Biography
Cecilia was a Roman noblewoman who had vowed her virginity to God but was forced to marry a pagan nobleman named Valerian. On her wedding night, while musicians played, Cecilia 'sang in her heart to the Lord.' She told Valerian that an angel guarded her virginity; Valerian asked to see the angel, converted, and was baptized. Both Valerian and his brother were martyred for burying executed Christians. Cecilia was arrested and condemned to be suffocated in the baths. When the steam failed to kill her after a day and a night, an executioner struck her neck three times with a sword but failed to decapitate her. She survived for three days, preaching and distributing her wealth to the poor, before dying.
Miracles & Signs
- ✦Surviving suffocating steam in the baths
- ✦Surviving three sword blows to the neck and living for three days
- ✦Her body was found perfectly incorrupt in 1599
Wisdom & Quotes
“Arise, soldiers of Christ, throw away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”