Chapter 25. Events relating to Cecilia in her Basilica throughout the course of the Ninth and Tenth Centuries

The ninth century, celebrated for the Translation of innumerable martyrs from the obscurity of the Catacombs to the Churches of Eome, was also remarkable for the Martyrologies compiled in various countries. Those attributed to St. Jerome and Venerable Bede, were too incomplete to satisfy the piety of the faithful, and the glory of the church imperatively demanded new and fuller details of the heroism of her saints.

About 847, Ehaban Maur published a work intended as a supplement to the Martyrology of Bede. Soun after, (359), St. Ado, Archbishop of Vienna, followed Ehaban in the same career, and in 876, Usuard, a monk of St. Germain des Pres, published a Martyrology, at the request of Charles the Bald. This being more correct than those of his predecessors, he has the honor of having prepared the venerable text which the Apostolic See, after having submitted it to the learned Baronius, presented to the universal Church under the name of the Eoman

Martyrology. Such was the Catholic enthusiasm in this matter, in the ninth century, that even in the year 850, Wandelbert, a monk of Prum, opened, by a martyrology in verse, the magnificent series of poems for every day of the Ecclesiastical year, which comes down to the seventeenth century.

All these Martyrologists speak of St. Cecilia with considerable detail ; but no one developes the subject so clearly as St. Ado, who seems to have wished to give an abridgement of her Acts. The approbation of so many men, versed in the study of sacred monuments, gives additional authority to this document, handed down with so much respect from the fifth century. The authors of the martyrologies of the ninth century, may have made some errors here and there; but it would be a serious literary injustice not to recognize as a confirmatory argument, their unanimous opinion, concerning the value of an historical document; particularly when this document had been considered authentic in preceding ages. Men, influenced by undue partiality, may affect to despise the testimony of Ado and Usuard, but we can produce in favor of these learned men, considered simply as critics, the testimony of Dom Euinart and of Bossuet, neither of whom can be accused of too blind admiration for the legendaries of the middle age.*

• Dom Ruinart, in his History of the Persecution of the Vandals, wishing to prove the antiquity and authenticity of the Acts of the holy Martyrs, Liboratus and his companions, oitefl in full the notice given by the Martyrologists of the ninth oen- . tury, and thus expresses his confidence in them : u Haec fusins referre visum est, prout in illis authoribus habentnr, ut alarum sit jam nono saeculo persuasum fuisse viria Historic sacra stu-

The successors of Paschal inherited his interest in the Basilica which he had restored with so much splendor, and adorned with such precious treasures.

In 827, Gregory IV. presented to the Altar of St. Cecilia, a fabric of velvet embroidered with eagles and griffins, and fringed with purple and gold.*

In the ninth century, devotion to St. Cecilia began to spread throughout the Churches of the East, where her name had not hitherto been inscribed on the list of Saints ; later, the West accepted in return into her Calends the illustrious virgins Catherine, Barbara, and Margaret. The discovery of Cecilia's body not only filled the Latin Church with joy, but spread her fame in countries where she was comparatively unknown. A Greek version of her Acts appeared in Constantinople towards the end of the same century. Its translator was the famous holy writer Simon .Metaphrastes, Chancellor of the Emperor Leo VI., the philosopher, who reigned from 886 to 911. "We do not undertake the task of defending this pious and celebrated personage from the accusations made against diosis, Victorem nostrum hujus sanctorum monachorum Passionis authorem fuisse." (Historia persecutionis Vandalicce, page 97, n° 3.)

Bossuet in la Defense de la Declaration, citing, in support of his Thesis, (the responsibility of which we are far from assuming) a passage from the Acts of St. Eusebius, a priest of Rome, thus declares his favorable opinion of these Acts ; Hactenus Acta, ubi innata simplicitate ipsa se prodit antiquitatis, et quibus ejus generis Actorum aliquis inest gustus, hoc sapient. Turn Usuardus monachus, et Ado Viennensis hcec Acta viderunt ; ex quorum qurppe verbis brevem illam quam suis Martyrologiis inserunt, sancti Eusebii contexunt historiam." Defensio cleri Gal* licani, part ii, lib. xv, cap. xxxiv.

