The love story of Saint Cecilia and her husband is recounted in a religious romance which circulated in Greece during the 4th century A.
Both brothers devoted their lives giving proper burials to the saints who were persecuted and killed by the prefect of their city, Turcius Almachius. Valerian and Tibertius were eventually arrested for their subversive activities and brought before Turcius Almachius. He ordered them to make a sacrifice to the pagan gods but they refused and for this they were executed.
While her husband and brother-in-law were giving burials, Saint Cecilia devoted her time to her own ministry. She preached about the good news and was able to convert over people. Most of these converts were baptized by Pope Urban. Saint Cecilia eventually faced persecution for her efforts but she miraculously survived many of the torturous acts inflicted upon her. First, she was arrested and condemned to be suffocated in the baths. She was shut inside the bathhouse for one night and even when the fires were stoked, she was alive when her persecutors opened the doors.
When the city prefect found out about this, he sent an executioner to cut off her head. The executioner struck Saint Cecilia three times but was unable to decapitate her.
Saint Cecilia was left bleeding and she lived for three more days. During the final three days of her life, Saint Cecilia continued to preach or offer her prayers to the crowds who had gathered around her. On the third day, she passed away and was buried by Pope Urban and his deacons. Saint Cecilia was buried at the Catacombs of St. Her remains were later transferred to the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. Her namesake church is reportedly built on the site of the house where she lived.
When church officials exhumed her body in they found her to be incorrupt. Saint Cecilia gained many followers during the Middle Ages in Europe.
Songs, poetry and works of art were created in her honor. Saint Cecilia is honored as the patron saint of music and she is a symbol of the central role of music in liturgy. It is said that she heard heavenly music when she was married.
Because of her ties to music, she is often depicted in art, statues and religious items with a harp, organ or other musical instruments. Officials exhumed her body in and found her to be incorrupt, the first of all incurrupt saints. She was draped in a silk veil and wore a gold embroidered dress. Officials only looked through the veil in an act of holy reverence and made no further examinations. They also reported a "mysterious and delightful flower-like odor which proceeded from the coffin.
Cecilia's remains were transferred to Cecilia's titular church in Trastevere and placed under the high altar. Copyright Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.
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Search Catholic Online. We ask you, humbly, to help. Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. Thank you. She is said to have been quite close to God and prayed often: In the city of Rome there was a virgin named Cecilia, who came from an extremely rich family and was given in marriage to a youth named Valerian.
She wore sackcloth next to her skin, fasted, and invoked the saints, angels, and virgins, beseeching them to guard her virginity During her wedding ceremony she was said to have sung in her heart to God and before the consummation of her nuptials, she told her husband she had taken a vow of virginity and had an angel protecting her.
One is the Faith of the Christians. There is one holy and true Baptism. With joy, the young Valerian received holy Baptism at the hands of the bishop. The newly-illumined Valerian, on returning to Cecilia, found her conversing with a holy angel.
The angel brought with him from Paradise two crowns of redolent 3 roses and lilies. As an unfeigned sign that these are heavenly crowns and not earthly ones, their scent shall never diminish, nor shall their leaves wither. Moreover, no one, save those who guard prudence and wisdom, and believe in Christ, such as yourselves, may behold these crowns.
He shall fulfill your request, so that together you might come quickly to Paradise. He sensed the sweet and delightful fragrance, and marveled.
If you will believe in Him as we do, you shall also be allowed to behold two beautiful and fragrant crowns of flowers which were brought from Paradise this day.
The true God is on high, in the heavens, Who made all the world and governs all things, visible and invisible. He too will grant you to behold him, if you will be baptized in the name of Christ Who was crucified for sinners. Moreover, you must also despise the evil and empty idols.
Therefore, go with your brother to find Archbishop Urban, that he may confer on you divine Baptism. Therefore, I am afraid that if we are found in his company, they shall imprison and slay us along with him!
However, since we are going to another life, to be glad and rejoice with the Master forevermore, it is not fitting that we should cower at temporal death. Thereafter, follows inevitable death which translates the undying soul of the righteous unto joy unending. The sinner, however, is carried off to inexorable afflictions and unceasing torment.
He was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and became man, taking flesh from the all-immaculate Virgin Mary. He wrought remarkable miracles, raising the dead, healed the paralytics, and cured every other sickness. He walked on the water as on dry land; He gave light to the blind, and other more marvelous works did He do by His divine and almighty power. If you prefer temporal pleasures, empty glory, and corruptible wealth, tomorrow you will die and go to unending torment.
Let us be off, brother Valerian, to that holy man, so he may baptize me the sooner, so I might inherit eternal life! Bishop Urban then baptized Tiburtius, who was given many spiritual gifts with holy Baptism, including beholding the angel.
At that time, in Rome, there was a harsh and savage eparch, named Dalmatius. He submitted the Christians to diverse chastisements and torments. He would then put them to a merciless death, casting their relics out into the open square, not giving leave for their burial. He used these inhuman measures to instill fear among the Christian faithful, so they might not confess the all-august name of Christ. Undaunted, Valerian, Cecilia and Tiburtius, by night, buried the relics clandestinely.
The holy threesome also bestowed alms abundantly on the Christians who, for fear of the idolaters, went into hiding. Many nights passed as they interred the relics, but one night they were seen and reported to the eparch.
Dalmatius ordered the jailing of the brothers. They were remanded to Maximus, an imperial official, who was instructed to guard them carefully. Therefore, do not shrink back before temporal death, but contest lawfully to receive the unfading crown from the hand of the Lord.
At that same moment, Maximus was commanded by the eparch to lead the prisoners outside the city, to a certain temple of the idols.
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