---
title: "St. Agnes: Feast Day January 21 · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-agnes/
description: "St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, patron of girls and engaged couples. Feast day January 21, died c. 304. Read their life in Bless."
---

Virgin and Martyr · Feast day January 21

# St. Agnes

The feast day of St. Agnes is January 21, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Traditionally invoked as patron of girls and engaged couples.

|  |  |
|---|---|
| Feast day | [January 21](https://blessbible.app/saints/january/#21) |
| In the US calendar | Memorial |
| Title | Virgin and Martyr |
| Died | c. 304 |
| Patron of | [girls](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#girls), [engaged couples](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#engaged-couples) |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Thursday, January 21, 2027](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-agnes/#calendar) |

## Life

A Roman girl of about twelve or thirteen in Diocletian’s persecution who refused every suitor and every threat, counting herself already promised to the Lord of the universe. The prefect’s fires and brothels could not touch her; the sword could.

Rome buried her on the Via Nomentana, raised a basilica over her, and wrote her name into the very Canon of the Mass. On her feast two lambs are blessed, whose wool makes the pallium of archbishops — Agnes, agnus: the lamb who followed the Lamb.

## Patron of

Tradition invokes St. Agnes as patron of girls and engaged couples.

[Girls](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#girls) [Engaged couples](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#engaged-couples)

Patronages are traditional, not an official list. [All patron saints in Bless, A to Z](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/).

## In the calendar

The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Agnes. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.

| Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Thursday, January 21, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/01/21/) | St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (Memorial) | Red | Hebrews 7:25—8:6 · Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17 · 2 Timothy 1:10 · Mark 3:7-12 |
| [Friday, January 21, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/01/21/) | St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (Memorial) | Red | 1 Samuel 24:3-21 · Psalm 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11 · 2 Corinthians 5:19 · Mark 3:13-19 |

Readings

Reading citations through May 31, 2027 are as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar. Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.

[January 20 St. Sebastian](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-sebastian/) [January 22 St. Vincent of Saragossa](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-vincent-of-saragossa/)

[All the saints of January](https://blessbible.app/saints/january/) [Born on January 21?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#01-21) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/)

Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here.

St. Agnes

Feast day January 21

On this page

1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-agnes/#life)
2. [Patron of](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-agnes/#patron)
3. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-agnes/#calendar)

In the app

Bless shows a saint every day on its Today screen, with their life and their words. Free on iPhone.