Rome - St Agnes Outside the Walls

(Local Name: Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura) According to legend, Agnes was a young and beautiful Roman girl who steadfastly refused to marry the son of the pagan governor of the city and was martyred for her faith. Constantine's daughter Constantia built a church in her honor in the fourth century outside the city on the Via Nomentana. The present church was built by Pope Honorius I (625-638), but has undergone much alteration and restoration since then. Notable features of this church, a basilica with a high narrow nave, are the sixteen antique columns, the richly decorated wooden ceiling (17th century), the marble candelabra and the bishop's throne in the chancel. Finest of all, however, is the apse mosaic (seventh century) which depicts St Agnes with Popes Honorius and Symmachus, Relics of St Agnes and her sister, St Emerentiana, are contained in the high altar. Beneath the church are the Catacombe di Sant'Agnese (A.D. 300), part of the complex being preserved in its original state. They extend over three stories and have a total length of 7km/4mi.