Medieval Survivals and Its Liturgical Lessons For Today: A Twelfth Century Apparelled Alb

Albs are one of those basic items of clerical vesture that tend to get a lot more attention these days than one would think they might. Likely derived from the Roman tunic, at root they are simply a white linen under-robe that is worn by clerics beneath the other, much more significant outer vestments. The source of this attention can be explained by the fact that, most of the time, the contemporary focus revolves around questions of style, specifically the method of their decoration and whether or not lace should or should not be used, when, how much and so on  So it is that some take the position the more lace the better, while others see lace as something "festal" and therefore not to be used in penitential times or circumstances of mourning. Still others want no lace at all, pejoratively characterizing its use as somehow "effeminate."  So it is that we end up in a situation where some advocate plain linen albs, others lace albs, and still others prefer to see ornamental apparels attached.  If that isn't enough variation, one can also find albs with decorative embroideries instead of any of these other forms of ornament. 

In reality, these different forms of ornamentation are rather more closely related to one another than one might at first think and to see that, one need only look back at some of the extant medieval albs we still have (including two medieval albs attributed to St. Francis of Assisi and Pope Boniface VIII).

This alb I would like to feature today is thought to hail from the 1100's (though some scholars have put it as late as the 1400's) and belongs to the so-called "paraments of San Bonifacio," one time Bishop of Ferento. What you will note about this alb are the decorative textiles that have been attached to it, specifically, around the neck, the cuffs of the sleeves and the base of the alb. This follows the model mentioned above related to the use of apparels. Let's take a look:

These ornamental panels are made from a silk damask and filled with decorative designs; in this case, birds, pomegranates and other vegetal designs.  Aside from being ornamental additions, they likely also had some practical benefit as well insofar as the decorative pieces are placed on those portions of the albs which would be subject most  day to day 'wear and tear.'  But of course, even if there is a practical dimension to them, this does not negate its ornamental purpose (after all, less expensive reinforcements could have been used if that was their exclusive purpose).

This particular alb is interesting in its own right, insofar as it gives us an insight into the design of albs used at this particular point of history, at least in larger, more affluent settings. But what it also showcases for us is the relationship this type of apparelled alb actually has with another, later form of alb ornamentation: lace.  To see what I mean, let's make a side by side comparison:

Left: 12th century Italian alb. Right: Late 17th cent. Italian lace alb. 

What this comparative illustration hopefully demonstrates is that there is, in point of fact, quite a close proximity between the apparelled form of alb and the later lace form.  In reality, lace was merely an alternate form of decoration, just as embroidery was, and you will observe the lace is similarly placed on the sleeves/cuffs as well as the base of the alb.  In reality then, the two forms are merely stylistic variations on the very same decorative theme and approach.

The one exception I would make to this are albs (or, more commonly, surplices) that are made entirely of lace. (See an example.) These are arguably a case of over-reach, insofar as it is a case of the secondary becoming the primary. The parallel would be if the apparelled appliqué were to cover over the entirely of the alb.  In that regard, tasteful restraint, recognizing its place as an ornamental accent, not the substance of the vesture, is certainly to be recommended as it better respects and reflects the origins and history of this item of ecclesiastical vesture.

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