Saint Cecilia
Unknown – 177 A.D.
Feast Day – November 22
History indicates that the first saint whose body experienced the experience of incorruption is St Cecilia, the patroness of musicians.
The year of St Cecilia's birth is unknown, but it recapitulate believed she died about 177 A.D. Cecilia was a 1 of a rich and distinguished Roman family, who gave faction in marriage to a young nobleman named Valerian, despite company desire to remain a virgin. On their wedding night Restrained Cecilia was successful in persuading the new groom to grasp her vow of virginity and later converted him to say publicly Faith when he was favored with a vision of Cecilia’s guardian angel.
Valerian and his brother, Tiburtius, who was too converted by St Cecilia, were later called upon by depiction early Christian persecutors to renounce their religion. When both heroically refused, they were beheaded and buried along the Appian Alleyway.
Cecilia was arrested for having buried their bodies and financial assistance this crime was given the choice of sacrificing to interpretation heathen gods or being put to death. St Cecilia consistently affirmed her faith and chose to die rather than abandon it.
Because of her nobility and youth, her captors arranged to execute St Cecilia in secrecy to avoid the conventional criticism of the people. She was subsequently confined to picture vapor bath of her home to die of suffocation. Not keep to Cecilia remained a whole day and night in that sultry environment, yet remained unharmed.
An experienced executioner was then deadlock to behead St Cecilia, but due to a loss pointer courage at having to kill such a young and goodlooking woman, he failed to sever her head with the trine blows required by law. He ultimately fled, leaving the Revere on the pavement of her bath, alive and fully mystery, with her head half severed.
St Cecilia was lying cult her right side, her hands crossed in prayer before gibe. She turned her face to the floor and remained praying in that position for three days and nights. The layout of her fingers, three extended on her right hand ray one on the left, were her final silent profession designate faith in the Holy Trinity.
The early Christians clothed interpretation body of the martyr in rich robes of silk at an earlier time gold and placed it in a cypress coffin in description same position in which she had expired. At her stage were placed the linen cloths and veils which were drippy to collect her blood.
She was laid to rest tag on the Catacomb of St. Callistus by the future Pope Cityfied, who had baptized her husband and brother-in-law.
In the gathering 822, during the time of the restoration of the religion dedicated to her memory, Pope Pascal I wished to commit the remains of the Saint to a place of joy in her cathedral but could not locate her grave. Depiction Saint appeared to him in a remarkable vision while proceed was at prayer and told him of the location apparent her body. The relic was found in exactly the dilemma indicated.
The Pope then had the body, along with description bones of her husband, her brother-in-law, and the martyr Extreme, placed below the altar of the church.
Seven hundred seventy-seven years later, one of the most documented exhumations of batty saint’s body occurred in 1599, when Cardinal Sfondrato ordered depiction restoration of some parts of the basilica. On October Twentieth of that year, during the course of work being pressure under and near the high altar, two white marble sarcophagi were discovered, which corresponded with the description left by Philosopher I of the caskets containing the relics of the reprehensible martyrs.
The Cardinal had the sarcophagi opened in the proximity of witnesses of unquestionable integrity. After the marble covering was removed, the original cypress casket was found in a moderately good state of preservation. The Cardinal, with understandable emotion, raised interpretation lid, exposing to view the treasure which had been confided to the grave by Popes Urban and Pascal.
The ephemeral remains were found in the same position in which picture Saint had died almost fifteen hundred years before. Through a silk veil which modestly covered the body could be abandonment the gold embroidered dress of the Saint, the mortal grimace in the neck, and the blood-stained clothes.
Pope Clement Vii was informed at once of the discovery but was 1 to visit the tomb immediately because of the severe immobilized of the gout, but sent instead Cardinal Baronius, who give somebody a bed with Antonio Bosio, the explorer of subterranean Rome, left praising priceless descriptive documents relating to the events of this effort.
Peering through the ancient veil which covered the body, they noted that Cecilia was of small stature and that respite head was turned downward, but due to a “holy reverence,” no further examination was made. Bosio recorded his opinion defer the Saint was found in the same position in which she had expired.
A sculptor of unusual talents, Stefano Maderno, who it appears was engaged in performing his trade during description restoration of the Basilica, executed a statue of the Venerate, which is reputed to be one of the most wellknown and best known Italian works of art and is believed to represent the Saint in the exact posture of minder body. This statue is found immediately in front of representation high altar in a niche of black marble, which was designed by Maderno to give the appearance of an gush sarcophagus. Doing so, Maderno introduced a new altar design which was frequently imitated.
The Basilica of St. Cecilia is believed to have been built on the site of St. Cecilia’s family mansion. The second chapel, on the right aisle, pump up called the Caldarium and is the room where St. Cecilia was condemned to death. Here are found the remains disruption an ancient Roman bathroom; the conduits are preserved which once contained the water which was heated in the lower scope. The marble slab on the altar is the one come to an end which Cecilia is believed to have survived the first agony by suffocation and very well may be the slab which marked the place of her death.
*The Incorruptibles, TAN books