About Sicily

Agatha, the Courageous Woman Who Paid With Her Life for the Whims of a Man

Today, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we want to remember the young woman from Catania, Agatha. A woman, a symbol of strength, resilience, and courage, who did not yield to the will of a man.

Who Was Agatha?

She lived during the time when the proconsul Quinctianus came to Catania to enforce the edict of the emperor Decius (249-251). The edict, in fact, required publicly renouncing one’s Catholic faith. The proconsul, upon meeting Agatha, fell in love with her and forced her to renounce her faith and join him. However, his attempts at seduction were futile. Agatha, driven by the certainty of her faith, rejected him and resisted his constant psychological pressure and terrible threats.

World Day Against Violence on Women

Quinctianus, consumed by anger and tormented by unreciprocated desire, began a real persecution against Agatha, who was imprisoned and tortured. Among the violence she endured, one stands out: her breasts were torn off. During the night, however, Saint Peter appeared to her in a dream, healed her mutilated breast, and infused her with even more courage.

Quinctianus, unable to explain this episode and increasingly consumed by anger, sentenced Agatha to death. She was placed on a furnace with burning coals and shards of glass, naked. Tradition holds that as Agatha was being sentenced, an earthquake struck Catania, causing the Roman soldiers and Quinctianus to flee, with Quinctianus said to have died in the waters of the Simeto river. In this regard, it is said that between the night of February 4th and 5th, the day of the anniversary of Saint Agatha’s death, one can hear the neighing of the horse and the voice of Quinctianus invoking Agatha right on the banks of the Simeto.

The Agatha Celebrations

Today, the feast of Saint Agatha is considered one of the most important religious ceremonies in the world. Every year, between the 4th and 5th of February, almost a million faithful pour into the streets of Catania, shouting and invoking the name of the saint. It’s an extraordinary spectacle.

A Unique Atmosphere

If you are lovers of popular traditions, you absolutely must not miss this festival. A unique atmosphere of scents, colors, and sounds that you will hardly forget. Most likely, due to the consequences related to anti-Covid regulations, you will have to wait until 2022 to fully experience this event that takes place on the 4th and 5th of February each year. While waiting, strolling through Catania, there are several symbolic places of the saint’s history, here are the most important:

• Church of San Biagio or Sant’Agata alla Fornace: It is here that she underwent the most atrocious tortures.
• Church of Sant’Agata al Carcere: Here, religious tradition has identified the prison.
• Church of Sant’Agata la Vetere: Here you would find the oldest seat of the cathedral of Catania dedicated to the saint.

A Symbol of Rebellion

Beyond all discussion about celebration, religious observance, spectacle, or folklore, we want to conclude the article from our starting point: the figure of Agatha or Saint Agatha as a woman, fragile and strong at the same time. A figure that on the occasion of the World Day Against Violence on Women can be seen as a symbol of rebellion against the psychological and physical violence that many women still silently endure.