Cecilia was a third century virgin martyr who was courted by a Roman official but refused to marry as she was consecrated as a bride of Christ. She was then tortured, imprisoned and finally struck on the neck with a sword. When the sword failed to complete the job, she suffered in prison for 3 days before she died. During that time, she heard heavenly voices singing to her; hence, she is the patroness of music and musicians.

Her body was interred in the catacombs and 1500 years later, it was rediscovered, completely in-corrupt! A sculptor carved a marble replica of her body and it is quite beautiful. I tried to capture what the sculptor did in her figure and gown. I have portrayed her as in prison, listening to the angels and playing the harp in accompaniment, symbolic of her heart strings.

Cecilia's feast day is November 22, and she is patron of musicians.

Sue painted the original in acrylic paints on a 16 x 20 inch canvas. The original is no longer available.

IMPORTANT: Each of the 3 sizes indicates outside dimensions. There is a border of white left around the image, approximately 1 1/2" to 2" all around.

Signed by artist 

Archival Quality

Comes in a close-fitting crystal-clear plastic sleeve with a whiteboard backing.

Archival Quality: All our prints are made using premium acid-free fine art paper in card thickness, and high quality Epson pigments (instead of dyes), rated by a third party to last 200+ years when not hung in direct sunlight. These prints are beautiful today and are time capsules of the faith for future generations.

(C) Copyright Sue Kouma Johnson

This image may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express permission.