Rome - Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

St Cecilia, described in her Life as "Coeli Lilia" (the Lily of Heaven), was one of the early Christian martyrs who were always much venerated in Rome and became the subject of numerous legends.

Traditionally the church occupies the site of the house belonging to Cecilia's husband Valerian. Originally founded in the fifth century, it was much altered and rebuilt in later centuries. It is of basilican type, with forecourt, porch (facade by Ferdinando Fuga, 1725), a Romanesque campanile, a wide nave with rows of columns, chancel and apse. In the chancel are a marble ciborium by Arnolfo di Cambio (1283) and a figure of St Cecilia carved by Stefano Maderna in 1600 (a year after the discovery of a tomb containing the body of a young girl in this position). The apse has a mosaic dating from the reign of Pope Paschal I (ninth century). In the crypt can be seen the excavated foundations of a Roman house. Special permission is required to visit the adjoining convent, which contains a magnificent "Last Judgment" by Pietro Cavallini (1293).