It is said that during Diocletian’s Christian persecution (between 303 and 313 A.D.) a young woman named Agnes, for having refused the love of the son of the Prefect of Rome, was exposed naked as a punishment in the place where prostitutes used to gather. Legend has it that the young woman, who had taken a vow of chastity, miraculously grew hair until it covered her entire body. In that place the church was built in her honour.
The oldest structure dates back to the eighth century, but was rebuilt several times, until it was replaced in 1652 with the majestic church that you can still admire today. Pope Innocent X entrusted the work to Girolamo and Carlo Rainaldi, who were later replaced by Borromini, who worked on it from 1653 to 1657, following the initial project, except for the façade which he gave a particular vertical thrust.
The interior is very luminous, full of gold and decorative marbles, and is distinguished by the verticalism impressed on the structures that support the dome.
