St. Cecilia is one of the most venerated martyrs from early Christianity, one of the few who is invoked in a Eucharistic prayer during the celebration of the Mass. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians and some of her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame’s campus.

There are few historically verifiable details from Cecilia’s biography, but legends that pass on the story of her life have endured through the ages. A famous church in Cecilia’s honor was built in Rome, Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, traditionally believed to be built over the site of her home, and Cecilia’s body rests there.

While Cecilia was still young, her parents arranged a marriage for her with a wealthy Roman named Valerian, who was not a Christian. It is said that when she heard the music play around her during her raucous Roman wedding celebration, Cecilia barely noticed, as she was singing a hymn of love in her heart for Jesus the entire time. Cecilia had committed herself as a spouse to Christ before her marriage to Valerian. This is one of the legends that caused her to be invoked as a patron saint of musicians.

On their wedding night, Cecilia told Valerian of her commitment to God and taught him the Christian faith. Valerian converted that very night, requesting to be baptized along with his brother.

Valerian and his brother were both wealthy Roman citizens, thus, after their conversion, they dedicated their fortune to support Christian families who had suffered the death of a loved one in martyrdom. Eventually, the two brothers were captured and sentenced to death. The soldier charged with killing them was converted by their great faith, however, and, instead of killing them, took them into his house, begging that they would baptize him and his whole family.

The next day, Valerian, his brother, and the soldier were all beheaded. Cecilia made sure they were buried properly and distributed the goods of their households among the poor.

Eventually, Cecilia herself was captured for her bold proclamation of the faith and she was condemned to die by suffocation in steam baths. Despite remaining in the baths for a day and a half, Cecilia remained unharmed and able to breathe freely.

Legend has it that a soldier was sent to behead Cecilia, but after the three blows of the sword allowed by law, her head was not severed. She appeared incapacitated but peaceful, joyfully awaiting her death and union with Christ. Faithful friends gathered around her and waited with her until she died three days later. She was buried by the pope himself.

In 1599, when Cecilia’s body was exhumed from under the church in Rome, it was reportedly found incorrupt, as though she had just been laid in the ground. Sculptor Stefano Maderno witnessed the body’s uncovering, and his famous sculpture, The Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia, reportedly records the body as he first saw it lying there.

Some of St. Cecilia’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica and she is also depicted there in the stained glass windows, seen to the left and right. Her feast day is celebrated on November 22nd. Click to read John Dryden’s famous poem, “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day, 1687.”

St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians—pray for us!