Saint Cecilia

Saint Cecilia was a third-century Roman martyr according to the Christian tradition. Cecilia undertook a religious vow to remain a virgin, promising her virginity to Christ. Despite this vow, her rich family forced Cecilia to marry Valerian, a pagan nobleman. Cecilia was said to have sung to God in her heart, in order to protect her during the wedding ceremony. Because of this, Cecilia is referred to as the patron saint of music and musicians. Her connection to music is witnessed in this painting, where she can be seen playing the organ. Valerian was struck by Cecilia’s devotion and consequently chose to honour Cecilia’s vow. Valerian was later baptized by Pope Urban I, after which an angel revealed itself to him in a vision. After his conversion, Valerian took up the illegal task of burying martyred Christians, which eventually resulted in his own martyrdom. Cecilia buried her husband and continued her mission to convert hundreds to the Christian faith. Because of this, she too was later arrested and martyred.  

Guercino (1591-1666) created his paintings extremely quickly and was known for his naturalistic style. Beginning at the age of sixteen and continuing until his death at seventy-five, Guercino completed approximately 144 paintings and additionally over 106 large altarpieces for churches.