E02519: The Martyrdom of *Caecilia (virgin and martyr of Rome, S00146) and her Companions (martyrs of Rome, S00537) is written in Latin in the 5th or 6th c., perhaps by Arnobius the Younger in the mid 5th c. It tells of this noble woman's espousal of chastity and her conversion of her husband Valerianus and his brother Tiburtius to Christianity, and their eventual martyrdom; of the conversion and martyrdom of their intended executioner, Maximus; of Caecilia's house becoming a church, her martyrdom, and her body being buried next to those of the bishops of Rome.

Martyrdom of Caecilia (BHL 1495)

Summary:

§§ 1-2 : Prologue promoting the writing and reading of stories about saints. In their victory over the devil, they all followed Christ. Apostles are the first followers, then martyrs, then confessors, then bishops (sacerdotes), then virgins, then widows, then chaste people.

§§ 3-4: Caecilia is a virgin, betrothed to Valerianus. The night after their marriage, she tells her husband that an angel keeps watch over her virginity.

§§ 5-6: Valerianus wants to see the angel in order to believe her. Caecilia tells him that he needs to be baptised and believe in God. She sends him to meet the holy (sanctus) Urbanus, at the third milestone of the via Appia. There he finds the holy confessor Urbanus amongst the tombs and tells him what Caecilia told him. Urbanus thanks God.

§ 7: Valerianus sees a man dressed in white holding an inscription carved in golden characters. The man asks him, in order to be purified and see the angel, to read the text of the inscription:

Unus Deus, una fides, unum baptisma, unus Deus et pater omnium, qui super omnia et in omnibus nobis.

'One God, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all things, who is above all things and in us all.'

Valerianus believes, the man disappears, and Valerianus is baptised and instructed by Urbanus.

§ 8: Valerianus comes back to meet Caecilia and sees the angel, who gives him and Caecilia crowns of roses and lilies, as they vow to maintain their chastity. These crowns will never fade, but can only be seen by those as piously chaste as Caecilia and Valerianus. The angel offers Valerianus, on behalf of Christ, any favour he might ask for, and he asks that his brother Tiburtius might also become a Christian.

§§ 9-10: The angel disappears, Tiburtius arrives and is amazed by the smell of roses and lilies, which he cannot see. Valerianus tells him that they wear crowns of flowers that he cannot see, the roses for the blood of Christ and the lilies for His white body, and he teaches him about the truth, requiring him to be purified, renounce idols and believe in one God. Tiburtius fails to understand, and Caecilia persuades him to abandon the idols with a speech. She exhorts him to go and meet Urbanus to be baptised.

§§ 11-12: As Valerianus tells Tiburtius about Urbanus, Tiburtius replies that he fears to be killed together with Urbanus, who is known as the papa of the Christians and has already been condemned. Caecilia teaches Tiburtius about the contrast between this life and the promise of eternal life after death. She instructs him about God and the Trinity.

§§ 13-16: Tiburtius is convinced, but wants Valerianus to tell him who is the giver of life. However, it is Caecilia who answers, since Valerianus is still a novice. She tells Tiburtius about Christ the Son of God, quoting several sayings of Jesus from the Gospels, and narrating his passion, death, resurrection and ascension witnessed by many. She ends by telling him about the Apostles sent to preach, heal and give new life. She exhorts him to fight against love of this life promoted by the devil, and to cherish the next life, to avoid death and reach paradise. Tiburtius is fully convinced and goes with Valerianus to meet Urbanus, who baptises him and instructs him for seven days.

§§ 17-20: The prefect of the city (urbis praefectus) Turcius Almachius tortures and kills many Christians, leaving their dead bodies unburied. Tiburtius and Valerianus gives their wealth in alms and bury the martyrs. The prefect hears about it and summons them. As he interrogates them at length, they state their beliefs, contrasting eternal life and life on this earth, and condemning pagan gods as mere criminals.

§§ 21-22: Almachius orders Valerianus to be flogged. Valerianus rejoices and exhorts the people to reject gods made of stone. The assessor Tarquinius Lacca suggests that they should be quickly punished and their riches seized before they are given away. They are brought to a place outside the city (pagus) where a small statue of Jupiter stands, and the order is given to sentence them to death if they refuse to sacrifice. The assistant (cornicularius) Maximus who leads them to the pagus implores them to change their mind, but they tell him about eternal life.

§§ 23-24: Maximus seeks this new hope and asks the executioners to bring them to his own house. There, after Valerianus’ and Tiburtius’ preaching, Maximus’ whole household believes, as well as the executioners. Caecilia comes with priests (sacerdotes) and all are baptised. At dawn Caecilia gives a speech exhorting all to keep their faith. Valerianus and Tiburtius come to the pagus at the fourth milestone from the city, and there, as they refuse to sacrifice in the temple of Jupiter, they are beheaded. Maximus asserts that he has seen their souls leave their bodies and being taken to heaven by angels. Hearing this, many convert. Almachius hears about Maximus’ conversion and orders him to be killed. Then Caecilia buries him next to Tiburtius and Valerianus in a new sarcophagus carved with a phoenix, evoking the resurrection.

§§ 25-27: Caecilia gives all of Valerianus’ wealth to the poor before Almachius is able to seize it. Pagan priests (apparitores) summon Caecilia to sacrifice, imploring her to preserve her youth and nobility. She gives a speech contrasting this, and the next and eternal life. After her speech, she reaches the top of a stone and asks them all whether they believe. All reply stating their belief in Christ the Son of God. She sends the priests to tell Almachius that she wants more time to decide, while in fact she asks the holy father (sanctus papa) Urbanus to come to her house. Urbanus baptises more than four hundred people of the household, among whom is a senator (clarissimus vir) named Gordianus. The house of Caecilia become a hidden church bearing the name of this Gordianus.

§§ 28-30: Almachius summons Caecilia and interrogates her. He requires her to sacrifice to avoid death, but she refuses after a long dialogue with Almachius.

§ 31: As she condemns the idols, Almachius is angered and orders her to be sent home and burnt there by the flames heating the baths. However, in the baths she is refreshed by the fire for an entire day and night. Almachius orders her to be beheaded in the same baths. The executioner (speculator) fails three times to behead three times. She is left there wounded and survives for three days, comforting all in their faith and remarking that these three days were given to her to hand over her house and possessions to Urbanus, consecrating her house as a church.

§ 32: Tunc sanctus Urbanus corpus eius auferens cum diaconis nocte sepelivit eam inter collegas suos episcopos ubi omnes sunt confessores et martyrs conlocati. Domum autem eius in aeternum sanctae ecclesiae tradidit, in qua beneficia Dei exuberant usque in hodiernum diem ...

‘Then, the holy Urbanus, taking her body, buried it at night with the help of deacons next to his fellow bishops, where all placed there are confessors and martyrs. He gave over her house forever to holy church, in which favours (beneficia) of God abound up to the present day ...’

Text: Delehaye 1936, 194-220. Summary: M. Pignot.