The well-respected atelier of bespoke liturgical vestments, Sacra Domus Aurea , has recently completed a commission that really caught our attention. It is a complete set of vestments in the Roman style of pianeta Romana for use by the Grand Priory and the British Associatio…
New Set of Vestments for the Order of Malta by Sacra Domus Aurea
The well-respected atelier of bespoke liturgical vestments, Sacra Domus Aurea , has recently completed a commission that really caught our attention. It is a complete set of vestments in the Roman style of pianeta Romana for use by the Grand Priory and the British Associatio…
An Eighth Century Ciborium
Early ciboria are not always easily found but today we have one to share with our readers that has been dated to circa A.D. 700-750. We have mentioned here before in our series on the history of the forms of the Christian altar that in their earliest incarnations, altars we…
A Preview of Civium Architects Work in St. Mary's, Kansas
David Heit of the Kansas-based Civium Architects recently held a private open house for their newly constructed church in St. Mary's, Kansas. The project highlights the fact that traditional architecture, even on a larger scale, remains entirely possible within our own…
Other Modern: An Introductory Survey of the Work of Carlo Donati
Regrettably, I can dig up little in the way of information about the ecclesiastical painter Carlo Donati. What I can tell you is that he was actively engaged in various ecclesiastical projects in the period spanning from around 1911 until around the time of the beginning of…
Before and After: St. Peter's in Montgomery, Alabama
We're pleased to present another before and after coming from out of Conrad Schmitt Studios . Like some of the previous examples we have shown from them, this is not a case of a before and after attached to radically renovating some previous space, but instead a case of …
The Tiaras of the Popes: Pope Pius XI
The papal tiara is, of course, one of the most widely known and recognized symbols of the papacy, though it should be noted that it is not a liturgical one and, as such, its use was limited to non-liturgical ceremonial occasions or as part of papal processions. Historically…
Minor Roman Basilicas: Santa Maria in Trastevere
Trastevere is one of those 'must see' districts of Rome for it contains some of the most interesting sights and sounds of the city, one of which is the basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The basilica is considered one of the most ancient in Rome -- though by th…
The Mosaics of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna
The mosaics found in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo always bring particular interest. Many may not be aware that the basilica was originally constructed for the Arians by the Ostrogothic King, Theodoric, in the year 505. However, after the city was conquered by the Emperor Justi…
The Virgen Del Sol of Cordoba
Frequently when we think of beautiful images of the Madonna, our minds naturally turn toward works from the Renaissance in Italy, works coming from the studios of masters like Botticelli, Da Vinci and Raphael -- and rightly so,. However, there is also a very great tradition…
The Mantum of the Patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal
As will be known to many of our readers, historically the patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal, was bestowed many privileges related to the use of symbols that had come to be most commonly associated with the Roman pontiff, while others simply emulated the pope's usages. For e…
The Mosaics of the Paleochristian Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte in Naples
Baptisteries are one the places in which we seem to have best retained paleochristian features and art. In the case of San Giovanni in Fonte, located in Naples, we have a baptistery dated to the fourth century, attached to the basilica of Santa Restituta -- though at one t…
New Architecture: St. Michael the Archangel Church in Leawood, Kansas
In the year 2009, David B. Meleca (now a part of the firm Moody Nolan ) undertook an impressive design for a new parish church situated in Leawood, Kansas: St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. The project involved building a parish church that would seat 1200 people a…
Holy Sepulchre Chapel in Washington, D.C.
The Franciscan Monastery Sepulchre is a small sacellum chapel or tempietto (little temple) of prime importance built inside the Byzantine-Romanesque Memorial Church of the Holy Land in Washington, D.C. The church and sepulchre were brilliantly designed in the 1890s by the I…
More Digital Reconstructions of the Old Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter's
Digital recreations, or reconstructions, of the original St. Peter's Basilica, built by the Emperor Constantine on the Vatican hill over top St. Peter's burial place, always generate a great deal of interest. It was a subject that we have covered here in two articl…
Vestments of Recusant England: The Easter Alleluia Chasuble of Helen of Wintour (1655)
Helen of Wintour was a recusant English Catholic, living in seventeeth century England at a time when being a Catholic could result in imprisonment or even execution. In fact, Helen's own father aud Uncle were executed in the year 1605. As part of the expression of her …
The Wooden Clapper of Holy Week: The Crotalus
To signify celebration, bells ring out joyous sounds with crashing and pealing, reverberating harmonious beauty though the Christian world. This is both in celebration of the Resurrection of Christ and a call to the celebration of prayer. However, in the Christian tradition…
The Triduum: Variations in the Vestments and Their Colours in the Span of Fifteen Years
In our previous article on this subject we looked at the changes to the particular vestments and colours that are used during Palm Sunday in the short span of a fifteen year period. Today I wanted to turn our attention to the Sacred Triduum. Easter Sunday carries no marked …
Minor Roman Basilicas: San Sebastiano fuori le Mura
The basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le Mura is located on the ancient Via Appia on the outskirts of Rome, situated in relation to one of the ancient catacombs, specifically the catacomb of the same name. San Sebastiano is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. Technica…
More Examples of Ornamental Violet Vestments
We have said before here that "purple need not mean plain" and before we once again leave behind the season of violet in exchange for gold, white, red and green, I wanted to share three other gems that I have come across, two of them from the seventeenth century. …
Palm Sunday: Variations in the Vestments and Their Colours in the Span of Fifteen Years
Vestments often have a way of shining a light on modern liturgy history -- and this is especially so in the case of twentieth century liturgical history. One of the most illuminating of such times is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the holiest (and busiest) time of the Christian …
