Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is a 5th-century church in Rome, Italy, in the Trastevere rione, devoted to the Roman martyr Saint Cecilia (early 3rd century AD).

History

The first church on this site was founded probably in the 3rd century, by Pope Urban I; it was devoted to the young Roman woman Cecilia, martyred it is said under Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (A.D. 222–235). Tradition holds that the church was built over the house of the saint. The

baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptism ...

associated with this church, together with the remains of a Roman house of the early Empire, was found during some excavations under the Chapel of the Relics. By the late fifth century, at the Synod of 499 of

Pope Symmachus Pope Symmachus (died 19 July 514) was the bishop of Rome from 22 November 498 to his death. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was elected pope by a majority of the Roman clergy. Early life He was born on the Mediterranean isla ...

, the church is mentioned as the ''Titulus Ceciliae''. On 22 November 545, Pope Vigilius was celebrating the feast of the saint in the church, when the emissary of Empress Theodora, Anthemius Scribo, captured him.

Pope Paschal I Pope Paschal I ( la, Paschalis I; died 824) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 25 January 817 to his death in 824. Paschal was a member of an aristocratic Roman family. Before his election to the papacy, he was abbot of St ...

rebuilt the church in 822, and moved here the relics of St Cecilia from the Catacombs of St Calixtus. More restorations followed in the 18th century. The cardinal priest who is currently assigned to Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is

Gualtiero Bassetti Gualtiero Bassetti (born 7 April 1942) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve from 2009 to 2022. He has been a bishop since 1994 and was made a cardinal in 2014. He was president of the It ...

. His predecessors include: are

Pope Stephen III Pope Stephen III ( la, Stephanus III; died 1 February 772) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 7 August 768 to his death. Stephen was a Benedictine monk who worked in the Lateran Palace during the reign of Pope Zachary. I ...

, Pope Martin IV (1261-1281), Adam Easton (1383), Pope

Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII ( la, Innocentius VIII; it, Innocenzo VIII; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death in July 1492. Son of t ...

(1474-1484), Thomas Wolsey (1515), Pope Gregory XIV (1585-1590), Michele Mazzarino (1647),

Giuseppe Doria Pamphili Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphili (born 11 November 1751 in Genoa, the capital of the Republic of Genoa – died on 8 February 1816 in Rome) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Cardinal Secretary of State. Biography Giuseppe ...

(1785),

Mariano Rampolla Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro (17 August 1843 – 16 December 1913) was an Italian Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, and the last man to have his candidacy for papal election vetoed through ''jus exclusivae'' by a Catholic monarch. Early li ...

(1887-1913), and Carlo Maria Martini (d. 2012). Since 1527, a community of Benedictine nuns has lived i
the monastery next to Santa Cecilia
and has had charge of the basilica. The inscriptions found in Santa Cecilia, a valuable source illustrating the history of the church, have been collected and published by Vincenzo Forcella.

Art and architecture

The church has a façade built in 1725 by

Ferdinando Fuga Ferdinando Fuga (11 November 1699 – 7 February 1782) was an Italian architect who was born in Florence, and is known for his work in Rome and Naples. Much of his early work was in Rome, notably, the Palazzo della Consulta (1732–7) at the Qu ...

, which incloses a courtyard decorated with ancient mosaics, columns and a ''cantharus'' (water vessel). Its decoration includes the coat of arms and the dedication to the titular cardinal who paid for the facade, Francesco Cardinal Acquaviva d'Aragona. Among the artifacts remaining from the 13th century edifice are a mural painting depicting the ''Last Judgment'' (1289–93) by Pietro Cavallini in the choir of the nuns, and the ciborium (1293) in the presbytery by

Arnolfo di Cambio Arnolfo di Cambio (c. 1240 – 1300/1310) was an Italian architect and sculptor. He designed Florence Cathedral and the sixth city wall around Florence (1284–1333), while his most important surviving work as a sculptor is the tomb of Cardin ...

. The Gothic ciborium is surrounded by four marble columns white and black, decorated with statuettes of angels, saints, prophets, and evangelists. The ''Last Judgement'' fresco which remains today, covering the entire width of the west wall of the entrance, is likely part of a cycle of Old and New Testament scenes by Cavallini on the north and south nave walls, based on remaining fragments of an Annunciation scene and stories of the life of

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ...

