Agatha, St
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Agatha, St.: (d. cAD 251) The patron saint of Catania, Sicily. According her legend, she was a beautiful Christian virgin who refused the proposal of Quintilianus, the Roman Prefect. For this, she was imprisoned, tortured and finally executed. Some sources date Agatha under the later reign of Diocletian (AD 284-305). According to her Acta, her death occurred on February 5.
Ceremonies connected with Agatha’s festival appear to have their origins in the pagan worship of the harvest goddesses Proserpina (Persephone) and Ceres. St. Agatha is often depicted in artwork carrying her severed breasts on a tray. Because these were sometimes mistaken for bread rolls, her followers developed a tradition of blessing loaves of “St. Agatha’s bread” on her feast day. When her cult spread to Spain, the bread loaves took on an even more prominent place in her festivals. A procession of young girls carrying trays of bread on their heads are often included, though few probably remember the original significance of the loaves.