The text says a first church was probably founded in the 3rd century, while the infobox gives the 5th century. Pope Paschal I rebuilt it in 822 and moved Cecilia's relics here from the Catacombs of St. Calixtus. Parts of the 13th-century building survive, and a caption dates the bell tower to the 12th century.
Ferdinando Fuga designed the facade in 1725, paid for by Cardinal Francesco Acquaviva d'Aragona. It encloses a courtyard with ancient mosaics. Arnolfo di Cambio made the ciborium in 1293, and a 9th-century apse mosaic survives in part. Pietro Cavallini's Last Judgment fresco of 1289 to 1293 was plastered over in 1724 and rediscovered in 1900.
Stefano Maderno's marble statue of Cecilia, dated 1600, lies under the ciborium. Benedictine nuns have lived in the adjacent monastery since 1527, and the fresco can be seen during limited weekday hours for a small fee.
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