The martyrdom of Saint Cecilia appears shockingly brutal:
The saint is kneeling on a cushion.
The executioner, shown just before the deadly blow,
is clumsy, brutal, ineffectual.
Cecilia's gaze focuses on the angel.
He turns his youthful body towards her.
His right arm reaches upwards,
pointing to her place in the eternity of heaven.
Deaf to the sounds of earthly violence,
Cecilia listens only to celestial music.