. The frescoes were plastered over in a remodeling under Cardinal Francesco Acquaviva in 1724, which included building an enclosed choir, the floor of which cuts off part of the ''Last Judgement.'' Rediscovered in 1900, the fresco may be viewed during limited weekday hours for a small 2,50 euro fee paid to the Benedictine nuns who of the church. Luigi Vanvitelli also did a altarpiece, ''Apparition of the Angel to St. Cecili'', and a fresco, ''Angels Musicians'', located in the Chapel of the Relics, just some of his few surviving paintings. The apse has remains of 9th century mosaics depicting the ''Redeemer with Saints Paul, Cecilia, Paschal I, Peter, Valerian, and Agatha''. The ceiling of ''Cappella dei Ponziani'' was decorated ''God the Father with evangelists'' (1470) by Antonio del Massaro (Antonio da Viterbo or ''il Pastura''). The ''Cappella delle Reliquie'' was frescoed and provided with an altarpiece by Luigi Vanvitelli. The nave is frescoed with the ''Apotheosis of Santa Cecilia'' (1727) by Sebastiano Conca. The church contains two altarpieces by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religi ...

: ''Saints Valerian and Cecilia'' and a ''Decapitation of Saint Cecilia'' (1603). Santa Cecilia in Trastevere September 2015-5a

Under the ciborium of di Cambio that shelters the main altar, is a glass case enclosing the white marble sculpture of St Cecilia (1600) by the late-

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

sculptor Stefano Maderno. A marble slab in the pavement in front of the case, quotes Maderno's sworn statement that he has recorded the body as he saw it when the tomb was opened in 1599. The statue depicts the three axe strokes described in the 5th-century account of her martyrdom. It also underscores the incorruptibility of her cadaver (an attribute of some saints), which miraculously still had congealed blood after centuries. This statue could be conceived as proto-Baroque, since it depicts no idealized moment or person, but a theatric scene, a naturalistic representation of a dead or dying saint. It is striking, because it precedes by decades the similar high-Baroque sculptures by

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

(for example, his '' Blessed Ludovica Albertoni'') and

Melchiorre Cafà Melchiorre Cafà (1636–1667), born Melchiorre Gafà and also known as Caffà, Gafa, Gaffar or Gafar, was a Maltese Baroque sculptor. Cafà began a promising career in Rome but this was cut short by his premature death following a work acci ...

( Santa Rosa de Lima). The crypt is decorated in cosmatesque style, and contains the relics of St. Cecilia and her husband St. Valerian. In the apse of the crypt are the remains of an altar whose inscription indicates that it was dedicated by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) on 3 June 1080.

List of Cardinal Protectors

, (22 February 2014 - present) * Carlo Maria Martini, S.J. (1983.02.02 – 2012.08.31) *

John Patrick Cody John Patrick Cody (December 24, 1907 – April 25, 1982) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. A native of St. Louis, he served as Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph (1956–1961), Archbishop of New Orleans (1964 ...

(1967.06.29 – 1982.04.25) *

Albert Gregory Meyer Albert Gregory Meyer (March 9, 1903 – April 9, 1965) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 1958 until his death in 1965, and was appointed a cardinal in 195 ...

(1959.12.17 – 1965.04.07) * Gaetano Cicognani (1953.10.29 – 1959.12.14) * Francesco Marmaggi (1936.01.04 – 1949.11.03) *

Bonaventura Cerretti Bonaventura Cerretti (17 June 1872 – 8 May 1933) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura from 1931 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in ...

(1926.06.24 – 1933.03.13) *

Augusto Silj Augusto Silj J.U.D. (9 July 1846 – 27 February 1926) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. He was the cousin of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri (18 ...

(1919.12.18 – 1926.02.27) *

Domenico Serafini Domenico Serafini, O.S.B. Subl. (3 August 1852 – 5 March 1918) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served in various pastoral, diplomatic, and curial posts, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1914. Biography ...

