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= Saint Cecilia =
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Introduction
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Saint Cecilia () was a Roman martyr venerated in Catholic, Orthodox,
Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden.
She became the patroness of music and musicians, it being written
that, as the musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia "sang in her
heart to the Lord". Musical compositions are dedicated to her, and
her feast, on 22 November, is the occasion of concerts and musical
festivals.

St Cecilia is one of several virgin martyrs commemorated by name in
the Canon of the Mass in the Latin Church. The church of Santa Cecilia
in Trastevere, founded in the 3rd century by Pope Urban I, is believed
to be on the site of the house where she lived and died.

Life
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It is popularly supposed that Cecilia was a noble lady of Rome who,
with her husband Valerian, his brother Tiburtius, and a Roman soldier
named Maximus, suffered martyrdom in about 230, under the Emperor
Alexander Severus. Giovanni Battista de Rossi, however, argues that
instead she perished in Sicily under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius
between 176 and 180, citing the report of Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop
of Poitiers (d. 600).

According to the story, despite her vow of virginity, her parents
forced her to marry a pagan nobleman named Valerian. During the
wedding, Cecilia sat apart singing to God in her heart, and for that,
she was later declared the saint of musicians. When the time came for
her marriage to be consummated, Cecilia told Valerian that watching
over her was an angel of the Lord, who would punish him if he sexually
violated her but would love him if he respected her virginity. When
Valerian asked to see the angel, Cecilia replied that he could see the
angel if he would go to the third milestone on the Via Appia and be
baptized by Pope Urban I. After following Cecilia's advice, he saw the
angel standing beside her, crowning her with a chaplet of roses and
lilies.
The martyrdom of Cecilia is said to have followed that of her husband
Valerian and his brother at the hands of the prefect Turcius
Almachius. The legend about Cecilia's death says that after being
struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days,
and asked the pope to convert her home into a church.

St. Cecilia was buried in the Catacomb of Callixtus and later
transferred to the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. In 1599, her
body was found still incorrupt, seeming to be asleep.

Cecilia is one of the most famous Roman martyrs, although some
elements of the stories recounted about her do not appear in the
source material. According to Johann Peter Kirsch, the existence of
the martyr is a historical fact. At the same time, some details bear
the mark of a pious romance, like many other similar accounts compiled
in the fifth and sixth centuries. The relation between Cecilia and
Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus, mentioned in the Acts of the
Martyrs, has some historical foundation. Her feast day has been
celebrated since about the fourth century. There is no mention of
Cecilia in the 'Depositio Martyrum', but there is a record of an early
Roman church founded by a lady of this name, Santa Cecilia in
Trastevere.

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
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The church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is reputedly built on the
site of the house in which she lived. The original church was
constructed in the fourth century; during the ninth century, Pope
Paschal I had remains that were supposedly hers buried there. In 1599,
while leading a renovation of the church, Cardinal Paolo Emilio
Sfondrati had the remains, which he reported to be incorrupt,
excavated and reburied.

Name
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The name "Cecilia" applied generally to Roman women who belonged to
the plebeian clan of the Caecilii. Legends and hagiographies,
mistaking it for a personal name, suggest fanciful etymologies. Among
those cited by Chaucer in "The Second Nun's Tale" are: lily of heaven,
the way for the blind, contemplation of heaven and the active life, as
if lacking in blindness, and a heaven for people to gaze upon.

Patroness of musicians
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The first record of a music festival in her honour was held at Évreux
in Normandy in 1570.

The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome is one of the oldest
musical institutions in the world. It was founded by the papal bull,
'Ratione congruit', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two
saints prominent in Western musical history: Gregory the Great, after
whom Gregorian chant is named, and Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of
music.

Her feast day became an occasion for musical concerts and festivals
that occasioned well-known poems by John Dryden and Alexander Pope and
music by Henry Purcell ('Ode to St. Cecilia'); several oratorios by
Marc-Antoine Charpentier ('In honorem Caeciliae, Valeriani et Tiburtij
canticum'; and several versions of 'Caecilia virgo et martyr' to
libretti probably written by Philippe Goibaut); George Frideric Handel
('Ode for St. Cecilia's Day'; 'Alexander's Feast'); Charles Gounod
('St. Cecilia Mass'); as well as Benjamin Britten, who was born on her
feast day ('Hymn to St Cecilia', based on a poem by W. H. Auden).
Herbert Howells' 'A Hymn to Saint Cecilia' has words by Ursula Vaughan
Williams; Gerald Finzi's "For Saint Cecilia", Op. 30, was set to
verses written by Edmund Blunden; Michael Hurd's 1966 composition "A
Hymn to Saint Cecilia" sets John Dryden's poem; and Frederik Magle's
'Cantata to Saint Cecilia' is based on the history of Cecilia. 'The
Heavenly Life', a poem from 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn' (which Gustav
Mahler used in his 'Symphony No. 4') mentions that "Cecilia and all
her relations make excellent court musicians."

