3 April
It’s the feast day of Agape, Irene, and Chionia, saints from the ancient Roman city Aquileia in Italy. The orphaned sisters were martyred at Thessalonica in AD 304. Agape and Chionia were charged with refusing to eat sacrificial offerings; Irene for keeping Christian books in violation of Roman law.
Their sentence was read by the governor Dulcetius: “I condemn Agape and Chionia to be burnt alive, for having out of malice and obstinacy acted in contradiction to the divine edicts of our lords the emperors and Cæsars, and who at present profess the rash and false religion of Christians, which all pious persons abhor.”
Irene, for concealing sacred writings was given this sentence: “… Irene, though you were condemned to death before your flight for having hid these writings, I will not have you die so suddenly; but I order that you be exposed naked in a brothel, and be allowed one loaf a day, to be sent you from the palace; and that the guards do not suffer you to stir out of it one moment, under pain of death to them.”
The sentence was executed, but no man approached her, nor did they say or do any indecency to her.
Finally, since Irene persisted in her defiance of the emperor, the governor declared: “Since Irene will not obey the emperor's orders and sacrifice to the gods, but, on the contrary, persists still in the religion of the Christians, I order her to be immediately burnt alive, as her sisters have been.”