I suspect many people, like us, have walked by this church on numerous occasions on many visits to Rome simply enjoying the Piazza and Bernini's fabulous Fountain of Four Rivers which is directly in front. But today seeing other people entering we finally did a little bit of research and went in for a look. This is a fine late 17th century Baroque church, handsome outside and stunning in with a superb dome and many fine artworks. But for me the most interest was in the story of the lady herself - Saint Agnes, the patron saint of girls and chastity. As an early virgin martyr she's a big deal for the catholic church, even mentioned by name in the canon of the mass. Legend has it she was martyred on the spot the church was built on around 304 AD when she was around twelve years old.There's an amazing number of legends attached to her death; as she was dragged naked through the streets her hair rapidly grew to cover her body and protect her modesty, those men who tried to rape her were struck blind, the wood under her stake at her execution wouldn't catch fire, etc. Finally the Roman officer in charge got sick of all these miracles and drew his sword and cut her head off. Well if you want to be a martyr, someone's eventually going to oblige.... By the by, the Agone in the church's title doesn't refer to her agony, but to the name of the Piazza (Navone and Agone are both derived from a roman term related to the competitions that took place in the stadium that originally stood here). I guess the point I'm making with this review is that while there's absolutely nothing wrong with admiring these kinds of attractions for the beauty of their architecture and art, that it's possible to get considerably more out of your visit with a bit of reading beforehand. So spare a thought for poor young Saint Agnes while you're admiring the beauty of this fine church.