Chapter 32. Confirmation of the Acts of St

The few details left us by Paschal concerning the first discovery of Cecilia's body, all tend to prove the truth of her Acts ; these are now confirmed beyond all doubt by the circumstances attending the second discovery of the martyr's precious remains. First, we shall remark that the position of Cecilia's body is very different from that of any other martyr found in Eome or elsewhere. But when we recall the manner and circumstances of her death, as related in her Acts, the reason of this difference is obvious.

Sociorumque Martyrum detectione, ac solemni repositione acta sunt, prout cum oculis nostris nos ipsi conspexirnus, turn ex ipsius Cardinalis Sfondrati, qui his omnibus diligenter astitit, ao praefuit, fideli relatione cognovimus. Bosio. Relatio Invent, et Reposit. corporis S. Cazcilice, page 170.

• Nos Paulus Tituli S. Cacciliae S. R. E. Presbyter Cardinalis Sfondratus, lias Sanctissimae Virginis Caecilia?, ejusque Sociorum vitas ex quamplurimis, iisque vetutissimis codicibus integraa ab Antonio Bosio excerptas fuisse, necnon qua? do invent ione Corporum eorumdem Sanctorum ab ipso rcfcruntur, omnia ftdeliter, sincere, atque ad veritatom conscripta esse testamur.

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As she lies there in her sarcophagus, we easily recognize the Koman virgin, expiring on the floor of her own pa] ace, shrinking with virginal modesty from the gaze of those who came in crowds to witness her triumphal death. Secondly, Sfondrato bears witness to the hair shirt mentioned in the Acts, as the armor with which the heroic virgin shielded herself from the seductions of an effeminate world. "We say nothing of the gold-embroidered robe and the bloody linen, for these are expressly mentioned in Paschal's document. Thirdly, the stature of the Saint, as determined in 1599, is a fresh pr^oof of the correctness of her Acts. Bosio declares that her body, as it lay in the cypress coffin, measured only four feet. Of course allowance must be made for the contraction of the limbs produced by pain and by time, also for the position of the body, the knees being slightly drawn up; but with all these allowances, Cecilia's stature must have been below the middle height. This accounts for her having been forced to mount on a marble stand, when addressing the soldiers of Almachius, that she might be heard by all; it also accounts for the first exclamation of Almachius when she was brought before his tribunal : 11 Who art thou, child ?" (puella). But it is not only in what concerns St. Cecilia that the discovery of 1599 attests the minute fidelity of the Acts. These relate that Valerian and Tiburtius were beheaded. Now one of the sarcophagi contained the bodies of two martyrs who had evidently suffered death by the headman's axe. The Acts state .that Almachius was puzzled with regard to the respective tfges of the brothers, and thirteen centuries later, their skeletons were so strikingly alike that it would have been impossible to distinguish one from the other, if each body had not been wrapt in a separate shroud. The Acts relate that Maximus was not beheaded, but beaten to death with loaded whips ; now, in 1599, the head of this martyr was found adhering to the body, his skull fractured, and his hair clotted with blood, thus proving by what kind of torment he gained his heavenly crown. There is still another circumstance of the greatest importance in this demonstration of the Acts of Saint Cecilia by archaeological details. Our readers have not forgotten the oratory, opening upon one of the lateral naves of the Basilica, on the right, as you enter the Church, and designated under the name of St. Cecilia's Bath. This sanctuary, which from time immemorial, had been considered as an appendage of the Church, and honored with a private altar, was a monument of the kind of martyrdom suffered by the Saint, according to her Acts. The existence of this sanctuary moreover supports the assertion contained in these Acts that St. Cecilia in dying bequeathed her house to Pope St. Urban, to be converted into a Basilica. There is no question here of one of those public baths, established near some of the churches in Eome and elsewhere, which were used by the faithful for certain mysterious ablutions. This was a sudatorium, used for vapor baths, totally different from those taken by the Christians of the first centuries in the sacred Thermae of the ohurohes, Moreover, this oratory was constantly honored by the faithful. If we admit the veracity of the Acts, this veneration is easily understood, and becomes a fresh proof of the event which it commemorates. In the course of time, the primitive character of this oratory was totally destroyed by the numerous repairs made at different periods ; so much so, that a few years before the discovery of Cecilia's tomb, a Christian archaeologist writing in Eome, expressed some doubts as to the truth of the tradition which specifies this sanctuary as the caldarium where the virgin had suffered martyrdom.

Sfondrato determined to restore this venerable place to its antique form, and ancient honors. Whilst superintending the repairing and embellishing of the Basilica, he ordered a search to be made under the floor of this chapel which was found to be built upon a vault. Shortly after, the hypocaust of a bath was discovered. The apertures which had been closed, were easily re-opened, and a large boiler was found, with the remains of a leaden pipe, through which the vapor had formerly ascended to the caldarium. Sfondrato disposed the decorations of the chapel in such a manner that the destruction of a memorial so dear to his piety, should henceforth be an impossibility. He caused iron gratings to be placed over the openings, through which the pilgrims could look into the hypocaust and distinguish the boiler which had escaped the ravages of time. He cleared the terra cotta pipes through which the vapor had passed, as well as a leaden pipe, which, like the former, was carried above the floor of the room ; both were protected by brass plates fastened to the wall. Nothing was neglected to restore this venerable monument to its original form — that of a sudatorium, the dimensions of which were much smaller than those of the ancient public hot baths, but in perfect accordance with the private dwelling to which it had belonged.*

We have before mentioned that Sfondrato preserved, until his death, the small splinter of bone which he had found adhering to the piece of linen with which Cecilia's wound had been staunched. He bequeathed it to his dear Basilica, and we have had the happiness of holding in our hands this precious pledge of the martyr's gratitude to her faithful servant. It is enclosed in a very elegant reliquary, bronze gilt, in the form of a tower. It stands upon a pedestal and is set with crystals.

In reviewing all these circumstances, brought to light, and certified so many centuries after the events to which they refer, is it not evident that they form a most imposing demonstration in favor of the Acts of St. Cecilia?

Would not such important archa3ological discoveries be more than sufficient to banish all doubt respecting the truth of any recital handed down to us by antiquity ? Would not all the academicians of Europe agree in acquitting its author of the charge

• Platner and Bunsen find no difficulty in recognizing in this chapel the Bath where Cecilia expired (Besohreibnng der Btadt

Rom. Tome iii. 3re partie, pages 04:5 and 0*44.) The fact of their not seeing the boiler in the hypocaust, can be explained only by an error which they might have easily avoided. The room communicated with the furnace by two apertures ; the boiler could only ho Been through that on the right. These learned Germans may only have examined it through the aperture OB the left, and seeing nothing, may have discontinued their search.

of falsehood brought against him ? Would they not be unanimous in condemning preceding generations for their injustice towards an author whose recital they had taken no pains to verify? Such has been the justification of the Acts of St. Cecilia. Their truth has been incontestably proved by the great discoveries of which we have spoken.