Agatha, St

Agatha, St (3rd century), according to tradition, a noble Sicilian virgin of great beauty and wealth, who rejected the love of a Roman consul and as a result suffered cruel martyrdom. In art, she is frequently depicted with her severed breasts on a plate. Whether Agatha ever lived, and, if so, whether she died in the persecution of Christians conducted during the reign (249-251) of the Roman emperor Decius or that of Diocletian, 50 years later, is unknown. She is the patron saint of Malta and of Catania, Italy. Legend relates that several times the mere carrying of her veil (taken from her tomb in Catania) in procession averted eruptions of nearby Mount Etna, and that her intercession saved Malta from Turkish conquest in 1551. St Agatha's feast day is February 5.