Saint Agnes was twelve or thirteen years old when Diocletian began his persecutions. She was sentenced by a judge to a house of ill fame. A young man who looked upon her lustfully was stricken blind and she was taken out to be burned. It is not certain how she met her death by fire or sword.
References to this young Saint Agnes appear in many Church writings of later date. Saint Ambrose, Saint Damasus and Prudentius all praise her purity and heroism. Her name occurs in the Canon of the Mass. The stone covering her crypt in the Via Nomentana was carved with the words, Agna sanctissima (most holy lamb). In the apse of this basilica, which was rebuilt in the seventh century by Pope Honorius, there is still a large and beautiful mosaic depicting the saint.
Saint Agnes is the patroness of young girls and her symbol is, naturally, a lamb. Feast day is January 21.
Saint Agnes was held in high regard by the primitive Christian Church, and her name has remained a symbol of maidenly purity through the ages.