From the name of Cecilia comes 'Cecyliada', the name of the festival
of sacred, choral, and contemporary music, held from 1994 in Police,
Poland.

Legacy
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Cecilia symbolizes the central role of music in the liturgy.

The Cistercian nuns of the convent nearby Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
shear lambs' wool to be woven in the palliums of new metropolitan
archbishops. The lambs are raised by the Trappists of the Abbey Tre
Fontane in Rome. The Pope blesses the lambs every 21 January, the
Feast of Saint Agnes. The pallia are given by the Pope to the new
metropolitan archbishops on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, 29
June.

Located on the Isle of Wight, St. Cecilia's Abbey, Ryde 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 produces a line of violin
and viola under the name St. Cécile with a decal stamped on the upper
back.

Cecilia is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on
22 November.

Iconography
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Cecilia is frequently depicted playing the viola, a small organ, or
other musical instruments, evidently to express what was often
attributed to her, namely that while the musicians played at her
nuptials, she sang in her heart to God, though the organ may be
misattributed to her, as the result of a mistranslation.

A miniature Saint Cecilia beneath Worcester Cathedral was featured on
the reverse side of the Sir Edward Elgar £20 banknote, which was
withdrawn by the Bank of England in 2010.

Renaissance, baroque and classical music
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* Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed four 'Histoires sacrées' using a
text thought to have been written by his colleague Philippe Goibaut
des Bois La Grugère:
** 'In honorem Caeciliae, Valeriani et Tiburtij canticum' H.394 for
three voices, two treble instruments, and continuo (1675 ?).
** 'Caecilia virgo et martyr' octo vocibus H.397 for soloists, double
chorus, double orchestra, and continuo (1677-78).
** 'Caecilia virgo et martyr,' H.413 for soloists, chorus, and two
treble instruments (1683-85).
** 'Caecilia virgo et martyr' H.415 - H.415 a for soloists, chorus,
and two treble instruments (1686).
* Henry Purcell, Ode for saint Cécila's Day "Hail! Bright Cecilia"
(1692) and Welcome to all the pleasures.
* Sébastien de Brossard, "Canticle for Saint Cécila" SdB.9 (1720 ?)
* Alessandro Scarlatti 'Il martirio di santa Cecilia', oratorio donné
pour la première fois le 1er mars 1708; 'Messa di Santa
Cecilia'(1720).
* Georg Friedrich Haendel composed two works for Saint Cecilia with
John Dryden: The Oratorio Alexander's Feast or The Power of Music
(1736) and Ode for St. Cecilia's Day (1739).
* Joseph Haydn, 'Missa Sanctae Caeciliae' ou 'Missa Cellensis in
honorem Beatissimae Virginis Mariae (1766-67).'

Contemporary music
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* Judith Shatin wrote 'The Passion of Saint Cecilia' for piano and
orchestra and 'Fantasy on Saint Cecilia' for solo piano.
* Fred Momotenko composed '"Cecilia"', a composition for full mixed
choir, "a hymn to the past as well as to the future of the monastic
tradition". The world premiere was at Koningshoeven Abbey on Saint
Cecilia's feast day, 2014.
* Benjamin Britten wrote a Hymn to St Cecilia, a setting for the poem
by W. H. Auden.
* Paul Simon wrote the 1970 song "Cecilia" which title refers to the
patron saint of music.
* Lou Harrison wrote his Mass for St. Cecilia's Day for choir, harp,
and drone (1983-86).
* Stalk-Forrest Group (later name changed to Blue Öyster Cult),
recorded a song St. Cecilia, the EP was later released under the SFG
name as the St.Cecilia sessions.
* Arvo Pärt was commissioned to compose a work for the Great Jubilee
in Rome in 2000, and wrote (Cecilia, Roman virgin) for mixed choir
and orchestra. The Italian text deals with the saint's life and
martyrdom. It was first performed on 19 November 2000, close to her
feast day, by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by
Myung-whun Chung.
* Gerald Finzi composed "For St. Cecilia" for solo tenor, chorus
(SATB), and orchestra. Setting of a work by English poet and author
Edmund Blunden. Duration ca 18 minutes.
* Herbert Howells composed his "A Hymn for Saint Cecilia" for choir
and organ in 1960, as commissioned by the Worshipful Company of
Musicians, with a text by Ursula Vaughan Williams.
* On the 2015 Feast of Saint Cecilia, Foo Fighters released their EP
"Saint Cecilia" for free download via their website. The five-song EP
features a track named after the EP "Saint Cecilia". The EP was
recorded during an impromptu studio session at Hotel Saint Cecilia
located in Austin, Texas.
* 'Informator Choristarum' (organist and master of the choristers) at
Magdalen College, Oxford (1957-1981), Bernard Rose's unaccompanied
anthem for SATB choir (with divisions) 'Feast Song For St. Cecilia'
(1974) is a setting a poem of the same name by his son, musician
Gregory Rose.
*E. Florence Whitlock composed 'Ode to St. Cecilia, Opus 5', based on
text by John Dryden, in 1958.
* Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist, Rik Emmett, composed the song "Calling
St. Cecilia" on his 1992 LP Ipso Facto.
* Blue Öyster Cult release song “The Return of St. Cecilia” on their
2020 album “The Symbol Remains”
* The Chicago band Turnt (now known as Everybody All The Time)
released a song called Girls which refers to St Cecilia in the lyrics.
The song was first performed at Northwestern University's Mayfest
Battle of the Bands on Friday 24 May 2013 at 27 Live in downtown
Evanston.
* On 2008 Brian Eno's and David Byrne's album "Everything That Happens
Will Happen Today", Cecilia is referred to in the song "The River".
* Iceage release song “Dear Saint Cecilia” on their 2021 album Seek
Shelter

