St. Agatha
Antique Holy Card - Anonymous Artist

This lovely, graceful picture of St. Agatha is a companion piece to our print of another early Christian Virgin and Martyr, St. Agnes. Both women are mentioned in the Mass. Both have a similar story. Both were beautiful girls from wealthy families, with many suitors after their beauty and wealth. But both women had given their lives to Christ and would have none of it. Like Agnes, eventually one of the suitors turned Agatha into the authorities for the crime of being Christian.

Agatha was arrested and tortured. The palm leaf she is holding symbolizes her martyrdom; the instruments around are the means of her martyrdom. The torch on the ground represents the failed effort to burn her at the stake when an earthquake prevented it. She was wracked and rolled over fire. The tongs she holds represent what they used to tear off her flesh. But she would not break her vows to Christ.

St. Agatha was a Sicilian. One year after her death, Mt. Etna erupted. Lava was flowing, threatening the town of Catania. The panicked townsfolk took the veil she had worn at her martyrdom, still in her grave, and brought it to the lava flow. The town was saved. There have been huge festivals to her in Sicily ever since. St. Agatha is the Patron Saint of breast cancer victims. Her feast day is February 5. (source: Cahtolic.org)

This is a turn of the last century German holy card. B. Kühlen was a German publisher of holy cards. Artist is anonymous.

- 8.5 x 11" or 11x14" acid-free fine-art paper. IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN PAPER!!
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

** IMPORTANT ** There is a border of about an inch-and-a-third of white space around the 8.5x11 picture, or an inch-and-two-thirds of white space around the 11x14" picture, so the image is smaller than the paper. It gives the framed picture a matted look

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - Classic Catholic Art.