Deo Optimo Maximo; to God, most good, most great. It is a formulation seen time and time again -- usually expressed in the abbreviation D • O • M . Something similar, invocation wise, was seen in the days of the Roman empire, expressed then as D • M, dis manibus , in relat…
A Collection of Sepulchral Monuments
Deo Optimo Maximo; to God, most good, most great. It is a formulation seen time and time again -- usually expressed in the abbreviation D • O • M . Something similar, invocation wise, was seen in the days of the Roman empire, expressed then as D • M, dis manibus , in relat…
Restorations in St. John Henry Newman's Private Chapel, Rooms and Library
Many of our readers may remember our article on some of the liturgical effects of Cardinal Newman and as part of that we featured some images of his private chapel, located within his rooms at the Birmngham Oratory. Unfortunately Newman's rooms have been in need of som…
Gothic Splendour in the Rockies: Progress Report on the Monastery of the Carmelite Monks of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
Some projects are too good to note share, even when they are still works in progress, and one such project is that which McCrery Architects is working on for the Carmelites of Wyoming (more properly known as the Monks of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel). The proje…
Vesting the Church: Venetian Velvets for Festal Church Decoration
One of the traditions of the Roman church is the utilization of red and gold hangings for the decoration of churches, including church doors, during festal times. It is a tradition which is mostly found in Italy and Malta. There is some speculation that this tradition was i…
Before and After: St. Joseph's in Bowling Green, Kentucky
C onrad Schmitt Studios recently shared a project they were engaged on at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Unlike some of our previous 'before and after' features, this is not an instance so much of taking an architecturally challenged spa…
Scenes of Martyrdom from Ecclesiae Militantis Triumphi Sive (1585)
The following illustrations are taken from a book entitled Ecclesiae Militantis Triumphi Sive published in 1585. The book is a unique collection of illustrations of the scenes of martyrdom of various Christian martyrs. Each page includes more than one martyr, labelled accor…
A Brief Inquiry into Orange Shades in Vestments
Amidst the Autumn leaves, it seems a good time to look at how oranges were traditionally used in liturgical vestments. Of course, orange has not really ever been a liturgical color per se in the Roman Rite. The closest I can find to an explicitly called-for use anywhere is i…
Book Notice: English Medieval Embroidery - Opus Anglicanum from Yale University Press
Yale University Press has been busy putting out some titles which I think will be of interest to readers of Liturgical Arts Journal and the one which I wish to draw your attention to today is English Medieval Embroidery: Opus Anglicanum edited by Clare Brown, Glyn Davies an…
Madonnas and Saints in the Cuzqueño Style of the Spanish Colonial Missions
To conclude our present considerations of the Latin American style of sacred art called "cuzqueño," in our previous article we focused on the unique presentation of the muzzle-toting angel arcabucero and today we now turn our attention to Christ, the Madonna as we…
The Ángel Arcabucero of Colonial Latin America
There is a style of sacred art called "cuzqueño" -- so named because it takes its origins from Cuzco (Cusco) nestled in the heart of the Andes in the South American country of Peru. Amongst some of the curiosities of this particular school of sacred art includes mu…
Illustrated Liturgical Year Calendar for Children
A new illustrated liturgical year calendar in the form of posters is available from Sophia Institute Press . Each day in the calendar is fully illustrated with the saint, feast or feria of that day. Themes from the breviary and from Dom Gueranger's The Liturgical Year a…
Atypical Colour Combinations Seen in Historical Vestments
There is a kind of unofficial "canon" that has developed in the design of vestments. For example, very frequently one will see gold or silver orphreys paired with any and every liturgical colour. Black, green, red, white or violet with gold orphrey columns or broa…
A Spectacular Sixteenth Century Chasuble from Trent
While the shape is clearly of later vintage, the main substance of this particular chasuble is dated to 1524-1574. The chasuble is compromised of a stunning Turkish velvet that incorporates winding branches with pomegranate leaves and fruits. Set on top of this backdrop is …
Before and After: St. Joseph's Chapel at St. Dominic's Parish in Brick, New Jersey
We are pleased to present yet another installment in our ever popular 'before and after' series which considers the restoration or renovation of existing chapels to bring them back into greater alignment with the classical liturgical tradition. Today we turn to a pr…
Thirteen Ideas for Restoring the Catholic Roots of Halloween
In my previous articles on the liturgical roots of Halloween, I have examined some of the customs of the Vigil and how they might be adapted to the present day. This year, I thought it might be useful to distill these disparate musings into a convenient list of ways that in…
The Duomo di Sassari: Cattedrale di San Nicola
Continuing on with our consideration of some of the lesser seen cathedrals of Italy, we turn toward the Duomo of Sassari, located on the island of Sardegna. The cathedral itself finds its origins within the twelfth century, built originally in the Romanesque style but later…
Notes on the Liturgical Ornaments of the Cistercian Rite (Missale Cisterciense)
Recently I came across a few new images of the Cisterican rite and it prompted me to reach back to a few old images I also had and felt it might be an opportune time to provide some brief notes on this particular liturgical usage with a specific focus on its liturgical orna…
Another Case Study in the Influence of Candles and Candlesticks on the Harmony and Proportions of Altars
On various occasions I've made reference to the importance of candles and candlesticks, both as a means of providing a sense of "verticality" to and also a way of emphasizing the high altar. In addition, for altars where there is a ciborium magnum or a grand r…
On the Impressive Ceremonies of the Latin Mass (Usus Antiquior)
I recently authored an article for the inaugural of the new TAN Books blog that I am editing, an online journal known as TAN Direction . Below is the first part of the article, with a link to the remaining paragraphs, that I would like to share with readers. The gist of th…
The Novelty of the "Ecclesiastical Textile"
It can be very difficult to see beyond one's own era. The only way to combat it is by way of familiarity with history. One example of this that I constantly come across is that many, shaped and familiar mainly with vestural expressions of the past century or so, have co…
Announcing: New TAN Books Blog "TAN Direction"
"Embark on a journey, one that will bring
before you the writings of great Catholic thinkers, influencers, saints, and
future saints including authors of TAN books." TAN Books is launching today a new online journal called TAN
Direction which will aspire to give re…
