempronius, wished Agnes to marry his son. Indeed, the young girl received many such proposals on account of her beauty and virtue. On Agnes' refusal Sempronius denounced her as a Christian. Her judge ordered her sacrifice to the Roman gods, which she steadfastly refused to do. Threats of death also did not work (some sources indicate, however that [[Roman law]] did not permit the [[Execution (legal)|execution]] of [[Virginity|virgin]]s), so the judge threatened her chastity instead. This, too, did not sway her.  Agnes was thus stripped naked and dragged through the streets to a brothel. On he way, as the saint prayed, her hair miraculously grew and covered her body to protect her modesty. At the brothel, several men attempted to have their way with her by force. All of those who attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind.
  
 +
Although Agnes remained a virgin, she was nevertheless led out to die and was [[burning at the stake|tied to a stake]] to be burned. However, the bundle of wood would not burn, whereupon the officer in charge drew his [[sword]] and [[decapitation|struck off her head]]. In some versions, he stabbed her in the throat.
 +
 +
The execution reportedly shocked even the bloodthirsty pagan crown, since Agnes was so young and pure. Thus her death created a new wave of sympathy for the Christians and brought many to the faith.
 +
 +
A few days after Agnes' death, a girl named [[Emerentiana]] was found praying by her tomb. She identified herself as the daughter of Agnes' [[wet nurse]], and was stoned to death after refusing to leave the place and reprimanding the pagans for killing her foster sister. Emerentiana, too, was also later [[canonized]].
 +
 +
[[Image:Francisco_de_Zurbarán_-_Santa_Inês.jpg‎|thumb|left|250px|''Santa Inês'' (Saint Agnes)<br/>by [[Francisco de Zurbarán]]]]
 +
==Legacy==
 
Agnes' bones are conserved in the church of [[Sant'Agnese fuori le mura]] in Rome, built over the [[catacomb]] that housed Agnes' tomb. Her skull is preserved in a side chapel in the church of [[Sant'Agnese in Agone]] in Rome's [[Piazza Navona]].
 
Agnes' bones are conserved in the church of [[Sant'Agnese fuori le mura]] in Rome, built over the [[catacomb]] that housed Agnes' tomb. Her skull is preserved in a side chapel in the church of [[Sant'Agnese in Agone]] in Rome's [[Piazza Navona]].
  
[[Image:Francisco_de_Zurbarán_-_Santa_Inês.jpg‎|thumb|left|250px|''Santa Inês'' (Saint Agnes)<br/>by [[Francisco de Zurbarán]]]]
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==In popular  culture==
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Her feast day is January 21. St. Agnes also has a second feast on January 28, which commemorated her birthday. This feast was suppressed after the reform of the Church's calendar following the [[Second Vatican Council]].  
 +
[[Traditional Catholics|Traditional Roman Catholics]] continue to commemorate this feast, however. Hundreds of churches are named in honor of Saint Agnes, including two major well-known churches and one Anglican [[cathedral]] in [[Kyoto]], [[Japan]]. She is depicted in art with a [[domestic sheep|lamb]] as her name resembles the [[Latin|Latin word]] ''agnus'', which means "lamb."
 +
 
 
An interesting custom is observed on her feast day. Two lambs are brought from the [[Trappist]] abbey of Tre Fontane in Rome to the [[pope]] to be blessed. On [[Holy Thursday]] they are shorn, and from the wool is woven the [[pallium]] which the pope gives to a newly consecrated [[archbishop]] as a sign of his jurisdiction and his union with the pope.
 
An interesting custom is observed on her feast day. Two lambs are brought from the [[Trappist]] abbey of Tre Fontane in Rome to the [[pope]] to be blessed. On [[Holy Thursday]] they are shorn, and from the wool is woven the [[pallium]] which the pope gives to a newly consecrated [[archbishop]] as a sign of his jurisdiction and his union with the pope.
  

Revision as of 17:29, 13 August 2008

Saint Agnes
Santa Agnese - mosaico Santa Agnese fuori le mura.jpg

Martyr
Born 291
Died 304
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Anglican Communion, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Major shrine Rome
Feast January 21; before Pope John XXIII revised the calendar, there was a second feast on January 28
Attributes lamb
Patronage betrothed couples; chastity; Children of Mary; Colegio Capranica of Rome; crops; engaged couples; gardeners; Girl Scouts; girls; rape victims; virgins; the diocese of Rockville Centre, New York

Saint Agnes (291–304; feast day: January 21) was a virgin martyr and saint. Also known as Saint Agnes of Rome and Saint Ines (or Santa Ynez), she is one of seven women, besides the [[Virgin Mary], specially commemorated by name in the Roman Missal. Saint Agnes is the patron saint of chastity, gardeners, girls, engaged couples, rape victims, and virgins. The name "Agnes" is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective hagnē (ἁγνή) meaning "chaste, pure, sacred." Hrosvit of Gandersheim wrote a play about Saint Agnes in the 10th century.

of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. She is also acknowledged in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion as well as in Eastern Orthodoxy.

