Name day
Agape: Name Day and Patron Saint
Agape keeps the name day on 17 September, or 30 September on the Old Calendar: the feast of Sts Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love.
- Patron saint
- Sts Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love
- New Calendar
- 17 September
- Old Calendar
- 30 September
- Next name day
- 17 September 2027 (New Calendar) · 30 September 2027 (Old Calendar)
- In the feast calendar
- The feasts of September
The patron saint: Sts Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love
Kept on 17 September, or 30 September on the Old Calendar · Holy Martyrs Sophia and her daughters Faith, Hope and Love
St Sophia was a devout Christian widow of Italy who brought up her three daughters in the love of Christ and named them for the three virtues of which St Paul speaks: Faith, who was twelve, Hope, who was ten, and Love, who was nine. She taught them less by words than by her own life of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In the reign of the emperor Hadrian an official denounced the family, and they were brought to Rome. The emperor first tried kindness and the comforts of a palace, then threats, but the girls would not offer sacrifice to the goddess Artemis. One after another they were beaten, put to fire and boiling pitch, and at last beheaded, while their mother stood by and strengthened them to the end. Sophia was spared bodily torment, but not the sight of her children’s suffering. She carried their bodies outside the city, buried them on a high hill, and sat praying at their grave for three days; on the third day she gave up her soul to the Lord, and the faithful laid her beside her daughters. The Church counts her among the martyrs for the grief she bore with faith and thanksgiving. Their feast on 17 September (30 September on the Old Calendar) is among the most loved in the Orthodox year. Mothers ask St Sophia’s prayers for their children, and the faithful turn to the holy family in sorrow, asking for the faith, hope and love whose names the three young martyrs carried.
What the faithful pray for
- mothers raising their children in the faith
- children and young people, that they stand firm in Christ
- parents grieving the loss of a child
- comfort and patience in great sorrow
- growth in faith, hope and love
Agape in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Agape | |
| Greek | Αγάπη, Agapi | |
| Russian | Любовь, Lyubov, Liubov | Люба, Любочка, Любаша, Lyuba, Liuba, Lyubochka |
| Ukrainian | Любов, Liubov | |
| Bulgarian | Любов, Lyubov |
An icon for Agape
We don't carry an icon of Sts Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love yet. Ask for it below, and we will write to you when it is in.
Closest to it
Folding diptychSt Alina (Alena) of Brussels & Guardian Angel
Another holy woman$99$69
Folding diptychHoly Foremother Eve & Guardian Angel
Another holy woman$99$69
Folding diptychChrist (Zvenigorod Saviour) & Vladimir Mother of God
Christ and the Mother of God keep every Christian home$99$69
For every name: the Guardian Angel, given at baptism
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Agape
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
The St Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych is chosen, for the Guardian Angel every Orthodox Christian receives at baptism, and the name is filled in.
Other names with this saint
Questions
When is Agape’s name day?
Agape keeps the name day on 17 September on the New Calendar and on 30 September on the Old Calendar, the feast of Sts Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love.
Who is the patron saint of Agape?
Sts Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love. St Sophia was a devout Christian widow of Italy who brought up her three daughters in the love of Christ and named them for the three virtues of which St Paul speaks: Faith, who was twelve, Hope, who was ten, and Love, who was nine.
How is Agape written in other languages?
Greek: Αγάπη (Agapi), Russian: Любовь (Lyubov), Ukrainian: Любов (Liubov) and Bulgarian: Любов (Lyubov). Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for Agape?
We don’t carry an icon of Sts Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love yet, and you can ask for one on this page. Every Orthodox Christian has a Guardian Angel from baptism, so the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with the Guardian Angel diptych is always fitting.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name