Cecilia, << see SIHL ih uh or sih SEEL yuh, >> Saint, is a saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church. She is the patroness of music and, according to tradition, invented the organ. Many music societies have been named in her honor. Because she was blind, she is also the patron saint of the blind. According to her legend, which dates from the late A.D. 400’s, she was cruelly put to death about 230. Her tomb is in the Church of Saint Cecilia in Rome. Her feast day is November 22.
Many artists have portrayed Saint Cecilia in paintings. She appears in “The Second Nun’s Tale” in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. She also appears in the poems “Alexander’s Feast” and “Song for St. Cecilia’s Day” by John Dryden and “Ode for Music on St. Cecilia’s Day” by Alexander Pope.