• Anastas in Gregor. IV.

him, but we do certify that Metaphrastes translated with scrupulous fidelity the Eoman manuscript of the Acts of St. Cecilia. It is easy to compare his translation with the original, and we have done so with much pleasure, as it has enabled us to justify this laborious writer whose services have been hitherto repaid with ingratitude.

The Greek Menology, which corresponds to the Latin Martyrology, was definitively compiled towards the close of the tenth century. All the amateurs of antique liturgies are well acquainted with the celebrated manuscript of this book, compiled by order of the Emper^ Basil Porphyrogenetes, who ascended the Byzantine throne in 976. This Menology, which was published at Urbino 1727, with curious vignettes of the first six months, from September to February, contains a notice of St. Cecilia on the 24th of November, in the style of the "Western Martyr ologies. To avoid repetition we will not transcribe the passage. We merely wished to mention this first notice of the martyr in the Greek liturgy. The Church of Constantinople, then still united to the Apostolic See, was not satisfied with this purely historical homage rendered to St. Cecilia. At this time, was completed that part of the Greek Liturgy which corresponds to our Proper Masses of the Saints ; they were compiled by the most pious and skilful among the Greek writers of sacred verses. The following are some of the stanzas dedicated to the Eoman virgin:

" Cecilia, worthy of all praise ! thou hast preserved thy body from all stain, and thy heart from sensual love ! Thou hast presented thyself to thy Creator aa an immaculate Spouse, whose happiness was consummated by martyrdom ; He received thee as a spotless virgin, and owned thee as His Spouse !

11 The Lord, in his wisdom, vouchsafed to crown thy brow with the fragrance of roses, O holy virgin ! Thou wert the link which united two brothers in the same happiness, and thy prayers assisted them.

11 Abandoning the impure worship of idols, they proved themselves worthy of the mercy of Him who was born of a Virgin, and who permitted His blood to be poured out for us like a precious perfume.

" In thy desire for the treasures of heaven, thou didst despise the riches of earth ; disdaining the love of mortals, thou didst chose a place among the choir of virgins, and thy wisdom guided thee to the heavenly Spouse.

" Thou didst valiantly combat and trample under foot the malice of the demon, 0, thou honor of the Athletes of Christ I

" Glorious Cecilia, august martyr ! thou art the holy temple of Christ, His noble dwelling, His pure abode. Deign to intercede for us who celebrate thy praises.

11 Eavished with the beauty of Christ, strengthened by His love, sighing after His joys, thou didst die to the world, and wert found worthy of eternal life.

11 A spiritual love made thee disdain the affections of earth ; thy discourse, replenished with wisdom, inflamed the heart of thy Spouse with the love of holy virginity ; thou art now united with Him in the choirs of angels. 0, martyr, worthy of heaven's reward !

" An angelof light was ever by thy side, surrounding thee with divine splendor; His arm guarded thy purity, and kept thee ever chaste and pleasing to Christ.

" Thou, 0, Valerian, didst desire baptism ; an envoy from heaven appeared ; he enlightened thy mind, declaring to thee the sacred oracles ; he enrolled thy name among the heavenly choir, whilst thou wert yet combating on earth."

11 Thou, 0, Tiburtius ! quitting the path of error, didst gain the knowledge of heavenly things ; despising this perishable life, thou didst eagerly hasten to immortality ; believing in the adorable Trinity with thy whole soul, thou hast combated as a valiant warrior ! O, Cecilia ! the desire of possessing God, and His holy love, burned in thy inmost soul, and consumed thy entire being ; thou wert an angel in a mortal frame. With intrepid courage thou didst bare thy neck to the sword ; thy blood consecrated the ground which received it, and thy soul sanctified the air in its flight to heaven.

"The three children changed the flames of the fiery furnace into dew, and thou, Cecilia, by the virtue of the baptismal waters, sang, like them, in the midst of seething vapors: ' Be thou blessed, O-God of my fathers!' Thou art the enclosed garden, the sealed fountain, the veiled loveliness, the glorious Spouse adorned with a brilliant diadem, the blooming paradise of the Heavenly King, 0, Cecilia, replenished with God I"