Aracely

Arecely is a spelling variant of Areceli, an obscure Spanish and Italian female name derived from the Latin elements “ara” meaning “altar” and “cælum” meaning “sky, heaven”. It’s generally used in reference to a basilica in Rome known as Santa Maria in Aracoeli (Saint Mary of the Altar of Heaven); it is notable for housing the relics of Saint Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great who converted the Roman Empire to Christianity in the 4th century. St. Helena is most remembered for orchestrating an archeological dig near Calvary which purportedly uncovered the relics of the True Cross. The basilica is also the location of Saint Juniper’s remains, one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. As a result, Santa Maria in Aracoeli is a very sacred place among Catholics. The female given name Araceli is primarily used among Spanish-speakers in the same tradition as other significant “Mary/Maria” locations (i.e., Guadalupe, Fatima, Montserrat, Lourdes, etc). Today Araceli can be found on the female naming charts of Catalonia, Spain and among Hispanic-Americans in the United States. Aracely is an alternate spelling in honor of the holy basilica in Aracoeli, and it is used with some regularity in the South American country of Chile.