Since 1989 Ecclesiastical Studios & Sons have been busy restoring and redecorating beautiful old church interiors across the American Midwest. Their craftsmen employ a bevy of professional skills, including plaster restoration, architectural and decorative painting, s…
Before and After: Texas Restoration by Ecclesiastical Studios & Sons
Since 1989 Ecclesiastical Studios & Sons have been busy restoring and redecorating beautiful old church interiors across the American Midwest. Their craftsmen employ a bevy of professional skills, including plaster restoration, architectural and decorative painting, s…
Announcing Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College in Kansas
The newly-created Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College in Kansas looks promising. The Executive Director is Dr. Denis McNamara, PhD, a graduate of Yale who appears to be doing great things. The goal of the center is to transform culture through beauty. I…
The 'Cappa Magna' of Canons in Malta
In Malta there is a curious version of the " cappa magna " that is worn by canons. This custom comes from Rome, where canons of the collegiate churches wore them during the good old days. The side stole was originally the train, tied to signify that the beneficia…
Introducing Saint Eloi Liturgical Metalwork
I wanted to introduce our readers to a company that is focused on the execution of traditional liturgical metalwork: Saint Eloi Liturgical Metalwork . The company, which is situated in Spain, focuses on the production of everything from chalices, ciboria, monstrances, cros…
A New Renaissance in Vestment Embroidery Has Commenced
Often, in our contemporary way of thinking, we tend to think that the achievements of yesteryear in the area of liturgical vestments are simply not achievable today. By our logic, the vestments of yesteryear were painstakingly hand-embroidered over years by religious and o…
Before and After: St. Patrick's Oratory in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Another terrific job by Conrad Schmitt Studios. Such a fine contribution to church life in North America they make -- the work of CSS is an important guide for fine arts and good taste. Congratulations on this new addition to your portfolio and hearty congrats to the pri…
The New 'Fra Angelico' of the Dominican Order: Fr. Marius J. Zerafa, OP
The students of Rome's Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (a.k.a. the "Angelicum") agree he is one of their favorite professors. Meet Rev. Dr. Marius Zerafa, O.P. a Dominican friar who teaches Sacred Art in Rome. I myself have to admit I have a sof…
The Art of the Church Cornerstone
Has much ink has been spilt on the subject of cornerstones? Surely very little. Nevertheless, these, too, can be charming works of bespoke (custom-made) art. Indeed, whenever I visit a church the first thing I like to know is how old the church is. The cornerstone is a…
Live Broadcast Masses of the FSSP Showcasing a Digital Age of Liturgical Art
Many thanks to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) for leading the way on an international and unparalleled level with live-stream Masses during the historic COVID-19 crisis. Their LiveMass service is a true apostolate - see here . Please be sure to share the link…
Apostolate of St. Paul in Malta is a Tour de Force of Liturgical Arts
Earlier this year I was overjoyed to make a "knight's pilgrimage" to Malta, a lifelong dream for a Knight of Malta. It was a true homecoming. Needless to say, one of the highlights was the pure joy of visiting the "Latin Mass" apostolate of Malta,…
The Advent of the "Drive-In Mass"
I would like to offer a special word of thanks to all those great priests out there, "in union with all the Holy Masses celebrated throughout the world," who in their courageous dedication have been offering "parking lot" Masses the past several weeks a…
Prelatial Dress of the Religious Orders: The Cistercians
Continuing on with our consideration of the traditional prelatial dress of the religious orders we turn now to the Cistercians. The Cistercians break down into two fundamental groups: the Cistercians of the Common Observance (O.Cist) and the Cistercians of the Strict Obser…
French Stylings: Chasuble Designs from Nineteenth Century France
While there is a tendency to break down chasubles into very basic categories (e.g. "gothic" or "Roman") the reality is that there is quite a bit more distinction than this that can be found, not only in relation to their particular cut, but also in rela…
The Papal Court (Aula Pontificia)
One of the treasures of the past that deserves mention -- and has always been cherished with deep affection -- is the Papal Court ( La Corte Pontificia ). This was, by habit and tradition, a mystic band of brotherhood; what was supposed to be a corporation of the best and t…
Extra Touches Count: Making of a Church Entrance Marker
The Whittier neighborhood around the Church of St. Stephen in Minneapolis, Minnesota is dominated by exquisite art and architecture. Known as the Washburn-Fair Oaks mansion district, people visit here just to walk around and observe and marvel at the beauty seen everywher…
Two Further Case Studies Showing the Benefits of Traditional Sanctuary Orderings
Readers of LAJ will already be familiar with our various case studies around the nobility and simplicity of traditional sanctuary orderings and today we have two more for your consideration. However, before we get into that a quick comment about this exercise.
In these ex…
The Delicacy of Seventeenth Century Vestment Embroidery
Continuing on with some considerations in the area of the vestment arts, I wished to turn our readers' attention to the following chasuble. The chasuble itself is Italian in its origins and shows a style of embroidery that is much more 'delicate' than its 18th …
Gold Pontifical Set of Napoleon III
Previously we have shown some of the vestments donated by Napoleon III , and we have also shown a bit of this chasuble before in the context of a review of an important catalogue of vestments coming from the Holy Land. Given the especially strong interest that exists in the…
The Restoration of the Reed
Within the traditional, pre-1955 Holy Week rites of the Easter Vigil is an item called the reed, or triple candle (tricereo) -- we have detailed this item here in length so if you are looking for more background, please read that article. Surely this is an item long gone a…
