St Agatha

For today's feast of St Agatha, a photograph of her mosaic in the Lady Chapel, bearing her palm branch of martyrdom.

Agatha was a young girl in third Century Sicily, who refused attempts both to seduce her, and to forice her to renounce her Christian faith. She was tortured horribly - most notably her executioners tore off her breasts - but remained constant until her death. The esteem in which she was held by the early Church is witnessed by the inclusion of her name in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I).

etc