St. Agnes, from Zenit...

This week sees the feast of St. Agnes on Friday. St. Agnes is one of the most beloved saints of Rome, and is celebrated with several charming traditions.

St. Agnes was probably martyred under the Emperor Diocletian around 305. She was a young girl -- 12 years old according to St. Ambrose and 13 according to St. Augustine -- when she was denounced to the Roman authorities as a Christian.

She was subjected to a series of tortures, from burning at the stake to being publicly undressed. She was saved from the flames when they were turned from her toward her torturers, and she was preserved from the shame of being exposed when her hair miraculously grew and cloaked her. Ultimately, she was beheaded, and the site of her martyrdom in Piazza Navona now boasts a beautiful church by Baroque architect Francesco Borromini.

At the place of her burial, another church was erected, St. Agnes Outside the Walls. Placed over the catacomb where St. Agnes was buried, this basilica is the site of one of Rome's special traditions.

Every year on Jan. 21, two lambs are chosen to be brought to the Pope and blessed by him; they are then taken to St. Agnes Outside the Wall, where they are blessed again by the rector of the church.

These lambs are later shorn, and their wool is used to make the palliums, which on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, are given by the Pope to all those who have been made archbishops within the previous 12 months.

St. Agnes' connection to lambs dates back to the Middle Ages. Not only do they represent her purity, innocence and sacrifice, but "Agnes" is very similar to "agnus," the Latin word for lamb.

Many Romans will commemorate St. Agnes by visiting one of her churches or the catacombs dedicated to her. One of the loveliest things to see on this day is the number of young people out honoring Agnes and remembering that she, seemingly helpless victim of the immense Roman imperial government, heroically stood her ground and defended her faith. A far better role model than any movie or pop star.

Source.