The patron of musicians and liturgical music, Cecilia was forced into an arranged marriage by her parents. She informed her new husband of a vow she made to Christ to keep her virginity and he respected it. He converted to Christianity and he and Cecilia served Christ by buying the remains of Christian martyrs and giving them proper burials. She was discovered as being a Christian when she retrieved the remains of her husband and his brother who had been beheaded and buried them. When it was ordered that she herself be beheaded, the executioner tried three times to cut off her head. Still unsuccessful, she was left to bleed to death.