St. Agnes of Rome (detail; M 070) Ceramic Tree Decoration

Humbly seated on the ground, St. Agnes of Rome (d. 304) is clad in a vibrant, form-fitting red gown lined with grey fur. Blood red was and remains the liturgical colour for martyrs. St. Agnes met her martyrdom by decapitation at the tender age of 12 or 13 during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. + In this detail, St. Agnes holds up a gold ring. The ring symbolises St. Agnes’s Mystic Marriage with Christ. A Mystic Marriage is a visionary, spiritual wedding ceremony whereby a female saint consecrates her virginity in perpetuity to Jesus. Meaning "chaste" or "pure" in Greek, the very name Agnes emphasizes her commitment. According to some sources, the ring is set with a ruby. If that is indeed the case, this gemstone adds yet another layer of meaning to the representation: Rubies represent love, passion, and sacrifice—all traits illustrated in the life of this popular young saint. + Feast: January 21 + Image Credit (M 070): Detail of Virgo inter Virgines [in Latin; La Vierge parmi les vierges in French; The (Blessed) Virgin among Virgins in English], by The Master of the Legend of St. Lucy (fl. c. 1435-1506/1509), oil on oak panel, 67.3"x42.5" (171 cm x 108 cm), c. 1488, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, inv. 2576. From Wikimedia Commons {PD-Art|PD-Old-100}. The image file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighbouring rights.