Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/530

 CECILIA

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CECILIA

most probably to this church. The early medieval guides (Itineraria) to the burial-places of Roman martyrs point out her grave on the Via Appia, next to the crypt of the Roman bishops of the third cen- tury (De Rossi, Roma sotterranea, I, 180-181). De Rossi located the burial-place of Cecilia in the Cata- comb of Callistus in a crypt immediately adjoining the erypt or chapel of the popes; an empty niche in one of the walls contained, probably, at one time the sarcophagus with the bones of the saint. Among the frescoes of a later time with which the walls of the sepulchre are adorned, the figure of a richly-dressed woman appears twice and Pope Urban, who was brought personally into close relation with the saint by the Acts of her martyrdom, is depicted once. The ancient titular church of Rome, mentioned above was built as early as the fourth century and is still preserved in the Trastevere. This church was cer- tainly dedicated in the fifth century to the saint buried on the Via Appia; it is mentioned in the sig- natures of the Roman Council of 499 as "titulus Banctse Cfficilia>" (Mansi, Coll. Cone. VIII, 236). Like some other ancient Christian churches of Rome, which are the gifts of the saints whose names they bear, it may be inferred that the Roman Church owes this temple to the generosity of the holy martyr her- self; in support of this view it is to be noted that the property, under which the oldest part of the true Catacomb of Callistus is constructed, belonged most likely, according to De Rossi's researches, to the family of St. Cecilia (Gens Ca?eilia), and by donation passed into the possession of the Roman Church. Although her name is not mentioned in the earliest (fourth century) list of feasts (Depositio martyrum), the fact that in the "Sacramentarium Leonianum", a collection of masses completed about the end of the fifth century, are found no less than five different masses in honour of St. Cecilia testifies to the great veneration in which the saint was at that time held in tin' Roman Church [''Sacram. Leon.", ed. Mura- tori, in "Opera" (Arezzo, 1771), XIII, I, 737, sqq.]. About the middle of the fifth century originated Acts of the martyrdom of St. Cecilia which have been transmitted in numerous manuscripts; these acts were also translated into Greek. They were utilized in the prefaces of the above-mentioned masses of the "Sacramentarium Leonianum". They inform us, that Cecilia, a virgin of a senatorial family and a Christian from her infancy, was given in marriage by her parents to a noble pagan youth Valerianus. When, after the celebration of the marriage, the couple had retired to the wedding-chamber, Cecilia told Valerianus that she was betrothed to an angel who jealously guarded her body; therefore Vale- rianus must take care not to violate her virginity. Valerianus wished to see the angel, whereupon Cecilia sent him to the third milestone on the Via Appia where he should meet Bishop (Pope) Urbanus. Valeri- anus obeyed, was baptized by the pope, and returned a Christian to Cecilia. An angel then appeared to the two and crowned them with roses and lilies. When Tiburtius, the brother of Valerianus, came to them, he too was won over to Christianity. As zeal- ous children of the Faith both brothers distributed rich alms and buried the bodies of the confessors who had died for Christ. The prefect, Turcius Alma- chius, condemned them to death; an officer of the prefect, Maximus, appointed to execute this sentence, was himself converted and suffered martyrdom with

the two brothers. Their remains were buried in one tomb b\ Cecilia. \nd nnw Cecilia herself w as sought by the officers of the prefect. Before she was taken arranged that her house should be pre- served as a place of worship for the Roman Church. After a glorious profession of faith, she was con- demned to be suffocated in the bath of her own house. But as she remained unhurt in the overheated room,

the prefect had her decapitated in that place. The executioner let his sword fall three times without separating the head from the trunk, and fled, leaving the virgin bathed in her own blood. She lived three days, made dispositions in favour of the poor, and provided that after her death her house should be dedicated as a church. Urbanus buried her among the bishops and the confessors, i. e. in the Catacomb of Callistus.

In tins shape the whole story has no historical value; it is a pious romance, like so many others compiled in the fifth and sixth century. The exist- ence of the aforesaid martyrs, however, is an historical fact. The relation between St. Cecilia and Vale- rianus, Tiburtius, and Maximus, mentioned in the Acts, has perhaps some historical foundation. These three saints were buried in the Catacomb of Prastex- tatus on the Via Appia, where their tombs are men- tioned in the ancient pilgrim Itineraria. In the " Mar- tyrologium Hieronymianum" their feast is set down under 14 April with the note: "Roma? via Appia in cimiterio Prsetextati"; and the octave under 21 April, with the comment: "Rome in cimiterio Calesti via Appia". In the opinion of Duchesne the octave was celebrated in the Catacomb of Callistus, because St. Cecilia was buried there. If, therefore, this second notice in the martyrology is older than the aforesaid Acts and the latter did not give rise to this second feast, it follows that before the Acts were written this group of saints in Rome was brought into relation with St. Cecilia. The time when Cecilia suffered martyr- dom is not known. From the mention of Urbanus nothing can be concluded as to the time of composi- tion of the Acts; the author without any authority, simply introduced the confessor of this name (buried in the Catacomb of Pra?textatus) on account of the nearness of his tomb to those of the other martyrs and identified him with the pope of the same name. The author of the "Liber Pontifiealis" used the Acts for his notice of Urbanus. The Acts offer no other indication of the time of the martyrdom. Venantius Fortunatus (Miscellanea, 1, 20; 8, 6) and Ado (Mar- tyrology, 22 November) place the death of the saint in the reign of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus (about 177), and De Rossi tried to prove this view as his- torically the surest one. In other Western sources of the early Middle Ages and in the Greek "Synax- aria' ; this martyrdom is placed in the persecution of Diocletian. P. A. Kirsch tried to locate it in the time of Alexander Severus (229-230) ; Aube, in the perse- cution of Deeius (249-250); Kellner, in that of Julian the Apostate (362). None of these opinions is suffi- ciently established, as neither the Acts nor the other sources offer the requisite chronological evidence. The only sure time-indication is the position of the tomb in the Catacomb of Callistus, in the immediate proximity of the very ancient crypt of the popes, in which Urbanus probably, and surely Pontianus and Anterus were buried. The earliest part of this cata- comb dates at all events from the end of the second century; from that time, therefore, to the middle of the third century is the period left open for the mar- tyrdom of St. Cecilia.

Her church in the Trastevere quarter of Rome was rebuilt by Paschal I (817-824), on which occasion the pope wished to transfer thither her relies; at first, however, he could not find them and believed that they had been stolen by the Lombards, In a vision he saw St. Cecilia, who exhorted him to continue his search, as he had already been very near to her, i. e. near her grave. He therefore renewed his quest; and soon the body of the martyr, draped in costly stuffs of gold brocade and with the cloths soaked in her blood at her feet, was actually found in the Catacomb of Praetextatus. They may have been transported thither from the Catacomb of Callistus to save them from earlier depredations of the Lombards in the