St. Agnes has been venerated since the 4th century in Rome. Various early legends make it difficult to determine the details of her martyrdom, but it’s clear she was young and heroic. After her death, Constantina, Constantine’s daughter, had a basilica erected over the young virgin’s grave. St. Agnes’ name is included in the Roman Canon of the Mass and early Church Fathers and Christian poets, including St. Augustine and St. Ambrose, praised her virtue.