Agatha of Sicily

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Saint Agatha of Sicily<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;"> Image:Sebastiano del Piombo 001.jpg The Martyrdom of Agatha, by Sebastiano del Piombo</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:gold;">Martyr</td></tr>
Born
Died	c. 250
Feast	February 5<tr><td>Attributes</td> <td>shear, thongs, breasts on a plate</td></tr><tr><td>Patronage</td> <td>Ali; bellfounders; breast cancer; breast disease; Catania, Sicily; against fire; earthquakes; eruptions of Mount Etna; fire; jewelers; martyrs; natural disasters; nurses; Palermo, Sicily; rape victims; single laywomen; sterility; torture victims; volcanic eruptions; wetnurses; Zamarramala, Spain</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Dear Virgin and Martyr, whom the Church recalls in her liturgy, you heroically resisted the temptations of a degenerate ruler. Subjected to long and horrible tortures, you remained faithful to your heavenly Spouse. Saint Peter, we are told, gave you some solace and so you are invoked by nurses. Encourage them to see Christ in the sick and to render true service to them. Amen. Catholic prayer</td></tr>
Image:Gloriole.svg Saints Portal

Saint Agatha (died 251) is a Christian saint. Her memorial day is February 5. Agatha was born at Catania and she was martyred in approximately 250. She is the patron saint of Catania.

According to variations of her legend, having rejected the amorous advances of a Roman prefect, she was persecuted by him for her Christian faith. Among the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts. She is therefore often depicted iconographically carrying her excised breasts on a platter.

The shape of her amputated breasts gave rise to her attribute as patron saint of bell-founders. More recently she is venerated as patron saint of breast cancer patients.

Image:Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 095.jpg

Her scorned admirer eventually sentenced her to death by being burnt at the stake. However, she was saved from this fate by a mysterious earthquake. She later died in prison.

She is considered as patron saint of Malta since her intercession is reported to have saved Malta from Turkish invasion in 1551.

The memory of Agatha is upheld in particular by the Military Order of the Collar of Saint Agatha of Paternò.

[edit] Festivals

A version of the Basque song (help·info) from Ondarroa, 2001. Notice that it is sung by a single person and there are no stick beats.

Basques have a tradition of gathering on Saint Agatha's eve and going round the village. Homeowners can choose to hear a song about her life, accompanied by the beats of their walking sticks on the floor or a prayer for those deceased in the house. After that, the homeowner donates food to the chorus.

This song has varying lyrics according to the local tradition and Basque dialect. An exceptional case was that of 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, when a version appeared that, in Spanish language, praised the Soviet ship Komsomol, sunk while carrying Soviet weapons to the Second Spanish Republic.