Saint Agatha of Sicily (St. Agatha of Sicily, 231—251) came from a famous family living on the island of Sicily.
After receiving baptism, out of love for Christ, she decided to preserve her virginity. But her beauty caught the attention of the Roman viceroy Quician. When Kvitsian, like other groom candidates, was refused by Agatha, he hated the girl. Quitian, following the orders of the emperor, led a wave of persecution of Sicilian Christians. Agatha was one of the first to be arrested.
First, the governor placed her at the disposal of one of the dissolute women, so that her actions would contribute to the deprivation of Agatha’s virginity. When this failed, the viceroy ordered her to be tortured.
At this time, an earthquake occurred in Sicily, during which many pagans died, and then the frightened governor, seeing this as the hand of providence, stopped persecuting Christians. The frightened executioners stopped tormenting Agatha, but she, unable to withstand the torture, died in prison.
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 guarded me since childhood, took love for the world out of my heart and helped me endure many trials, accept the spirit of my».
Cathedral of St. Agatha in Catania (Photo: ollirg, licensed from Shutterstock.com)
Local Christians buried the Holy Martyr Agatha outside the city, and 60 years later they transferred her remains to the newly built cathedral in the city of Katana, where the saint’s body rests to this day.
A year after Agatha's death, Mount Etna erupted. Believers offered numerous prayers to their patroness Agatha, and lava bypassed the city.
Saint Agatha is considered the heavenly protector from natural disasters. According to ancient tradition, on St. Agatha's Day, bread, salt and water are blessed, thanks to which the place where they are is protected from fires and lightning strikes. Believers often throw bread and salt blessed on her day into the fire to protect their homes from the raging fire.