Background
St. Cecilia was born in second or third century. She is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs, even if the familiar stories about her are apparently not founded on authentic material.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Saint Cecilia
Edit Profile
Career
Her cult as patroness of musicians is probably to be ascribed to a medieval misreading of a statement in her Acts, taken to imply that she played the organ. According to the same fifth-century Acts, she was a patrician of Rome and was brought up a Christian. Her father gave her in marriage to a patrician named Valerian, but she had determined to remain a virgin, dedicated to God, and told Valerian that she had an angel of God as her spouse; Valerian, upon believing and being baptized, saw the angel at her side and respected her virginity. The story ends with the martyrdom of Cecilia and Valerian. Of Cecilia and Valerian nothing is certain beyond their martyrdom and their burial in Rome. Cecilia was buried in the crypt of the Cecilii at the catacomb of St. Callistus, and Valerian in the cemetery of Praetextatus. St. Cecilia's Feast is November 22.
Achievements
-
Cecilia symbolizes the central role of music to the liturgy. Located on the Isle of Wight, St. Cecilia's Abbey was founded in 1882. The nuns live a traditional monastic life of prayer, work, and study in accordance with the ancient Rule of St. Benedict. The famous luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume produce a line of violin and viola under the name St. Cécile with a decal stamped on the upper back.
