Since 2010 it is additionally the titular church of Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, one of the most respected and beloved prelates in Rome. It was also once the titular church of Silvio Cardinal Oddi, another great prelate of the post-Vatican II era.
Rich History and Art Spanning Centuries
An interesting historical note: the church is known as having been an Arian church and the only one that was preserved in Rome. It was originally built for the Goths, Arians living in Rome in the fourth century.
When the heresy of Arianism was suppressed in Rome, the building was passed into Catholic hands. At that time Pope St. Gregory the Great reconsecrated it in about 591. It is believed at this time the church received a new name and was dedicated to St. Agatha.
The building was later restored and in the ninth-century a monastery was founded next to it that later became Benedictine. The structure itself has a long story. After the apse collapsed in 1589, ancient mosaics were lost. It was partially rebuilt in 1633 with a new apse.
The current apsidal fresco is entitled the "Glory of St. Agatha" -- a Baroque work of the seventeenth century that is attributed to Giovanni Domenico Cerrini. His paintings can be seen in many prominent churches and palaces of noble families in Rome.
In 1729, a unique interior courtyard was built with a covered cloister walk. This is known as a processional entrance. Although this area is not actually part of the church, it is the main public entry way and a unique space attached to the front of the church building where small outdoor processions can be carried out with ease.
The church has a beautiful Cosmatesque floor, redesigned in the 1930s. At that time the baldacchino was also rebuilt from twelfth century pieces.
In the main altar are relics of four Greek martyrs, brought from the Catacombs of St. Callisto. They are Hippolytus, Adria, Neon, and Martia. These relics were revered in the catacombs where they had been re-interred by the time of Pope Damasus, who commemorated them in a marble epitaph before his death in 384.
The Current Caretakers: the Stigmatines
Since 1926, the Stigmatines live on location and staff the church. They act as sacristans and caretakers. Today Sant'Agata houses their Generalate (congregational headquarters), adjacent to the church.
Visitors often notice the painting in the side chapel to the left of the sanctuary. This image depicts St. Gaspare Luigi Bertoni, the founder of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata (the Stigmatines). This chapel was originally a funerary chapel for the Antonelli family, members of the Roman nobility.
The same painting has the words Euntes Docete (Latin for "Go forth and teach!"), reflecting the motto and mission of the Stigmatines. Their founder, canonized in 1989, had great devotion to the five sacred wounds of the Passion of Christ. He founded an order of apostolic missionaries in the service of bishops that exist to evangelize.
Famous Personages Entombed Here
The church is best remembered by some as the final resting place of the great Enrico Cardinal Dante, who is entombed in the basement crypt (not open to the public). This was his titular church from 1965-1967.
Dante served as Papal Master of Ceremonies from 1947 until is death. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965. His recognizable face can be seen in vintage photos of papal liturgies across a span of many years.
Buried next to Cardinal Dante in the same crypt is Dr. Tenente Francesco Paolo Remotti, a medical doctor who was killed in Africa while on a UN mission during the 1961. He was a victim of the unfortunate Kindu massacre in the Belgian Congo.
The church is also the burial place of the heart of the eminent Irish political leader, Daniel O'Connell. He died at age 71 while on pilgrimage to Rome. He breathed his last in Genoa, commending "his soul to God, his body to Ireland, and his heart to Rome." This is commemorated in a memorial to him at Sant'Agata where his heart was entombed, according to his wishes, in the chapel of the Irish College. Meanwhile, his body was interred in Dublin.
The Irish Connection and Dom Columba Marmion
Further, the Irishman Dom Columba Marmion, OSB, lived and studied here as a seminarian at the Irish College, arriving in 1879. In those years the College was located at St. Agatha's from 1836-1926. He was ordained at Sant'Agata on June 16, 1881.
Dom Marmion was a Benedictine monk and prolific author who wrote classic spiritual works in his native English language. He went on to be the third Abbot of Maredsous Abbey in Belgium.
Like others of his age such as Cardinal Newman or Cardinal Wiseman or Cardinal Manning, Dom Marmion was an eloquent speaker and writer, a master of the English language. His works have long been studied in English lands and are rightly well-known by many students of theology.
In 2012 Cardinal Burke had a fitting marble plaque placed on the side wall of the church to commemorate Dom Marmion and his ordination here to the sacred priesthood. The monument was designed by Duncan Stroik and consists of a bas relief profile with an inscription in Latin, made by the artist Giuseppe Ducrot.
It is also worth noting that the famous Paul Cardinal Cullen was named the Rector of the Irish College in 1831. In 1850 he was consecrated bishop in Sant'Agata. Cardinal Cullen was a giant of a historical figure. He was the first Irish Cardinal and a Council Father at Vatican I. In fact, he authored the formula for the declaration of papal infallibility.
Visitors admire the frescoes executed in 1863, located above the arches on the arcades. These are arranged as a set of tondi (circular paintings/reliefs) depicting Irish saints, a memory of the days of the Irish College.
A Visit Here is Worth Your Time
God bless and reward Cardinal Burke. How fitting it is to have an Irish-American cardinal here as cardinal-priest. And may the Lord reward him for the wonderful restoration work that has taken place in recent years at Sant'Agata under his guidance and direction.
The exterior shines with a new brilliance, and the interior courtyard is greatly improved with a fresh color scheme that enhances the light. The updated interior lighting is also a big improvement. This impeccably cared for church is a wonderful gem in a quiet corner of Rome -- well worth a visit!
For those interested, if you can find the sacristan, ask for permission to visit the crypt to pray before the tomb of Cardinal Dante. He will open the door and turn the light on. You walk down a short flight of stairs that opens into the burial crypt.
February 5th is the titular feast of this beautiful church, a special day to visit and to honor the heavenly patroness, a renowned early Church virgin and martyr buried in Catania, Sicily, where she was martyred for the one true Fatih. It is also a great time to visit Catania as there is a 5-day celebration in honor of the saint that is one of the most outstanding festivals in honor of a saint seen anywhere in the world.
Lastly, it is fitting to end with a quote from the Roman Martyrology for February 5th, commemorating the martyrdom of St. Agatha:
"At Catania in Sicily, the birthday [day of death] of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr, who in the time of the Emperor Decius, under the judge Quinctian, after buffets and imprisonment, racking, the twisting of her limbs, the cutting off of her breasts, and torture by being rolled upon sherds and burning coals, at last died in prison while in prayer to God."
