Agnes of Rome

Born in Rome, Agnes was a young Christian virgin martyred during the Diocletianic persecution, probably around 304 AD. According to the fifth-century Passio and the hymns of Ambrose and Prudentius, she was of a noble family and refused to renounce her faith and marry, preferring to dedicate herself entirely to Christ; the same tradition ascribes to her various trials meant to force her into apostasy, including attempts to compromise her purity, and a death by beheading or by having her throat cut. Her cult is very ancient, attested from the 4th century. She is one of the seven women martyrs named in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Her basilica in Rome, built over her presumed tomb, is an important pilgrimage site.