Saints of Creative Spirits (3): St. Cecilia, the Saint of Musicians
We continue with this week’s special feature called “Saints of Creative Spirits”. We look into the lives of the patron saints of creative spirits like artists, dancers, musicians and writers.
Today, I bring you Saint Cecilia, the Patron Saint of Musicians.
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| St. Cecilia Patron Saint of Musicians Image Source |
The Story of Saint Cecilia
Cecilia was a rich and noble patrician in Roman society but she converted to Christianity. Cecilia vowed to remain a virgin in the service of God but her parents forced her into marriage with Valerian of Trastevere. On her wedding day, she played the organ and persuaded her husband to be baptized. He converted his brother to Christianity and they developed a ministry devoted to providing proper burials to martyred Christians. When the faith of the brothers was learned, they were martyred(put to death for their Christian faith/convictions). Cecilia buried her husband and his brother for which she was arrested. She was then suffocated and when this failed to kill her she was stabbed in the neck and left to bleed to death.
Date of Death: A.D. 280.
Cause of Death: Stabbed to death.
Cause of Death: Stabbed to death.
How is Saint Cecilia represented in Christian Art?
As the patroness of music and musicians, Saint Cecilia is always represented in Christian Art playing some musical instrument. The earlier examples however, show her lying on her right side with a veil drawn closely around her head and a wound in her neck, exactly in the same posture as that in which her body was discovered, after it had been pointed out in a dream to Pope Paschal in the ninth century. As the legend tells us, she was wounded in the neck and left to bleed to death.
As the patroness of music and musicians, Saint Cecilia is always represented in Christian Art playing some musical instrument. The earlier examples however, show her lying on her right side with a veil drawn closely around her head and a wound in her neck, exactly in the same posture as that in which her body was discovered, after it had been pointed out in a dream to Pope Paschal in the ninth century. As the legend tells us, she was wounded in the neck and left to bleed to death.
Feast Day: November 22nd.
Learn more about St. Cecilia on Catholic-Saints, Saint Cecilia dot US or Wikipedia
DAILY DOSE OF ART 
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