, O.S.B. Subl. (1914.05.28 – 1918.03.05) *

Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro (17 August 1843 – 16 December 1913) was an Italian Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, and the last man to have his candidacy for papal election vetoed through ''jus exclusivae'' by a Catholic monarch. Early li ...

(1887.05.26 – 1913.12.16) * Innocenzo Ferrieri (1868.09.24 – 1887.01.13) * Karl August Graf von Reisach (1861.09.27 – 1868.06.22) * Giovanni Brunelli (1853.12.22 – 1861.02.21) *

Giacomo Luigi Brignole Giacomo Luigi Brignole (8 May 1797 – 23 June 1853) was a Catholic Cardinal and Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals. Early life Brignole was born on 8 May 1797 in Genoa, then the capital of the Republic of Genoa. He was educated ...

(1838.09.13 – 1847.06.11, 1847.06.11 – 1853.06.23 '' in commendam'') * Giorgio Doria Pamfilj Landi (1818.03.16 – 1837.11.16) *

Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphilj Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphili (born 11 November 1751 in Genoa, the capital of the Republic of Genoa – died on 8 February 1816 in Rome) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Cardinal Secretary of State. Biography Giuseppe ...

(1802.09.20 – 1803.09.26, 1803.09.26 – 1816.02.10 '' in commendam'') *

Hyacinthe Sigismond Gerdil Hyacinthe Sigismond Gerdil, CRSP (23 June 1718 – 12 August 1802) was an Italian theologian, bishop and cardinal, who was a significant figure in the response of the papacy to the assault on the Catholic Church by the upheavals caused by the ...

, B. (1784.09.20 – 1802.08.12) * Girolamo Spinola (1775.03.13 – 1775.04.03, 1775.04.03 – 1784.07.22 '' in commendam'') * Ferdinando Maria de Rossi (1767.12.14 – 1775.02.04) * Giuseppe Maria Feroni (1764.12.17 – 1767.11.15) *

Cosimo Imperiali The Imperiali (or Imperiale) family is a princely noble family. It is one of the most important Italian families and was a key protagonist of European history among aristocratic families. Originating from the Republic of Genoa it was previously na ...

(1759.02.12 – 1764.10.13) * Giorgio Doria (1757.01.03 – 1759.01.31) * Joaquín Fernández Portocarrero (1747.04.10 – 1753.04.09) * Troiano Acquaviva d’Aragona (1733.01.19 – 1747.03.20) *

Cornelio Bentivoglio Cornelio Bentivoglio (27 March 1668 – 30 December 1732) was an Italian nobleman and cardinal. Born at Ferrara to the powerful Bentivoglio family, and a relative of the cardinal Guido Bentivoglio (1579 – 1644). Cornelio went to Rome at an ea ...

(1727.06.25 – 1732.12.30) * Filippo Antonio Gualterio (1725.01.29 – 1726.07.31) * Francesco Acquaviva (1709.01.28 – 1724.06.12, 1724.06.12 – 1725.01.09 ''in commendam'') * Giacomo Antonio Morigia, B. (1699.04.11 – 1708.10.08) *

Celestino Sfondrati Celestino Sfondrati (10 January 1644 – 4 September 1696) was an Italian Benedictine theologian, Prince-abbot of St. Gall and Cardinal. Life Sfondrati was born at Milan. At the age of twelve he was placed in the school at Rorschach, on the ...

, O.S.B. (1696.02.20 – 1696.09.04) *

Giambattista Spinola Giambattista Spinola (20 September 1615 – 4 January 1704) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church and an Archbishop of Genoa. (for Chronology of Bishops) Giambattista was born in Madrid, Spain, the fourth of the twelve children of Luca Spin ...

(1681.09.22 – 1696.02.20) * Philip Thomas Howard of Norfolk, O.P. (1676.03.23 – 1679.09.25) *

Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona (iuniore) Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona, iuniore (1609–1674) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. He was Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals The Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals was the treasurer of the College of Cardinals in the ...

(1658.03.18 – 1674.09.26) *

Francesco Angelo Rapaccioli Francesco Angelo Rappaccioli (1608 – 15 May 1657) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. Biography Rappaccioli was born in 1608, the son of a modest family in Narni, Italy. He entered the service of the church and became a referendary of the ...

