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Updated October 29, 2014.
| Saint Agatha Francisco de Zurbarán |
February 5 is the feast day for St. Agatha of Sicily, the patron saint for breast cancer. St. Agatha was born into a wealthy family, and consecrated to God at an early age. She was a lovely girl who attracted the attention of a judge, Quintianus, who wanted both her body and her money. When she refused him, he had her arrested and put into a brothel run by Aphrodisia.
She prayed and wept, and her virtue was intact after 30 days. The judge then had her taken to prison to be beaten and stretched on the rack. While chained, she was whipped, cut, burnt, and finally her breasts were cut off.
She reportedly said to her guard: "Cruel tyrant, do you not blush to torture this part of my body, you that sucked the breasts of a woman yourself? " That night, St. Peter appeared and gave her a miraculous healing. Quintianus, still not satisfied, ordered her to be rolled naked over live coals mixed with sharp bits of broken pottery. St. Agatha made no other request after this, except that God would "receive now my soul." She was martyred in 251 A.D. St. Agatha is usually depicted carrying her breasts on a plate, as in this painting by Francisco de Zurbarán.
Another saint who suffered and actually died of breast cancer was St. Aldegundis.
- Legend of Saint Agatha
- Emotional Stages of Breast Cancer
- Safe and Creative Emotional Outlets During and After Breast Cancer Treatment
- DiscussSt. Agatha or Spirituality and Breast Cancer in the Forum
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