Biography

According to tradition, Saint Agnes was a member of the Roman nobility born c. 291 and raised in a Christian family. She suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Diocletian, on January 21 304.

=Source of her story

The legend of her martyrdom was embellished over the years. Our earliest source for Saint Agnes is from the writing of Saint Ambrose Milan in the late fourth century, who gives few details except for Agnes' age and the fact that she was executed by the sword. The metrical panegyric of Pope Damasus I contradicts this, saying she suffered martyrdom by fire. Damasus adds that she voluntarily declared herself a believer immediately after the promulgation of Diocletian's imperial edict against the Christians. He further describes her courage and modesty, as she thought nothing of her own pain but was concerned, at the moment of her death to conceal her chaste body, which had been exposed to the gaze of the pagan multitude, by means of her long, flowing hair. The Christian poet Prudentius, in his Liber Peristephanon (Crowns of Martyrdom) adds the detail that the judge in the case, in order to force her to recant her faith, threatened to send her to a house of prostitution, and carried out this threat when refused to comply. Prudentius also relates that when a certain young man looked with lust upon upon her, he fell to the ground paralyzed and stricken with blindness. Finally, the Acts of the Martyrdom of St. Agnes, belonging to a somewhat later period, bring the story to its full elaboration, in which the circumstance of her condemnation and the brothel episode is still further described, and the Agnes decapitated by the sword after remaining miraculously untouched by the flames.

The traditional account

The mature legend of Saint Agnes of Rome exists in at least three versions, two in Greek and one in Latin. It may be summarized as follows:

The Roman prefect Sempronius, wished Agnes to marry his son. Indeed, the young girl received many such proposals on account of her beauty and virtue. On Agnes' refusal Sempronius denounced her as a Christian. Her judge ordered her sacrifice to the Roman gods, which she steadfastly refused to do. Threats of death also did not work (some sources indicate, however that Roman law did not permit the execution of virgins), so the judge threatened her chastity instead. This, too, did not sway her. Agnes was thus stripped naked and dragged through the streets to a brothel. On he way, as the saint prayed, her hair miraculously grew and covered her body to protect her modesty. At the brothel, several men attempted to have their way with her by force. All of those who attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind.

Although Agnes remained a virgin, she was nevertheless led out to die and was tied to a stake to be burned. However, the bundle of wood would not burn, whereupon the officer in charge drew his sword and struck off her head. In some versions, he stabbed her in the throat.

The execution reportedly shocked even the bloodthirsty pagan crown, since Agnes was so young and pure. Thus her death created a new wave of sympathy for the Christians and brought many to the faith.

A few days after Agnes' death, a girl named Emerentiana was found praying by her tomb. She identified herself as the daughter of Agnes' wet nurse, and was stoned to death after refusing to leave the place and reprimanding the pagans for killing her foster sister. Emerentiana, too, was also later canonized.

File:Francisco de Zurbarán - Santa Inês.jpg
Santa Inês (Saint Agnes)
by Francisco de Zurbarán

Legacy

Agnes' bones are conserved in the church of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura in Rome, built over the catacomb that housed Agnes' tomb. Her skull is preserved in a side chapel in the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone in Rome's Piazza Navona.


Her feast day is January 21. St. Agnes also has a second feast on January 28, which commemorated her birthday. This feast was suppressed after the reform of the Church's calendar following the Second Vatican Council. Traditional Roman Catholics continue to commemorate this feast, however. Hundreds of churches are named in honor of Saint Agnes, including two major well-known churches and one Anglican cathedral in Kyoto, Japan. She is depicted in art with a lamb as her name resembles the Latin word agnus, which means "lamb."

An interesting custom is observed on her feast day. Two lambs are brought from the Trappist abbey of Tre Fontane in Rome to the pope to be blessed. On Holy Thursday they are shorn, and from the wool is woven the pallium which the pope gives to a newly consecrated archbishop as a sign of his jurisdiction and his union with the pope.

Saint Agnes is the patron saint of young girls; folk custom called for them to practice rituals on Saint Agnes' Eve (20–21 January) with a view to discovering their future husbands. This superstition has been immortalised in John Keats' poem, The Eve of Saint Agnes.

She is represented in art as a young blond girl in robes, holding a palm branch in her hand and a lamb at her feet or in her arms.

In the historical novel Fabiola or, the Church of the Catacombs, written by Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman in 1854, Agnes is the soft-spoken teenage cousin and confidant of the protagonist, the beautiful noblewoman Fabiola.

She is sometimes misconstrued to be the St. Agnes referred to in the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas"; as the peasant who Wenceslas sees, lives, "Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes' fountain." The Saint being referred to is actually Agnes of Bohemia.

See also

Saints Portal
  • Sant'Agnese in Agone
  • Sant'Agnese fuori le mura

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4.
  • Woodeene Koenig-Bricker Praying with the Saints: Making Their Prayers Your Own Loyola Press, 2001
  • Michele Rooney Literary Lives of the Saints
  • Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua Novena: The Power of Prayer (Penguin Studio, 1999)

External links

Retrieved June 9, 2008.

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