Daily Saint

The “age of reason” refers to the point in childhood when a person is considered capable of distinguishing right from wrong and making a deliberate, free-will choice to follow God. While the “age of reason” is traditionally considered to be seven years old, St. Agnes had already left childhood games behind by the age of four, spending hours in secluded prayer. Her desire to serve God in the religious life began when, at age six, she asked her parents to let her enter the convent. This demonstrated a level of spiritual clarity and intent usually reserved for older individuals. Her parents initially refused because she was too young, but they eventually allowed her to join the Sisters of the Sack in Montepulciano at nine years old. Although her parents consented, she still needed special permission from the pope because Church law required a higher age of entry. Early entry into her vocation set the stage for her remarkably rapid advancement; she was appointed abbess at 15, once again with special papal approval.

The body of St. Agnes of Montepulciano did not decompose. After her death, her limbs remained supple, and her body was found to be intact when moved years later. Her body emitted a pleasant, sweet aroma, and a mysterious, fragrant liquid was reported to flow from her hands and feet. While her body was temporarily moved to Orvieto in 1435, it was later returned to the convent she founded in Montepulciano. Incorruption has traditionally been viewed by the Church as a sign of purity and holiness, although not a requirement for sainthood. In St. Agnes’s case, the preservation of her body strengthened devotion to her and affirmed the testimony of those who witnessed her virtuous life and miraculous intercession. The incorrupt body of St. Agnes of Montepulciano is venerated in the Santuario di Sant’Agnesse (Church of St. Agnes) in Montepulciano, Italy, where it is preserved in a glass case above the high altar.