Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
admin | 22 November 2024The collect for today, the Feast of St. Cecilia (3rd century), Virgin, Martyr (source):
Gracious God, whose servant Cecilia didst serve thee in song: Grant us to join her hymn of praise to thee in the face of all adversity, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lesson: Revelation 15:1-4
The Gospel: St. Luke 10:38-42
According to Cecilia’s late 5th-century Legend, she was a Roman martyr of the early 3rd century. However, she is not mentioned in any 3rd- or 4th-century Christian martyrologies or other writings, so almost nothing about her is known for certain.
Her Legend says that she was betrothed without her consent to a pagan nobleman, but refused to consummate the marriage because she had dedicated herself to God. Her husband and his brother both became Christians and were martyred. Cecilia was subsequently brought before the authorities and martyred for refusing to sacrifice to Roman gods.
A church built in the Trastavere district of Rome in the 5th century by a wealthy widow named Cecilia became associated with the saint. The church of Saint Cecilia-in-Trastavere, soon reputed to have been the site of Cecilia’s martyrdom, was rebuilt in the 9th century. Important artworks were added in medieval and modern times, including a fresco of The Last Judgment (1289-93) by Pietro Cavallini. A life-size marble statue of a girl lying on her side, as if asleep, entitled The Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia, by Stefano Maderno, was completed in 1601 and placed in front of the high altar.
Cecilia has been patron saint of music and of musicians since at least the Middle Ages. This connection originated from the 5th-century account of her marriage, where, as the organs played, she is said to have silently sung, “O let my heart be unsullied, so that I be not confounded”.
She was chosen patron of the Academy of Music in Rome (founded 1584) and many other musical organisations. In artwork, she is often depicted with an organ or other musical instrument.
Artwork: Wilhelm Volz, Saint Cecilia, 1893. Oil on canvas, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany.
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