One of the more unique designs for the papal tiara that we have in our possession is that which was made for the crowning of Pope Pius VII' who reigned from 1800-1823. The reason it is unique in its design has nothing whatsoever to do with its particular shape or decora…
The Tiaras of the Popes: The Papier-Mâché Tiara of Pius VII
One of the more unique designs for the papal tiara that we have in our possession is that which was made for the crowning of Pope Pius VII' who reigned from 1800-1823. The reason it is unique in its design has nothing whatsoever to do with its particular shape or decora…
Vestments of Recusant England: The Pentecost Chasuble of Helen of Wintour
In a previous article we detailed the Eastertide "Alleluia" chasuble designed and created by the seventeenth century recusant English Catholic, Helen of Wintour, and with Pentecost now upon us today I wish to turn you attention to another work of hers: the Penteco…
The Home Oratory
The Home Oratory ( Oratorium Domesticum ) is a wonderful Facebook page that inspires families and individuals who wish to connect themselves to the liturgical life of the Church by means of creating a sacred space in their homes - the "domestic church." The creator …
Did Popes Traditionally Only Wear Red and White Vestments?
There is something of an urban legend that one will come across in some Catholic circles that goes something like those: "Traditionally, popes only liturgically wore red and white vestments." The comment comes with reference to the papal rites in the classical Rom…
Papal Heraldry: Versions of Coat-of-Arms of Benedict XVI
Heraldry is the art and science of blazoning and emblazoning armorial bearings, and the use, display, meaning, and descriptions in special terminology of coats-of-arms. Of particular interest to some Catholics is papal armory in the sacred liturgy (specifically, when emblaz…
A Transitional Marian Cope of the 1600's
One doesn't frequently see floriated embroideries of this type, as seen on the main body of the cope, concurrently paired with explicit figural depictions, as seen on the shield with its image of the Virgin and Child, in one and the same cope for they frequently are rep…
Tissus Lyonnais: The Historic Silk Industry of Lyon and Sacred Vestments
Typically when we think of the silk trade, one naturally thinks of the famed "silk road" which led from the Orient to the western world, with a particular focus on the port of Venice, which of course became renowned for the quality and variety of its silk textile …
The Tiaras of the Popes: Pope Gregory XIII (+1585)
Pope Gregory XIII was the immediate successor to Pope St. Pius V and he reigned as Roman pontiff during the years 1572-1585. In fact, it was he to whom we have to thank for the Gregorian calendar -- so named after him of course; a calendar which is still the predominant int…
Some of the More Striking Vestment Work of Recent Years
Vestments are one of the liturgical arts that seems to get particular attention, no doubt in great part because their use is to varied and variable which allows for a lot of visible variety. Over the course of the past few years, from time to time LAJ has checked in with so…
The Function of the Ciborium Magnum
The ciborium, ciborium magnum, or baldachin, is an item of liturgical art that serves to cover over the altar. In terms of the why, on the one hand there seems to be a natural human imperative to cover over that which is of importance in part as a form of protection of the …
Some Churches of the Once Christian and Roman City of Constantinople
The great city of Constantinople -- or what has become known now as Istanbul -- is a city of no little intrigue and mystery. Its former identity as a Christian and Roman city can today be very difficult to imagine in a skyline now dominated by minarets. Even the architectur…
Spanish Splendour: Vestments from the Treasury Museum of the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Guadalupe
Spain is known for the particular beauty of its sacred art and its tradition of sacred vestments is certainly not an outlier in this regard. If you were to describe the Spanish style, it would be characterized by ample cuts (especially where dalmatics and tunicles are conce…
The Altarpiece of the Cistercian Abbey of Stift Stams in Austria
Given its verticality and grandiose subject matter and symbolism, it is a surprise to me that the Tree of Jesse -- which comes with reference to the royal lineage and genealogy of Christ -- has not been a more popular subject for altarpieces. Certainly the marriage of the t…
1950: A Festal Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Gesu in Rome
The following images present a reasonably rare view of the church of the Gesu in Rome, decorated in 1950 in celebration of the canonization of St. Anthony Marie Claret, with a solemn pontifical Mass offered by one of the cardinal's of the Roman church. We really intend…
Before and After: St. Mary's Church in Willimantic, Connecticut
J ohn Canning Studios recently gave us another example of the importance of colour in liturgical architecture. They recently undertook a restoration and beautification project at beautiful St. Mary's Church in Willimantic, Connecticut. In addition to repair work they als…
