Santa Cecelia Crypt in Trastevere
"Holy Lady ..startle…with immortal fire" WH Auden
"Holy Lady ..startle…with immortal fire" WH Auden
Dedicated to the patron saint of music, this church stands on what is believed to be the site of the young martyr's 3rd century family home. Her relics were moved from the Catacombs of Calistus in the 9th century and reburied here. A white marble statue of the saint by Maderno, one of the most famous examples of Baroque sculpture, is encased under the Gothic canopy/ baldacchino by di Cambio over the high altar. It is said to copy the pose of her uncorrupted body when the tomb was opened in 1599. The extensive crypt contains the remnants of a house, a baptistery, baths, grain stores, and chapel for household gods.