In the days of the persecution of Decius, the proconsul Quintianus (Quintian), governor of Sicily, fell in love with Agatha and sought her in marriage. However, the young woman rejected each of her proposals.
The constant refusals made the proconsul extremely uncomfortable, who ordered that she be taken to a brothel as punishment. Contrary to what Quintianus expected, in that sad place, Agatha managed to avoid any occasion that could jeopardize the promise she had made to the Lord. And, as if this were not enough, many women subjected to that world that treated them like merchandise converted to Christ and saved their lives.
Put on notice, Quintianus ordered Saint Agatha to be subjected to a series of taunts and insults, and then ordered her to be tortured. Her executioners, in a fit of insanity, cut off her breasts. A certain hagiography preserves her words in the face of such evil: “Cruel tyrant, are you not ashamed to torture in a woman the same breast with which you were fed as a child?”