(1650.11.21 – 1657.05.15) *

Gaspare Mattei Cardinal Gaspare Mattei Gaspare Mattei (1598 - around 1am, 9 April 1650) was an Italian cardinal of the house of Mattei. Life Mattei was born in Rome, the eldest son of Mario Mattei, duke of Paganica and Prudenzia Cenci; he was a relative of Pop ...

(1648.09.28 – 1650.04.09) * Michel Mazarin, O.P. (1647.12.16 – 1648.08.31) *

Giovanni Domenico Spinola Giandomenico Spinola (1580 – 11 August 1646) (also Giovanni Domenico Spinola) Early life Spinola was born in 1580 in Genoa. Though few records exist detailing his family background or education, he is listed as ''Questore'' (commissioner) of t ...

(1629.04.30 – 1646.08.11) * Federico Baldissera Bartolomeo Cornaro (1627.11.15 – 1629.04.26) * Giambattista Leni (1618.03.05 – 1627.11.03) * Paolo Emilio Sfondrati (1591.01.14 – 1618.02.14) *

Niccolò Sfondrati Pope Gregory XIV ( la, Gregorius XIV; it, Gregorio XIV; 11 February 1535 – 16 October 1591), born Niccolò Sfondrato or Sfondrati, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 December 1590 to his death in October ...

(later Pope Gregory XIV) (1585.01.14 – 1590.12.05) *

Alfonso Gesualdo Alfonso Gesualdo di Conza (20 October 1540 – 14 February 1603) was an Italian Cardinal starting in 1561. He was from Calitri, not far from Naples. His attendance at the papal conclave of 1565-1566 at the age of only 25 makes him one of the yo ...

(1561.03.10 – 1563.10.22 pro illa vice Deaconry, 1563.10.22 – 1572.10.17) * Robert de Lenoncourt (1555.12.11 – 1560.03.13) * Charles de Guise de Lorraine (1547.11.04 – 1555.12.11) * Jean du Bellay (1535.05.31 – 1547.10.26) *

Francesco Cornaro Francesco Cornaro may refer to: * Francesco Cornaro (1478–1543), Italian cardinal * Francesco Cornaro (1547–1598), Italian cardinal * Francesco Cornaro (Doge) (1585–1656), Doge of Venice See also

* House of Cornaro {{hndis, Cornaro, Fra ...

(1534.04.27 – 1534.09.05) * Gabriel de Gramont (1531.01.09 – 1534.03.26) * Thomas Wolsey (1515.09.10 – 1530.11.29) * Carlo Domenico de Carretto (1513.06? – 1514.08.15) * Francesco Alidosi (1506.08.11 – 1511.05.24) *

Francisco de Borja Francisco de Borja y Navarro de Alpicat (1441 – 4 November 1511) was a Spanish cardinal, and the seventh of ten cardinal-nephews created by Pope Alexander VI. Biography Borja was born in 1441 in Xàtiva, Kingdom of Valencia, from the Arago ...

(1500.10.05 – 1506.08.11) * Lorenzo Cibo de’ Mari (1497.12.09 – 1500.09 ''in commendam'') * Giovanni Giacomo Schiaffinati (1484.11.17 – 1497.12.09) *

Giovanni Battista Cibò Pope Innocent VIII ( la, Innocentius VIII; it, Innocenzo VIII; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death in July 1492. Son of ...

(later Pope Innocent VIII) (1474.01 – 1484.08.29) * Niccolò Fortiguerra (1460.03.19 – 1473.12.21) *

Rinaldo Piscicello Rinaldo Piscicello (c1415–1457) (called the Cardinal of Naples) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Rinaldo Piscicello was born in Naples in 1415 or 1416, the son of Nicola Piscicello and Maria d'Alagni. His mother was ...

(1457.03.21 – 1457.07.04) * Louis Aleman, C.R.S.J. (1426.05.27 – 1440.04.11, 1449.12.19 – 1450.10.16) *

Antonio Caetani (seniore) Antonio Caetani, seniore (1360–1412) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. References 1360 births 1412 deaths 15th-century Italian cardinals Clergy from Rome {{Italy-RC-cardinal-stub ...

