Cecilia

About Cecilia

Cecilia (also spelled Cecily) was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the early 3rd century. According to her passio (martyr account), she was born into a wealthy patrician family and raised as a Christian in secret during a time of persecution. She had consecrated her virginity to God from an early age.

Her parents arranged her marriage to a young pagan nobleman named Valerian. According to tradition, during the wedding festivities, while musicians played, Cecilia sang to God in her heart, praying to preserve her virginity. This detail led to her later association with music and musicians.

On their wedding night, Cecilia revealed to Valerian that she had taken a vow of virginity and that an angel guarded her. She told him that if he respected her vow, the angel would love him, but if he violated it, the angel would punish him. Valerian asked to see the angel, and Cecilia told him he must first be baptized. Valerian agreed, was baptized by Pope Urban I, and when he returned, he saw the angel crowning Cecilia with roses and lilies.

Valerian's brother Tiburtius was also converted and baptized. Both brothers devoted themselves to burying martyred Christians, which was illegal and dangerous. They were eventually arrested and martyred for their faith. Cecilia buried their bodies and was subsequently arrested herself.

The prefect Almachius tried to force her to sacrifice to Roman gods. When she refused, he ordered her executed in her own home. She was to be suffocated in the steam of her bathhouse, but survived. A soldier was then sent to behead her, but after three blows (the legal maximum), she was still alive. She lived for three days, during which she preached and distributed her wealth to the poor, and formally established her home as a church.

Whether all historical details are accurate, Cecilia has been venerated since early times. Her tomb in the Catacombs of Callixtus was discovered in 821 AD, and she became one of the most beloved virgin martyrs, patroness of music and musicians.