12/16/09

St. Agnes

St. Agnes is one of my favorites and is a member of my family via one of my daughter who names this beautiful virgin martyr as her confirmation saint.
January 21 is the memorial of St. Agnes of Rome in the Catholic Liturgical Calendar. Saint Agnes was 12 or 13 when she refused to marry the son of a Roman prefect. She was then condemned to death by that prefect, but Roman law didn't allow virgins to be executed, so they brought her to a brothel, where she refused to take part in the activities there. Later, a Roman officer killed her with a sword. "Agnes" means "pure" in Greek and "lamb" in Latin, so Agnes's most common symbol is a lamb. The palm branch symbolizes martyrdom. This window is part of a larger circular window in Gesu Church in Milaukee, WI.

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