Just a quick article today to share a piece of interest coming from the Schnütgen Museum in Germany. It is of a chasuble made from a Florentine textile from 1475 and an embroidered orphrey that dates from approximately the same period.
Suffice it to say, the chasuble would…
A Fifteenth Century Chasuble from Cologne
Just a quick article today to share a piece of interest coming from the Schnütgen Museum in Germany. It is of a chasuble made from a Florentine textile from 1475 and an embroidered orphrey that dates from approximately the same period.
Suffice it to say, the chasuble would…
New Rose Chasuble from Garry South of Holy Threads
Those who have been reading LAJ since its advent may remember Garry South of Holy Threads (see: Garry South: Strategist by Day, Vestment Designer by Night ) and for those who have not (or at least cannot recall) you may wish to visit that article to get some of his interest…
Sacristy Tips: The Cleaning of Sacristy Silver
Brother Brady Bonnici, OCD, from St.Theresa's in Cospicua Malta shared the following tips about how he goes about cleaning the silver candlesticks in their church:
First, I prepare a bucket of water, some brushes, a silver duster and silver bath liquid . (I don't us…
The Antependium of Pizzighettone: Gift of the King of France
The antependium of Pizzighettone, as it is known, was a gift of the French king, Francois (1494-1547), who was known to be a great patron of the arts. During the Italian wars of that period, he spent time in Pizzighettone, a captivity of sorts, and he developed a close fri…
All Hallows Eve (Halloween) in the Traditional, Pre-1955 Liturgical Books
Halloween is a liturgical holiday. Anyone would be forgiven for not knowing that, because almost nobody keeps it that way anymore—to such a degree that some Catholics are of the opinion that we should wash our hands of the whole business. But Halloween has always belonged …
The Holy Face Crucifix in the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Chicago
In one of the side chapels of Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago, hangs a gorgeous copy of one of the most revered crucifixes of Medieval Europe. A notable artistic prototype with singular history and vestiges of mysterious Jerusalem origins, the Holy Face of Lucca is…
Before and After: Immaculate Conception in Kenton, Ohio
Today I wished to share a quick 'before and after' from the parish of Immaculate Conception in Kenton, Ohio, by William Heyer Architect . This is a reasonably modest renovation compared to some of those we have shown in the past, but one which certainly has certain…
Considerations of Candles and Their Proportions in Relation to the Altar
In previous articles I have mentioned the importance of the predella , the ciborium magnum , the antenpendium , and the principle of "verticality" in helping to draw focus to that which is the centre of a church: the high altar. Tying into this latter point, today …
Contemporary Traditional: A Green Cope in the Italian Tradition
It was only a few weeks ago that I featured Sacra Domus Aurea as part of LAJ's 'bespoke' vestment designers series , but in the short time since then they have been putting out some amazing work that I would like to showcase while still 'fresh.'
As I ha…
The Dies Irae Sequence
One of the most revered and beloved of chant sequences is the Dies Irae, which is sung on All Souls Day and for Requiem Masses in general. This revered bit of liturgical poetry has come to us in various English translations . Here are a few examples of just first two opening…
Before and After: St Mary’s Church in Marion, Ohio
The architectural firm of William Heyer Architect recently completed a renovation project at St. Mary's Church in Marion, Ohio . The project came within the context of a gothic revival church that had undergone post-conciliar revisions but which still retained the bone…
Selection of Vestments from the Diocesan Museum of Trent
The following is a small selection of vestments that may be found at the Museo Diocesano Tridentino (the diocesan museum of Trent) in Italy that came by way of Nicola de Grandi of Milan. As with other such pieces, the focus here is simply to show some of the various design…
Introducing Jasper and Scheer Liturgical Art
It has been too long since we last featured a painter, so today I wanted to turn readers' attention to Jasper & Scheer Liturgical Art who describe themselves and their mission accordingly:
Jasper Artisan's Guild is committed to the beauty and sanctity of the Ca…
Eighteenth Century Vestments from Stift Klosterneuberg in Austria
The Augustinian Monastery of Klosterneuberg in Lower Austria has one of the finest collections of vestments on display anywhere. In fact, many of our readers may well remember an article published here on their well known Art Nouveau set . Today I wanted to turn your attent…
ALBL Oberammergau: The San Gimignano Crucifix
The liturgical artists at ALBL Oberammergau , in operation since the 16th century, have been quietly at work at their trade since we last featured them, and today I wished to show the crucifix of San Gimignano, a five foot high crucifix they have created based upon the 13th…
Before and After: Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Kenosha, Wisconsin
It has been a little while since we have shown a church as part of our ever popular "before and after" series and today we are very pleased to be able to showcase the work of Stephen S. Cascio at his very own parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Kenosha, Wiscons…
Daniel Mitsui and Gardiner-Hall Collaboration on Altar Rugs for the Cathedral-Basilica of Covington, Kentucky
The matter of altar rugs is one of those subjects that gets very little treatment in the liturgical arts, but this is something of a shame as they actually fulfill both a very practical purpose (in terms of the sacred ministers) as well as an artistic one (in terms of lend…
A Model Roman (Side) Altar
The well known Alcuin Club tracts of Anglo-Catholic fame included various considerations of "English altars" (namely, medieval altars found within England) throughout their course and today I wanted to show what I consider a very good model for a "Roman alta…
Fifteenth Century Pentecost Vestments of Pope Nicholas V
Today I wished to share with our readers a set of historical vestments that were commissioned in the fifteenth century (1449-1450) by the Commune of Siena and Aquila for use by Pope Nicholas V for the occasion of the canonization of St. Bernardino of Siena (1380-1444) on t…
Spanish Bespoke Vestment Designer A&M Ornamentos
For our final piece (for now at least) in our bespoke vestment designers series, I wanted to turn to a maker based out of Spain, A&M Ornamentos . This particular designer is, not unsurprisingly, focused on vestments in the Spanish tradition. For those who want to browse …
