Agatha, Saint (d. 251)
Agatha, Saint (d. 251)
Patron saint of Malta and of the cities Catania and Palermo in Sicily. Born at Palermo, though date of birth is unknown; died on February 5, 251.
According to legend, Agatha was a 3rd-century Sicilian noblewoman of great beauty, who repeatedly rejected the illicit advances of the Roman prefect Quintianus, the governor of Sicily. For this, she suffered a cruel martyrdom during the persecutions of the Christians by the emperor Decius in 251 ce. It is said that she was whipped, burnt with hot irons, torn with hooks, and then placed on a bed of live coals and glass. The Roman and Anglican churches celebrate her feast day on February 5.
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Agatha, Saint (d. 251)