I wanted to take yet another look at an "everyday" set of Renaissance vestments, once again coming from the workshops of Renaissance Florence -- the very heart and soul of the renaissance of course. This particular set is dated to the second half of the sixteenth …
Another "Everyday" Solemn Mass Set from Renaissance Florence
I wanted to take yet another look at an "everyday" set of Renaissance vestments, once again coming from the workshops of Renaissance Florence -- the very heart and soul of the renaissance of course. This particular set is dated to the second half of the sixteenth …
Pew Edition Hand Missal Booklet from St. Kevin's Parish, Harrington Street (Archdiocese of Dublin)
One of my favorite "Latin Mass" success stories is the wonderful parish community of St. Kevin's in Dublin, Ireland. There you will find one of the most enjoyable, friendly, accommodating, and inviting Latin Mass communities in the English-speaking world. Vi…
Review of Recent Work by Catholic Painter Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs
Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs, a painter we have featured on LAJ before , will already be someone who is familiar to a number of our readers, and a recent article about her ongoing work for the baptistery of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Jefferson City, Missouri put to mind that i…
Before and After: The Episcopal Throne of St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, Iowa
Sometimes very simple changes that can make a difference. A recent example that came to light by way of Ecclesiastical Studio and Sons was a project they pursued in relation to the cathedra (i.e. episcopal throne) of St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, Iowa. There were, in…
Purple Need Not Mean Plain - Examples of Ornamental Violet Vestments Down the Centuries
Violet is a liturgical colour associated with penitential seasons such as Advent and Lent -- and traditionally other times too such as Septuageimsa and the vigils of certain important feast days. Because of this, there is an argument some will make to having violet vestmen…
The Solemn Mass Set of the Bishop Luigi Ruzzini, Brother of the Doge of Venice
Made between 1698-1708, this set belonged to Bishop Luigi Ruzzini (1658-1708), a native originally of Venice who was ordained a priest in 1696, serving at the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, whose was then appointed bishop of Bergamo only two years later by Pope Innocent X…
Venetian Gothic: The Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo
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As mentioned in another article, Venetian gothic is a style that, drawing from its history as a port city, combines the classic gothic pointed arch and merges it with Byzantine influences from Constantinople and Arabic influences derived from the Spanish Moors. The net res…
The Church of San Simeon Piccolo in Venice
Of San Simeon Piccolo in Venice, Napoleon is said to have stated that he had seen many churches without a dome in his lifetime but he had never before seen a dome without a church. Of course, his jest has to do with the proportions of the great dome of San Simeon Piccolo in…
Chasuble and Missal Cover of Cardinal Giuseppe Sacripante (1642-1727)
Cardinal Giuseppe Sacripante (1642-1727) seems to have been a man of very great taste in the design of vestments. This is the second vestment of his that we have featured, the other being an exquisite example in purple. Certainly his position was such that it warranted as …
Venetian Copes of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries
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Venetian gothic is a form of the gothic style that includes oriental and Arabic influences -- a result of its interaction and trade with these cultures. This interaction has led to a distinctive style whose pointed arches and design elements have a distinctly Moorish and Ar…
Thoughts On the Use of Palms in Churches
Well-placed areca palms that remain green year-round can add a touch of elegance to the sacred liturgy and can help add color to any auspicious worship space. Palms evoke Biblical imagery and sometimes they are even depicted in frescoes and murals. Historically, palm plants…
The Other Modern: Sint-Agneskerk in Amsterdam
Continuing with our Other Modern series, we now turn to Sint-Agneskerk in Amsterdam. The church which was built between 1919 and 1931, designed by architect Jan Stuyt. The bones of the architecture of the church is Romanesque revival, following a fairly typical basilica pa…
Vestments of Cardinal Saverio Canale (1766-1773)
Cardinal Saverio Canale was made cardinal deacon of Santa Maria della Scala in 1766 by Pope Clement XIII. He hailed from a family of the Italian aristocracy. There isn't a great deal that I have to say about the cardinal himself, but what I would point your attention to…
Chapel of the Grand Séminaire de Montréal
Founded in 1840 by the Sulpicians, the Grand Seminaire de Montreal is, as the name suggests, the major seminary of one of the great centres of French Canada -- though this present building was moved from in the year 2020. It is the chapel specifically, however, that is the…
Tuscan Romanesque at the Abbey of Sant'Antimo
The abbey of Sant'Antimo is one of my favourite examples of a Romanesque structure. Located within Tuscany, the foundation of the abbey is situated sometime within the time of Charlemagne in the eighth or ninth century, though the use of this site would appear to be anc…
A Brief History of Watts & Co. of London
[The following text was originally published by Watts and Co. on their website. We reprint it here for our gothic revivalists' readers interest and we have added updated photos.] Watts & Co was established by three of the nineteenth century’s most important architect…
The Silver Antependium of St. Agatha by Saveiro Corallo (1726)
With yesterday being the feast of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr, we thought we would take a moment to show you a beautiful altar frontal that was made in honour of her and her martyrdom which formerly graced the high altar of the Duomo of Catania, Siciliy, the Cattedrale di…
Subseasons of the Lenten Cycle: Unity vs. Variety
While preparing prayer-books for Lent and Passiontide , I came across Matthew Hazell’s article last year on the suppression of Passiontide so as to—thus the logic went—“preserve the internal unity of Lent.” If that was the criteria, then since the 1970s we have enjoyed a per…
Papal Traditions at Candlemas
A few weeks ago we spoke of the specially decorated 'canonization candles' that were traditionally produced for those liturgical events, and before we leave this subject we'd be remiss to not mention another papal tradition in this regard: the Candlemas candles. …
The Vesting of the Episcopal Throne
Talk of liturgical textiles and the mind naturally turns toward vestments first and foremost. Secondarily, the more liturgically attuned might also find their minds turning toward the antependium, or altar frontal. However, another lesser known set of liturgical 'parame…
