Today I wished to share a set of vestments designed by Pluriarte who are based out of Spain. Fittingly, we are presenting one of their recent Spanish sets which was commissioned by members of the Institute of Christ the King.
Readers will no doubt note the distinctive shap…
A Spanish Set from Pluriarte Arte Sacro
Today I wished to share a set of vestments designed by Pluriarte who are based out of Spain. Fittingly, we are presenting one of their recent Spanish sets which was commissioned by members of the Institute of Christ the King.
Readers will no doubt note the distinctive shap…
Leading the Way in Liturgical Art and Design: Talleres de Arte Granda
Recently while on pilgrimage in Madrid I was pleased to meet up with an old friend of mine from studium days in Rome, a very gifted and esteemed Catholic architect by the name of Lucas Viar. Lucas is doing great things as Artistic Director at Granda , one of the world'…
Saints and Old Testament Righteous of the Canon of the Mass
How often does one hear the words of the Roman Canon and not stop to consider the saints whose names are mentioned therein? Evidently we need no introduction to the Apostles, nor to the Blessed Virgin Mary, nor St. Joseph, however some of the other names that come up may …
Crypt of Westminster Cathedral in London
Westminster Cathedral in London is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. It boasts a fascinating crypt, generally not open to the public. It was a great privilege to visit here and have Mass while on pilgrimage re…
Some Views of Downside Abbey
D ownside Abbey , located in England, is the home of many fine medieval vestments and gothic revival work generally. Recently Fr. Terence Mary Naughtin, OFM Conv., visited the abbey and was able to offer Mass in the following vestments -- a conical chasuble -- and at one of …
Some Ancient Papal Ceremonial as Described by H.V. Morton
One of the pioneering travel writers of the twentieth century was H.V. Morton . Morton wrote a significant number of travel works centred in England, Italy, and the Holy Land. In one of those books, In the Steps of St. Paul , Morton provides a rather "atmospheric" …
The Mysteries of the Rosary Illuminated
It has been far too long since we've featured some drawing here on LAJ, and what better place to turn than one of LAJ's own writers, Daniel Mitsui . Daniel's work will be familiar to many readers already; he specializes in highly detailed ink drawings known for …
Medieval Dominican Vestments of St. Albert the Great
The following was sent into LAJ by Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P. (with the assistance of Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. as well) and shows an exquisite example of medieval vestment work. The set is in blue and contains embroidered images of various saints, including St. Dominic himself…
A Brief Consideration of the Origins of the Maniple
The maniple is one of those vestments which tends to get a fair bit of attention and interest, in part because it was one of the vestments 'de facto' lost in the post-conciliar liturgical reforms (though, as was famously noted by the Office for the Liturgical Celebr…
On the History and Use of Incense
Incense is one of those elements of the sacred liturgy that is frequently neglected in contemporary liturgical use. Very often, in typical parishes at least, it use has been mainly reserved for requiems and for the greatest of solemnities -- such as Christmas or Easter -- b…
Further Vestments of Msgr. Gaspare Cantagalli of the Vatican Secretariat of State
Recently we featured a solemn Mass set of Msgr. Gaspare Cantagalli , the one time Vice President of the Vatican Secretariat of State, and today I wished to share a few more of his vestments -- all of which come from the twentieth century. To date, all of the vestments I hav…
The Ossuary Chapel of San Bernardino alle Ossa in Milan
Set in the midst of Milan is the fairly typical looking church of San Bernardino alle Ossa , and while the exterior of the church may not suggest anything particularly unique about it, nestled within it is an ossuary chapel that is quite unique, ornamented as it is with cou…
Solemn Mass Set of Msgr. Gaspare Cantagalli, Vice President of the Vatican Secretariat of State
The following is an example of a twentieth century set of vestments of Florentine manufacture coming from the diocese of Faenza-Modigliana in the northern part of Italy. The set bears the arms (stemma) of Monsignor Gaspare Cantagalli who was the Vice President of the Vatic…
Black or White For Requiems: A Via Media For the Present Time
Since the 1970's, it is well enough known that there has been some "aversion" to the liturgical colour black. Speaking personally, I think there are plenty of very good and sound reasons (both pastorally and theologically) for it's use, and as such I'…
Jacques Maritain on Sacred Art
Some Reflections Upon Religious Art written by Jacques Maritain
Allow me to put before you today some very brief and very simple reflections. You will, no doubt, consider them too simple, but still I hope that they are inspired by good sense.
What I should like to examine w…
The Ecclesiastical Heraldry of Giuseppe Quattrociocchi
On at least two occasions I have specifically addressed the matter of ecclesiastical heraldry, the first in a more general consideration of the tradition of ecclesiastical heraldry and the second in relation the vestments in particular . Today I wished to feature the work o…
Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa
Amid the corn and soybeans in the heartland of America is one of the most interesting little shrines on the American continent. It is the creation of the Rev. P.M Dobberstein, a Catholic priest in West Bend, Iowa. Here an estimated 100,000 people flock each year to see a…
The Iconography of San Clemente
[The following is a piece that I originally had written for NLM nearly a decade ago. It was written by Dino Marcantonio of Marcantonio Architects on the subject of one of my favourite Roman churches: the Basilica of San Clemente. Enjoy. -- SRT.] by Dino Marcantonio (original…
A Rare Eighteenth Century Silver Set from Cardinal Fesch
Vestments made from cloth of gold are of course, reasonably common and a look at many collections of 19th and early 20th century vestments will turn up numerous examples. What is far less common, however, are silver vestments -- so uncommon in fact that many may not know t…
Prelatial Dress of the Religious Orders: The Benedictines
Back in mid-July I introduced a new series, "Prelatial Dress of the Religious Orders," which began to take us through the unique traditional dress of prelates who belonged to religious orders and how it differed by comparison to the usual schema we are all accust…
