Saint Agatha Sicilian ( St. Agatha of Sicily, 231 — 251 ) came from one famous genus living on the island of Sicily.
After accepting baptism, she, out of love for Christ, decided to preserve her virginity. But her beauty attracted the attention of the Roman governor Quitsyan. When Quitsian, like other candidates for the groom, was refused by Agatha, he hated the girl. Quitsian, following the orders of the emperor, led a wave of persecution of Sicilian Christians. One of the first was arrested by Agatha.
First, the governor placed her at the disposal of one of the slutty women, so that by his actions he would contribute to the deprivation of Agatha's virginity. When this did not work out, the governor ordered her to be tortured.
At this time, an earthquake struck Sicily, during which many Gentiles died, and then the frightened governor, seeing the hand of providence in this, stopped persecution of Christians. Frightened executioners stopped tormenting Agatha, but she had already died in prison without any torture.
This happened on February 5, 251. In her young years, the holy martyr left this world with words on her lips: « The Lord, who has been guarding me since childhood, took out a love of peace from my heart and helped to endure many trials, accept my spirit ».
A year after the death of Agatha, the eruption of Etna volcano began. Believers offered numerous prayers to their patroness Agate, and Lava walked around the city.
Saint Agatha is considered a heavenly defender from natural disasters. According to ancient tradition, on St. Agatha Day, bread, salt and water are consecrated, thanks to which the place where they are located is protected from fires and lightning strikes. Believers often throw bread and salt sanctified on her day into the fire to protect their homes from raging fire.