Saint Agatha Round Rope Border Religious Medal

Saint Agatha of Sicily (d. 251) is a Christian saint, and her memorial is on the 5th of February. Agatha was born at Catania and she was martyred in approximately AD 250. She is the patron saint of Catania. She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. According to variations of her legend, having rejected the amorous advances of a Roman prefect, she was persecuted for her Christian faith. Among the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts, and is therefore often depicted as carrying her excised breasts on a platter. The shape of her amputated breasts, especially as depicted in artistic renderings, gave rise to her attribution as the patron saint of bell-founders and as the patron saint of bakers. More recently, she has been venerated as patron saint of breast cancer patients, breast disorders and victims of rape. 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 Pattern.