Legends and Folklore
(*From our AUR Transmedia Storytelling: World & Resources Page, the home of the Spring 2025 AUR Transmedia Storytelling class at The American University of Rome.
Saint Cecilia
One popular legend surrounding the Roman catacombs is that of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. According to the story, Cecilia, a Christian noblewoman, was sentenced to die for her faith. She survived a brutal attempt to suffocate her in a bath, but when she was finally beheaded, she miraculously remained unscathed. Her tomb is believed to be in the Catacombs of San Callisto. Pilgrims visiting the catacombs shared stories of her miraculous survival, and her body was later found beneath the Church of St. Cecilia in Trastevere. The legend of Saint Cecilia continues to draw people to the catacombs to honor her faith and resilience.
The Libro del Cinquecento
There’s an infamous magical item called The Libro del Cinquecento or Libru do cincucentu which according to legend “was a magic book that contained
formulas that made it possible to overcome all problems.”
Minerva, the Roman Goddess of knowledge.
Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, war, art, schools, justice and commerce.
The Janiculum was a centre for the cult of the god Janus, its position overlooking the city for augurs (An augur was a priest and official in the classical Roman world) to observe the auspices (Augury was a Greco-Roman religious practice of observing the behaviour of birds,
to receive omens. When the individual, known as the augur, read these signs, it was referred to as “taking the auspices”. “Auspices” (Latin: auspicium) means “looking at birds”. In Roman mythology, Janiculum is the name of an ancient town founded by God of Janus (the
two-faced god of beginnings)
+ (Additional information) The Latin name for the beloved hill is the Ianiculum. The name derived from Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions. He is usually depicted with two faces because he looks into the future and the past simultaneously. According to Roman
Mythology, the Gianicolo was a centre for the cult of Janus because of its viewpoint over the entire city, a perfect spot for augurs to make predictions based on the flight of birds.
Artifacts
A fascinating artifact from the story of Saint Cecilia is her music book or instrument. In many depictions, Saint Cecilia is shown with a musical instrument, often a lyre, symbolizing her connection to music and her role as the patron saint of musicians.