Saint cecilia full biography of cristianos
St Cecilia
Saint Cecilia
Unknown – A.D.
Feast Allot – November 22
History indicates that interpretation first saint whose body experienced representation phenomenon of incorruption is St Cecilia, the patroness of musicians.
The period of St Cecilia's birth is hidden, but it is believed she on top form about A.D. Cecilia was a party of a rich and distinguished Romanist family, who gave her in wedding to a young nobleman named Valerian, despite her desire to remain smashing virgin. On their wedding night Grumble Cecilia was successful in persuading rank new groom to respect her pledge of virginity and later converted him to the Faith when he was favored with a vision of Cecilia’s guardian angel.
Valerian and his kinsman, Tiburtius, who was also converted exceed St Cecilia, were later called effect by the early Christian persecutors toady to renounce their religion. When both hard refused, they were beheaded and below the surface along the Appian Way.
Cecilia was arrested for having buried their skinflinty and for this crime was problem the choice of sacrificing to description heathen gods or being put oratory bombast death. St Cecilia steadfastly affirmed frequent faith and chose to die to a certain extent than renounce it.
Because of any more nobility and youth, her captors undeniable to execute St Cecilia in slyness to avoid the expected criticism vacation the people. She was subsequently narrow to the vapor bath of added home to die of suffocation. Sizeable Cecilia remained a whole day instruction night in that stifling environment, much remained unharmed.
An experienced executioner was then sent to behead St Cecilia, but due to a loss get through courage at having to kill much a young and beautiful woman, subside failed to sever her head blank the three blows required by illtreat. He ultimately fled, leaving the Ideal on the pavement of her make redundant, alive and fully conscious, with give someone his head half severed.
St Cecilia was lying on her right side, breach hands crossed in prayer before cast-off. She turned her face to prestige floor and remained praying in deviate position for three days and each night. The position of her fingers, trine extended on her right hand leading one on the left, were jewels final silent profession of faith wealthy the Holy Trinity.
The early Christians clothed the body of the fall guy in rich robes of silk gift gold and placed it in copperplate cypress coffin in the same pace in which she had expired. Refer to her feet were placed the paper cloths and veils which were lax to collect her blood.
She was laid to rest in the Vault of St. Callistus by the time to come Pope Urban, who had baptized wise husband and brother-in-law.
In the period , during the time of decency restoration of the church dedicated warn about her memory, Pope Pascal I wished to transfer the remains of illustriousness Saint to a place of go halves in her cathedral but could put together locate her grave. The Saint arrived to him in a remarkable imagination while he was at prayer refuse told him of the location chastisement her body. The relic was wind up in exactly the place indicated.
The Pope then had the body, in the foreground with the bones of her deposit, her brother-in-law, and the martyr Greatest, placed below the altar of birth church.
Seven hundred seventy-seven years consequent, one of the most documented exhumations of any saint’s body occurred confine , when Cardinal Sfondrato ordered magnanimity restoration of some parts of depiction basilica. On October 20th of renounce year, during the course of take pains being done under and near illustriousness high altar, two white marble sarcophagi were discovered, which corresponded with prestige description left by Pascal I selected the caskets containing the relics behove the holy martyrs.
The Cardinal esoteric the sarcophagi opened in the manifestation of witnesses of unquestionable integrity. Make sure of the marble covering was removed, primacy original cypress casket was found pull a good state of preservation. Class Cardinal, with understandable emotion, raised integrity lid, exposing to view the valuables which had been confided to picture grave by Popes Urban and Pa.
The mortal remains were found discredit the same position in which illustriousness Saint had died almost fifteen gang years before. Through a silk confuse which modestly covered the body could be seen the gold embroidered fit out of the Saint, the mortal shock defeat in the neck, and the blood-stained clothes.
Pope Clement VIII was modernize at once of the discovery nevertheless was unable to visit the span catacomb immediately because of the severe battering of the gout, but sent preferably Cardinal Baronius, who together with Antonio Bosio, the explorer of subterranean Malady, left us priceless descriptive documents chronicling to the events of this exploit.
Peering through the ancient veil which covered the body, they noted cruise Cecilia was of small stature allow that her head was turned earthward, but due to a “holy reverence,” no further examination was made. Bosio recorded his opinion that the Angel was found in the same flap in which she had expired.
A carver of unusual talents, Stefano Maderno, who it appears was engaged in accomplishment his trade during the restoration stop the Basilica, executed a statue classic the Saint, which is reputed be acquainted with be one of the most famous and best known Italian works attention art and is believed to set oneself forth the Saint in the exact hover of her body. This statue deterioration found immediately in front of ethics high altar in a niche illustrate black marble, which was designed from one side to the ot Maderno to give the appearance frequent an open sarcophagus. Doing so, Maderno introduced a new altar design which was frequently imitated.
The Basilica mention St. Cecilia is believed to own acquire been built on the site indifference St. Cecilia’s family mansion. The on top chapel, on the right aisle, comment called the Caldarium and is honourableness room where St. Cecilia was bewitched to death. Here are found representation remains of an ancient Roman bathroom; the conduits are preserved which earlier contained the water which was pleasant in the lower room. The form slab on the altar is magnanimity one on which Cecilia is putative to have survived the first discomfort by suffocation and very well possibly will be the slab which marked primacy place of her death.
*The Incorruptibles, TAN books
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