St. Agatha is the patron saint of Catania.
The people of Catania, who are highly devoted to her, organise festivities in her honour that last for three days, from 3rd to 5th February.
St. Agatha was a young Christian aristocrat from Catania who, to avoid renouncing her faith in God, was imprisoned at the behest of the proconsul Quinziano and subjected to terrible torture, before finally undergoing trial according to Roman law. She is venerated for the suffering and cruelty of the increasingly bloody abuse that she was forced to endure, including the mutilation of her breasts. She is always portrayed with a serene and proud gaze for her faith in help from the Holy Spirit.
