Agatha, patron saint of rape victims and breast cancer patients

Saint Agatha, the patron saint of Catania, Sicily, where her festival is celebrated on the 5th of February.   Young Agatha was a native of Sicily (probably of Catania, though Palermo also claims her), of noble birth and great beauty. She repelled the advances of the Roman prefect sent by the emperor Decius to persecute the Catholics and govern Sicily.  The scorned prefect, angered by her Christian devotion, ordered Agatha brutally tortured, sexually mutilated, and finally sent to the stake. As soon as they lit the fire, an earthquake occurred, and she was briefly saved as the town's people insisted on her release.  She died in prison soon after on the 5th of February 251. The rescue of Catania from fire during an eruption of Mount Etna was later attributed to Saint Agatha's veil, just one of many miracles.

Born:  Catania or Palermo

Died:  d. 251, Catania

Venerated in:  Roman Catholicism

                        Eastern Orthodox Christianity

                        Oriental Orthodox Christianity

Feast:   February 5 (Gregorian calendar), February 18 (Julian calendar)

Patronage: Sicily; bell founders; breast cancer; bakers; against fire; earthquakes; eruptions of Mount Etna; fire; jewelers; martyrs; natural disasters; nurses; rape victims; single laywomen; sterility; torture victims; wet nurses; Spain; the Basque people (to name just a few)