St. Agnes was born in Italy and lived in Rome in the 3rd Century. She was only 12 or 13 years old when she gave her life willingly to Christ.
Agnes was a beautiful girl and many men wanted to marry her. She refused them all because she wanted to remain a virgin and declared "Christ as her bridegroom."
This got her into a lot of trouble, because Christians were being persecuted and killed for declaring their faith. One of the men who wanted to marry Agnes was so upset by her declaration that he reported her faith to the government.
The governor threatened her with torture and it was said that she looked at the instruments of torture calmly. Before that he sent her to a house of prostitution to be tempted. The men who saw her there were afraid to touch her because they saw her courage. It is said one man looked at her with lust in his heart and he was struck blind. Agnes was said to have prayed for him and he regained his sight. The governor would not be outdone, he saw that she could not be persuaded to give up her faith, so he ordered her executed. St. Ambrose wrote that Agnes went to her execution more cheerfully than some go the their weddings.
The name Agnes means lamb. Often used as a sign of gentleness and innocence. She died in 304 and is the Patroness of young girls.
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