We have been speaking a lot these past few days of makers of bespoke vestments, and Watts & Co. of London are certainly one of the makers who offer such vestments , but today I wanted to focus on two other of their offerings, the first being a embroidered cope . The cope…
Two Vestments from Watts & Co. of London
We have been speaking a lot these past few days of makers of bespoke vestments, and Watts & Co. of London are certainly one of the makers who offer such vestments , but today I wanted to focus on two other of their offerings, the first being a embroidered cope . The cope…
Bespoke Vestments from Lyon, France: L'Atelier Romanitas
We are now nearing the completion of our series featuring various bespoke vestment designers and I cannot fail to mention L'Atelier Romanitas . This particular workshop operates out of Lyon, France, and many of their vestments have appeared here and elsewhere before, pr…
Bespoke Vestments from Altarworthy
Continuing on with our consideration of some of the bespoke vestment designers that are out there, today I wanted to turn your attention to Altarworthy -- whom we have featured here on LAJ before. Altarworthy is an American based vestment maker who specialize in traditiona…
Marian-Passionist Shrine in the South of Poland
Among the many wonderful treasures bestowed on future generations by Medieval Christianity was the development of pilgrimage routes and eminent shrine churches. Since about the 8th century, holy sites began to take more and more magnificent forms reviving and inventing art…
Baroque Inspired Bespoke Vestments from Spain: Pluriarte
Today I would turn your attention to Pluriarte - Arte Sacro , a small family business based out of Spain. In addition to their bespoke vestment work, they also do goldsmithing and restorative repairs -- but their vestments are our focus for today.
Pluriarte craft vestments i…
Bespoke Vestments, Frontals and More from Luzar Vestments
Continuing on with our consideration of vestment designers, I want to turn our readers' attention to Luzar Vestments who are based out of Oxfordshire. Luzar offers a range of ecclesiastical goods, from vestments and vesture to other items. In terms of their vestments,…
European, Bespoke Vestment Designer Sacra Domus Aurea
Continuing on with our considerations of some of the up and coming vestment designers out there, today I wanted to turn back toward Europe and to the maker, Sacra Domus Aurea who are based out of Italy and who we introduced you to for the first time last month .
Before proce…
Bespoke Vestments from Paramentica
Continuing on with our considerations of some of bespoke vestment makers who are operating at the moment, I wanted to turn our readers' attention to Paramentica Liturgical Design .
Paramentica is based out of the California, selling second hand and new vestment work. Tod…
Rare American Byzantine Romanesque Revival
One of the top most beautiful little examples of whimsical twenties church architecture in the American Midwest is seen here, the former parish church of St. Andrew in St. Paul, Minnesota. Sadly, it will be torn down later this month, bringing to mind a line from T.S. Eli…
Introducing Ars Comacina
Back at the beginning of July, LAJ featured some of the works of a very promising new vestment artist based out of Italy, Sacra Domus Aurea , whose focus is on hand-tailored, bespoke designs. Today, as part of our ongoing featuring of various contemporary vestment artists, …
Lessons of St. Francis of Assisi about Poverty and Sacred Liturgy
St. Francis of Assisi is famously quoted as saying, "preach the Gospel and use words if necessary." The lesson is straightforward enough: lead by example. In that vein, what lessons can we find from the example of St. Francis where liturgical beauty is concerned? …
Establishing an Oasis of Beauty and Joy (by Dom Alcuin Reid, OSB)
Early in the Summer of 2018 one of our bishop’s assistants telephoned: would we consider looking at some ancient monastic buildings beside a small chapel as a possible permanent location for our monastic community? In the South-East of France there are many such. But here i…
Restored Convent Chapel of Nuns in Minneapolis
Many of us know of no earthly magnificence to compare with the liturgical ceremonies of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. That being said, how fitting to see this old convent chapel in Minneapolis refurbished with three brand new, hand-carved, wooden items: an alt…
Vestments Commissioned by Bishop David van Bourgondië
The following vestment set dates from the early 1500's and was commissioned by Bishop David of Burgundy. Sadly, for him, the set was not completed prior to his own death -- which is perhaps a pertinent reminder for our own, rather impatient age that vestments of this s…
Madonna di Campoé
A few years ago. while doing an "Ambrosian tour" of sorts, I had the great pleasure of visiting the Santuario della Madonna di Campoé in Caglio -- a quaint and beautiful chapel nestled within the dramatic landscape of Northern Italy. After a pleasant meal nearby …
Behind the Scenes: Ecclesiastical Woodcarving at Mussner G. Vincenzo
Many of our readers are not only interested in finalized works of liturgical art, they are also interested in the process and craftsmanship that goes into their creation. Some of this is mere curiosity of course -- a perfectly laudable motive in this instance -- and for ot…
Santuario de Las Lajas: South American Gothic Revival Shrine in Columbia
South America is a lodestar of interesting liturgical art and architecture that is often overlooked by Catholic architects and art historians. I especially like this place of pilgrimage, the iconic neo-gothic shrine of Las Lajas in Columbia, a rural mountain sanctuary tha…
Four Altar Arrangements and One Church - The Importance of Altar Design
The parish of San Martino in Randazzo, Sicily, provides a rare opportunity for an interesting case study in the influence and importance that different altar and sanctuary arrangements can bring to a sanctuary ordering.
At this particular parish, from what I can tell, they …
An Illuminated Altar Missal
Unfortunately, I cannot offer a great deal of information to our readers about this manuscript, other than to tell you that it is, of course, an altar missal. Regardless of the lack of details, it is a beautiful piece of liturgical art that is worth sharing. One can imagi…
Other Modern: The Carmelite Monastery of Würzburg (Karmelitenkloster Würzburg)
The original Carmelite church in Würzburg, Germany, was destroyed during the Second World War. Following the war, the convent church was rebuilt and, in 1976, the artist Paul Nagel was commissioned to decorate the rebuilt church. The new church presents some very interesti…
