Saint Agnese was a Roman, Christian martyr of the first years of the 4th century. She died around the year 304 during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian just a few years before the legalization of Christianity under Emperor Constantine. Her martyrdom took place in the stadium built by Emperor Domitian (today the Piazza Navonna). In Piazza Navonna there is also a 17th century church dedicated to Saint'Agnese. Although this is a little brutal and detailed, for her prosecution St Agnese was supposed to be burned. Legend has it that she would not burn because her hair grew so long that it covered and protected her entire body. Instead of being burned, she had to be beheaded. For this reason, the symbols of Saint Agnese are fire and a sword. Her head still remains in Piazza Navonna today but the remains of her relics and tomb is in the Basilica di St. Agnese.
In addition to seeing the actual tomb of Saint Agnese, we also went into the catacombs underneath the church. Although I was with twenty-six other people, the catacombs still creeped me out a little. It smelled extremely musty and was very dark. The walkways were very narrow and on either side they had dug out shelves called "Loculi" where dead people were buried. After people were put inside of these dirt shelves, they were sealed with either cement or tile which was wrote on describing the person and when he/she died.
It was very interesting to look at the Latin written on the tile covering the tombs. I saw the symbol of Christ, a dove and an olive branch multiple times. The symbol of Christ in Latin almost looks like an uppercase P with an X written on top of it. The dove symbolizes the soul going to everlasting peace and the branch symbolizes victory. Therefore when it is written on a tomb it represents "victory over death."
Right after we left the church a wedding was actually about to start and we were able to see the bride and groom. I can't imagine getting married in such a beautiful church, it was neat to see. I have really enjoyed visiting the churches in Rome. They are by far some of the most interesting places in Rome, not only because of their extravagant beauty, but because of the stories behind them.
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