Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

I don't know about any guided tours in English. I knocked on a door at the back of the church (inside) and a nun came down and led us up into what was the nuns choir. The frescoes by Cavallini were on the back wall. There was no danger of any English being spoken but she was very gracious, I don't remember but the small fee seems right. It was a very special moment in a very special time. If you go definitely make the effort and you'll find it. The crypt is also amazing. St Cecilla has always been one of my favorites in Rome. Just found out today that that her feast day is November 22...my birthday! Thanks
Brad

Happy Birthday, Brad!
Some years back there was a long comment posted by RnR listing the best 25 or so churches in Rome and I only found the list today when checking to see about archived references to Santa Cecilia

My favorite reference for this subject is Wikipedia. Try "churches of Rome" on Wikipedia.

Now IF we still had our Zoe (D. Min.) with us, and IF we could be with her in her beloved Rome, I'm pretty sure she could have filled shoes for an art tour in English for this church. One of the courses she taught was "Theologies of Christian Art", and this (clueless non-Catholic) had some interesting chats behind scenes with her about historic iconography/symbolism. Dang, I miss her. :O(

Thanks for the reminder to do some more reading up on this one, avi!

R.I.P Zoe

You might consider contacting the "Catholic Traveler". He runs a travel service out of Rome. I follow him on Facebook. During Lent, he was visiting and doing virtual tours of churches in Rome. A new one everyday. He may have some of the virtual tours on his webpage. You could also look at recommended RS guides on this website. Many of the RS local guides are offering discounted tours and services.

I thought Francesca Caruso was an excellent guide in Rome. You might also consider contacting her.

https://thecatholictraveler.com

The last time I was in Rome (2017) I was so looking forward to visiting Santa Cecilia. When I arrived, there were lots of fancy cars parked there. Hmmm?

There was nothing that indicated that I couldn't go in, so I did. Both unfortunately and fortunately, there was a wedding going on. I don't speak or understand much Italian, but I understood from the nun who appeared seemingly from nowhere, that she couldn't show me around, but that it was okay for me to sit in the back and watch what was happening.

I don’t know if every Italian wedding is like this, but the church was about 1/4 full with everyone in the pews upfront. I say in the pews, but in fact almost no one was sitting. People were milling around, talking, laughing and having a good time. I couldn't see the bride and groom, so I thought the ceremony was over. Wrong.

Eventually, things quieted down a bit. People didn’t sit down, but I got a glimpse of the bride and groom kneeling in front of the priest. I didn't stay long enough to see if they walked back down the aisle, but when I went outside, several people were out front, chatting and smoking.

I'm not Catholic, but I've been to a few Catholic weddings, most recently last month. They have been much more sedate and quieter. I may not have been able to explore the church, but I learned a lot that day, and I gotta admit that Italian wedding looked like a lot more fun.

thanks for the pointer, Jules, and good story Lo!

I've stumbled into more than one baptism or wedding in impressive churches over the years, and it sure does add to the travel experience.