A Hand-Coloured Missal from 1620
The age of the printing press effectively put an end to colourful missal art for all intents and purposes, but on occasion we find some enterprising person who took the time either to work up a book with medieval style illumination or, as in this case, would take the time a…
Pianeta of Giovanni Carlo Boschi, Cardinal Major Penitentiary
Cardinal Giovanni Carlo Boschi (1715-1788) was made a cardinal by Pope Clement XIII in the year 1766, appointed Cardinal-Priest of the titulus of San Giovanni e Paolo the same year, and eventually in the year 1784, of San Lorenzo in Lucina. In addition to this, he was also …
The History and Forms of the Christian Altar: The Twentieth Century to Present
In our last and final instalment we shall consider the form of the altar as it would come to be expressed in the twentieth century onward. While previous periods were defined by their evolution of one form of the altar to another, the contemporary period is really much more…
New Gothic Revival Church in the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina
After eight years of planning, design, and construction the beautiful new church of St. Clare of Assisi on Daniel Island (Charleston, South Carolina) has been dedicated. Construction took three years and two months. With great solemnity it was consecrated on April 22 in a l…
Pontifical Vestments of Cardinal Saverio Castiglioni (Pope Pius VIII)
Pope Pius VIII is not a pope one hears a great deal about given the brevity of his reign (which only lasted about a year and a half from 1829-1930). For context, however, he was the pontiff who was on the throne of Peter during the preiod of the Catholic Emancipation in Gre…
New Chapel for St. John Vianney College Seminary with Works by ALBL Oberammergau
It is with great joy that St. John Vianney College Seminary (SJV), in St. Paul, Minnesota, has built and dedicated a fitting new 3,500 SF chapel as part of a 20,000 SF addition. This project was many years in the making, designed under the fatherly guidance of superiors and…
A Monumental Cross in the Medieval Italo-Byzantine Style by Martin Earle
M artin Earle is one of the more talented liturgical artists operating today as far as I am concerned, and he is certainly not new to many of our readers as we have featured him here before . For those who many not be familiar with him, however, Earle is based out of the Unit…
New Set of Vestments for the Order of Malta by Sacra Domus Aurea
The well-respected atelier of bespoke liturgical vestments, Sacra Domus Aurea , has recently completed a commission that really caught our attention. It is a complete set of vestments in the Roman style of pianeta Romana for use by the Grand Priory and the British Associatio…
An Eighth Century Ciborium
Early ciboria are not always easily found but today we have one to share with our readers that has been dated to circa A.D. 700-750. We have mentioned here before in our series on the history of the forms of the Christian altar that in their earliest incarnations, altars we…
A Preview of Civium Architects Work in St. Mary's, Kansas
David Heit of the Kansas-based Civium Architects recently held a private open house for their newly constructed church in St. Mary's, Kansas. The project highlights the fact that traditional architecture, even on a larger scale, remains entirely possible within our own…
Other Modern: An Introductory Survey of the Work of Carlo Donati
Regrettably, I can dig up little in the way of information about the ecclesiastical painter Carlo Donati. What I can tell you is that he was actively engaged in various ecclesiastical projects in the period spanning from around 1911 until around the time of the beginning of…
Before and After: St. Peter's in Montgomery, Alabama
We're pleased to present another before and after coming from out of Conrad Schmitt Studios . Like some of the previous examples we have shown from them, this is not a case of a before and after attached to radically renovating some previous space, but instead a case of …
The Tiaras of the Popes: Pope Pius XI
The papal tiara is, of course, one of the most widely known and recognized symbols of the papacy, though it should be noted that it is not a liturgical one and, as such, its use was limited to non-liturgical ceremonial occasions or as part of papal processions. Historically…
Minor Roman Basilicas: Santa Maria in Trastevere
Trastevere is one of those 'must see' districts of Rome for it contains some of the most interesting sights and sounds of the city, one of which is the basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The basilica is considered one of the most ancient in Rome -- though by th…
The Mosaics of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna
The mosaics found in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo always bring particular interest. Many may not be aware that the basilica was originally constructed for the Arians by the Ostrogothic King, Theodoric, in the year 505. However, after the city was conquered by the Emperor Justi…