(1402.02.27 – 1405.06.12) * Adam Easton, E.B.C. (1389.12.18 – 1398.08.15) * Bonaventura Badoaro de Peraga, O.E.S.A. (1378.09.18 – 1389.07.10) *

Bertrand Lagier Bertrand Lagier O.Min. (died 8 November 1392) was a French Franciscan and cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was bishop of Assisi in 1357, and bishop of Glandèves in France, in 1368. He was made cardinal on 30 May 1371 by Pope Gregory XI, ...

, O.F.M. (1375 – 1378.04, 1378.04 – 1392.11.08 ''in commendam'') * Guy de Boulogne (1342.09.20 – 1350, 1350 – 1373.11.25 ''in commendam'') * Guillaume Pierre Godin, O.P. (1312.12.23 – 1317.09.12, 1317.09.12 – 1336.06.04 ''in commendam'') * Tommaso d'Ocra, O.S.B. Cel. (1294.09.18 – 1300.05.29) *

Jean Cholet Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

(12 April 1281 – 2 August 1293) *

Simon de Brion Pope Martin IV ( la, Martinus IV; c. 1210/1220 – 28 March 1285), born Simon de Brion, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1281 to his death on 28 March 1285. He was the last French pope to have ...

(17 December 1261 – 22 February 1281) * Simon de Sully (1231 – 1232) * Paio Galvão, O.S.B. (1210 – 1212) *

Pietro Diana Pietro Diani (died 1208, Rome) was an Italian cardinal. The name "Diana" is incorrect; he signs himself ''Petrus Dianus''. Life Petrus Diani was born in Piacenza around the middle of the 12th century. He is first noticed as a papal subdeacon in ...

(1188 – 1208) * Cinzio Papareschi (1178 – 1182) *Pietro (1178 – 1178) * Tiberio Savelli (1176 – 1178) *Manfredo, O.S.B. Cas. (1173 – 1176) *Pietro (1159.02 – ?) * Ottaviano di Monticelli (later Antipope Victor IV) (2 March 1151 – 7 September 1159) * Goselinus (Joselmo) (1128.12 – 1132?) *Joannes (c.1106 – 1128) * Desiderius da Benevento, O.S.B. Cas. (1059 – 1086)Hüls, p. 154-156, no. 1.

References

Sources

* Jacobus Laderchius, ''S. Cæciliæ virg. et mart. acta et Transtyberina basilica'' 2 vols. (Roma: Pagliarini 1723). * Vincenzo Forcella, ''Inscrizioni delle chiese di Roma'' (Roma 1873), pp. 17–46. (The inscriptions found in the church) * Bertha Ellen Lovewell, ''The Life of St. Cecilia'' (Boston-New York-London: Lamson, Wolffe and Company, 1898). * Torquato Picarelli, ''Basilica e casa romana di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere'' (Roma : Romana, 1904). * Torquato Piccarelli, ''Monografia storica anecdotica della chiesa, cripta, e casa di S. Cecilia in Trastevere'' (Roma 1922). * Hüls, Rudolf (1977). '' Kardinal, Klerus und Kirchen Roms: 1049–1130'', Tübingen: Max Niemeyer 1977. * Neda Parmegiani and Alberto Pronti, ''Il complesso di S. Cecilia in Trastevere'' (Roma : Sydaco Editrice, 1997). * Anna Maria Panzera, ''The Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere'' (Roma: Nuove Edizioni Romane, 2001). * Valentina Oliva, ''La basilica di Santa Cecilia'' (Genua : Marconi arti grafiche, 2004) (Edizioni d'arte Marconi, N. 73).

External links

Official website with visiting hours
* Armellini, Mariano

''Le chiese di Roma dal secolo IV al XIX'', Tipografia Vaticana, 1891. Through Bill Thayer's site

Kunsthistorie.com
photogallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Cecilia In Trastevere, Santa Cecilia in Trastevere Roman Catholic churches completed in 1725 Religious buildings and structures completed in 822 Titular churches 5th-century churches Burial places of popes Baroque architecture in Rome Churches of Rome (rione Trastevere) 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy