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…
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…
A Strategy for Providing Pontifical Vestments for Pontifical Use
In previous articles, I have spoken on the history and use of pontificals such as pontifical gloves , pontifical sandals and pontifical buskins . Today I wanted to delve a bit more deeply into that subject, but with something more practical in mind.
Before we go there howeve…
Gothic Reborn: St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Ridgway, Illinois
In 2016, the architectural firm of Cram and Ferguson completed work on St. Kateri Tekakwitha (formerly St. Joseph's) in Ridgway, Illinois. The original parish church was a pleasing red brick, gothic revival structure built in 1894. Unfortunately, in February 2012 the ch…
Medieval Lace Albs of St. Francis and Pope Boniface VIII
While the use of lace as a form of ecclesiastical ornamentation generally tends to be thought of as something particular to the baroque period, in actuality its use, ecclesiastically speaking, can be traced back at least as far as the Middle Ages. Two extant examples that I…
A Pieta by Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs
I have been following the work of Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs since LAJ first started up a couple of years back and today I am pleased to be able to share a new commission recently completed by her. (In fact, it is so recently completed that the varnish is literally drying as …
Prelatial Dress of the Religious Orders: The Franciscans
We all know the basic schema. Bishops wear purple, Cardinals red and Popes white. This, of course, remains true. What many today may not realize, however, is that traditionally prelates who belonged to religious orders didn't simply adopt the prelatial dress of their …
Examples of the Traditional Art of Heraldry on Vestments
In a recent article, I commented on matter of heraldry in relation to vestments and how there has been a revival of this practice today. By way of brief explanation, since this tradition is not familiar to all, heraldry was frequently placed upon the vestments of popes and…
A Tour of the London Oratory: The Little Oratory
Continuing on with our tour of the London Oratory, today we give consideration to the Little Oratory. The Little Oratory is not located within the main church itself, but is rather located to the west end of the Oratory House. This chapel is the domestic chapel of the Orat…
Abbe Franck Quoëx: Ritual and Sacred Chant in the Ordo Romanus Primus
[Translated by Zachary Thomas* + Published in Antiphon, 22.2 (2018)] Abstract: The Ordo Romanus Primus offers historians of the Mass in the West a complete picture of a normative liturgy, namely that of the Roman Pontiff. Sacred chant, inherent in the solemn public character…
