Rome: Basilica of Saint Cecilia in Trastevere

Located in Piazza di Santa Cecilia, the Basilica of Saint Cecilia in Trastevere (Basilica di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere) was built on the site of the house of a Roman martyr and her husband Valeriano. Saint Cecilia was found guilty of trying to convert her husband and brother to Christianity and was martyred in 230 CE. According to tradition she survived three days in a hot, steamy calidarium without suffocating, so a swordsman tried to behead her. He struck her three times, unsuccessfully, then dropped the sword in fear and ran away. She died three days later from her wounds. Saint Gregory the Great started construction of the basilica in the 6th century. Saint Cecilia's body was discovered intact in 820 in the catacombs of San Callisto after, legend says, a saint revealed its location to Pope Paschal I in a dream. He ordered it to be transferred to the renovated church. In the 12th and 13th centuries the cloister, atrium, and bell tower were added to the basilica. Saint Cecilia's body was exhumed in 1599 during another renovation and allegedly was found still intact, wrapped in her white garment, with dried blood on her neck. A statue of this body, posed exactly how she was found, was sculpted by Stefano Maderno in 1600 and appears under the current altar, with her actual relics stored below. Today the basilica is under the care of the Benedictine nuns who live in the attached monastery. The site hosts one of the best archaeological sites in Rome. Photos in this collection were taken by Dr. Beth M. Sheppard in May of 2017. Cataloging was contributed by Shelley Rogers.