Saint Cecilia (Latin:Sancta Caecilia), also spelledCecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated inCatholic,Orthodox,Anglican, and someLutheran churches, such as theChurch of Sweden.[2] She became the patron of music and musicians, it being written that, as the musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia "sang in her heart to the Lord".[3][4] Musical compositions are dedicated to her, and her feast, on 22 November,[5] is the occasion of concerts and musical festivals. She is also known asCecilia of Rome.
Saint Cecilia is one of several virgin martyrs commemorated by name in theCanon of the Mass in theLatin Church. The church ofSanta Cecilia in Trastevere, founded in the 3rd century by PopeUrban I, is believed to be on the site of the house where she lived and died.
According to the story, despite her vow of virginity, her parents forced her to marry a pagan nobleman namedValerian. During the wedding, Cecilia sat apart singing to God in her heart, and for that, she was later declared the saint of musicians.[4] When the time came for her marriage to be consummated, Cecilia told Valerian that watching over her was anangel 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 theVia Appia and be baptized byPope Urban I. After following Cecilia's advice, he saw the angel standing beside her, crowning her with a wreath of roses and lilies.[4]
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.[9] According to an ancient tradition, 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.[10]
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.[10] According toJohann Peter Kirsch, the existence of the martyr is a historical fact. At the same time, some details bear the mark of a pious fiction, like many other similar accounts compiled in the fifth and sixth centuries. The relation between Cecilia and Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus, mentioned in theActs of the Martyrs, has some historical foundation. Her feast day has been celebrated since about the fourth century.[11] There is no mention of Cecilia in theDepositio Martyrum, but there is a record of an early Roman church founded by a lady of this name, Santa Cecilia inTrastevere.[12]
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, CardinalPaolo Emilio Sfondrati had the remains, which he reported to beincorrupt, excavated and reburied.[13]
The name "Cecilia" applied generally to Roman women who belonged to theplebeianclan of theCaecilii. Legends and hagiographies, mistaking it for a personal name, suggest fanciful etymologies. Among those cited byChaucer in "The Second Nun's Tale" are: lily of heaven, the way for the blind, contemplation ofheaven and the active life, as if lacking in blindness, and a heaven for people to gaze upon.[14]
Cecilia symbolizes the central role of music in the liturgy.[10]
The Cisterciannuns of the convent nearby Santa Cecilia in Trastevere shear lambs' wool to be woven in thepalliums of new metropolitan archbishops. The lambs are raised by theTrappists of the AbbeyTre Fontane in Rome. The Pope blesses the lambs every 21 January, the Feast ofSaint Agnes. The pallia are given by the Pope to the new metropolitan archbishops on theSolemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June.
Cecilia is frequently depicted playing the viola, aportative organ, or other musical instruments,[10] 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. The organ, however, may be misattributed to her[11] as the result of a mistranslation,[24] though this is denied by the Italian musicologist and organistDomenico Morgante.[25]
Georg Friedrich Händel composed two works for Saint Cecilia withJohn 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 ouMissa Cellensis in honorem Beatissimae Virginis Mariae (1766–67).
Judith Shatin wroteThe Passion of Saint Cecilia for piano and orchestra[30] andFantasy on Saint Cecilia[31] for solo piano.[32]
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 atKoningshoeven Abbey on Saint Cecilia's feast day, 2014.[33]
Paul Simon wrote the 1970 song "Cecilia" which title refers to the patron saint of music.[34] The song's chorus line was sampled byThe Vamps in their 2014 singleOh Cecilia.
Stalk-Forrest Group (later name changed to Blue Öyster Cult), recorded the song "St. Cecilia". The EP was later released under the SFG name as theSt. Cecilia Sessions.
Gerald Finzi composed "For St. Cecilia" for solo tenor, chorus (SATB), and orchestra. Setting of a work by English poet and authorEdmund Blunden. Duration ca 18 minutes.
On the 2015 Feast of Saint Cecilia,Foo Fighters released their EPSaint Cecilia for free download via their website. The five-song EP features the title song "Saint Cecilia". The EP was recorded during an impromptu studio session at Hotel Saint Cecilia located in Austin, Texas.[37]
Informator Choristarum (organist and master of the choristers) atMagdalen 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.[citation needed]
E. Florence Whitlock composedOde to St. Cecilia, Opus 5, based on text by John Dryden, in 1958.[38]
Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist, Rik Emmett, composed the song "Calling St. Cecilia" on his 1992 LPIpso Facto.[citation needed]
In the pop operaBare, the catholic school is named St. Cecilia's.[39]
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.[40]
The poem "Moschus Moschiferus", by Australian poetA. 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.
In the scripted comedy podcast "Confessions of a Catholic Single" the main character is named Cecilia, after the Saint. One of the other main characters is named Agnes, after St. Agnes of Rome.
In the 2025 mockumentary filmSpinal Tap II: The End Continues, the band’s promoter Simon Howler claims he suffers from so-called St. Cecilia’s Curse making him unable to comprehend music.
^abcdeFr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI (1997). "St. Cecilia".My First Book of Saints. Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate – Quality Catholic Publications. pp. 280–282.ISBN978-971-91595-4-4.
^Verspaandonk, J. A. J. M. (1975).Het hemels prentenboek: Devotie- en bidprentjes vanaf de 17e eeuw tot het begin van de 20e eeuw. Hilversum: Gooi en Sticht. p. 15.
^Domenico Morgante,«Cantantibus» o «Candentibus» organis?, in“Musica”, n. 324 (marzo 2021), pp. 50-54.
^The Gentleman's Journal, or Monthly Miscellany, November 1692, cited inRimbault's edition, London: Musical Antiquarian Society Publications, 1848, p. 2.
Connolly, Thomas (1995).Mourning into Joy: Music, Raphael, and Saint Cecilia. Yale.ISBN9780300059014.
Hanning, Barbara Russano (2004). "From Saint to Muse: Representations of Saint Cecilia in Florence".Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography.29 (1–2):91–103.ISSN1522-7464.
Lovewell, B.E. (1898).The Life of St. Cecilia. Yale Studies in English. Boston: Lamson, Wolffe, and Company.
Luckett, Richard (1972–1973). "St. Cecilia and Music".Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association.99:15–30.doi:10.1093/jrma/99.1.15.
Mason, Daniel Gregory (1917). F. H. Martens; M. W. Cochran; W. D. Darby) (eds.).A Dictionary-Index of Musicians. The Art of Music: A Comprehensive Library of Information for Music Lovers and Musicians. New York: National Society of Music.
Meine, Sabine (2004). "Cecilia without a Halo: The Changing MusicalVirtues".Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography.29 (1–2):104–112.ISSN1522-7464.
Rice, John A. (2022).Saint Cecilia in the Renaissance: The Emergence of a Musical Icon. University of Chicago Press.ISBN9780226817101.
White, Bryan (2019).Music for St Cecilia's Day from Purcell to Handel. Boydell.ISBN9781783273478.
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