In literature
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* The poem "Moschus Moschiferus", by Australian poet A. D. Hope
(1907-2000), is subtitled "A Song for St Cecilia's Day". The poem is
of 12 stanzas and was written in the 1960s.
* Cecilia is also the subject of Alexander Pope's poem "Ode on St.
Cecilia's Day".
* Geoffrey Chaucer retells the story of Cecilia and Valerian and his
brother in "The Second Nun's Tale" in 'The Canterbury Tales'.
* Cecilia is a symbol for the divine power of music in Heinrich von
Kleist's extended anecdote "St. Cecilia, or the Power of Music".
* Saint Cecilia features in the 1979 collection of short stories by
Angela Carter "The Bloody Chamber" in the story of the same name.

Gallery
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File:Lelio Orsi 003.jpg|'Saint Cecilia and Saint Valerian', Lelio Orsi
(c. 1555)
File:Domenichino.jpg|Domenichino, 'Saint Cecilia with an angel holding
a musical score', (c. 1617-18).
File:Monvoisin, Raymond - Santa Cecilia -ost 77x63 PinUnConcep
f03.jpg|'Saint Cecilia' by Raymond Monvoisin
File:CeciliaCrownsItalianMaster.jpg|'An Angel Crowning Saints Cecilia
and Valerian' (1330s)
File:StaCeciliaCeciliaStatue.jpg|Statue from the porch of St. Cecilia,
Trastevere
File:CeciliaMaderno.jpg|Stefano Maderno, 'St. Cecilia', 1599
File:Saint Cecilia Wymondley.jpg|'Saint Cecilia Wymondley'
File:All Saints church, Preston Bagot - Saint Cecilia stained glass
window 2016.jpg|'Saint Cecilia' stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones in
All Saints church, Preston Bagot
File:Franciscan-Sisters-Saint-Cecilia-window-vocations-fscc-calledtobe.org.jpg|Franciscan
Sisters' Saint Cecilia window inspires vocations at Saint Mary's
Chapel, Holy Family Convent Motherhouse in Manitowoc, WI

Image:CeciliaCrownsDomenichino.jpg|'The Crowns'
File:Domenichino - St Cecilia before the Judge -
WGA06407.jpg|'Cecilia's Trial'
File:CeciliaAlms.jpg|'She distributes her goods to the poor'
File:Death of Saint Cecilia.jpg|'Her death'

Image:StaCeciliaApseMosaic.jpg|The apse
Image:StaCeciliaApseMosaic.left.jpg|Detail: left side
Image:ApseMosaic.right.jpg|Detail: right side

See also
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* Albi Cathedral, Albi, France
* List of Christian women of the patristic age
* St. Cecilia Cathedral, Omaha, Nebraska, United States
* St. Cäcilien, Cologne, Germany
* St. Cecilia Catholic School, Houston, Texas, United States
* Saint Cecilia, patron saint archive
* Santa Cecilia Chapel, Għajnsielem, Gozo, Malta
* Santa Cecilia Tower, Għajnsielem, Gozo, Malta
* The Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia by Raphael, Pinacoteca Nazionale di
Bologna, Bologna, Italy
* Basilique-Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile, Salaberry-de-valleyfield,
Quebec, Canada

External links
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*[http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=34 Catholic Online
- Saints and Angels: 'St. Cecilia']

License
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Cecilia