Cecilia

ancestor sky Catholic single tradition · 1

Cecilia was a noble woman of Rome who was martyred around 230 CE under Emperor Alexander Severus, though some sources place her death in Sicily between 176 and 180 CE under Marcus Aurelius. She is venerated as the patron saint of musicians because during her forced marriage to the pagan nobleman Valerian, she sat apart singing to God in her heart. After her martyrdom by sword, her body was found incorrupt in 1599, appearing as if simply sleeping.

When

First attested
176 CE
Attested period
176 – 2020
Historical notes
Feast day celebrated since about the fourth century; historical existence confirmed though some biographical details are considered pious fiction from fifth-sixth centuries.

Relationships

consort of
Valerian

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

wikipedia (1)

Source passages

“Cecilia was a noble woman of Rome who, with her husband Valerian, his brother Tiburtius, and a Roman soldier named Maximus, was martyred about 230, under the Emperor Alexander Severus...she was later declared the saint of musicians.”

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