Guest Article by Ian Stone Some pieces of art are able to do things that a million words could never hope to accomplish. The painting above is one of them and is titled, “The Vision in the Coliseum. The Last Martyr.” It was painted by José Benlliure y Gil in 1885 and was com…
The Legend of St. Telemachus: Last Martyr of the Roman Colosseum
Guest Article by Ian Stone Some pieces of art are able to do things that a million words could never hope to accomplish. The painting above is one of them and is titled, “The Vision in the Coliseum. The Last Martyr.” It was painted by José Benlliure y Gil in 1885 and was com…
Miscellany: Devotion to Ss. Peter and Paul as seen in Liturgical Art
"M ore than their wont do the people flock hither today; my friend, pray tell me: w hy do they hurry through Rome rejoicing? 'Once more has come round the triumphal feast day of two apostles; b y the blood of Peter and of Paul made sacred.'" So wrote the fourth…
Churches of Latin America: The Cathedral Basilica of Cusco, Peru
The Cathedral of Cusco is more properly known as the Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption and is located in the old Inca capital of Peru. It sits on the site of a former Incan temple and palace of the former Incan ruler of Cusco. After the Spanish conquistado…
Stolen Altar Card Frames of the Crypt of Napoleon III Re-Created for Farnborough Abbey
Belgian woodcarver Patrick Damiaens recently shared some photos of a set of reconstructed altar card frames that were regrettably stolen from Farnborough Abbey in the United Kingdom. The story of the cards, like the abbey itself, is tied to the Emperor, Napoleon III, We thi…
The Connection Between the Emperor Hadrian and the Baptismal Font of St. Peter's Basilica
In the midst of everything else that St. Peter's basilica in Rome has to offer you might well only give the baptistery a quick glance but you really shouldn't. The baptistery and baptismal font of St. Peter's Basilica has an interesting history which I'd lik…
Liturgical Notes on the Solemn Pontifical Mass of the Rite of Lyon (Part 2 of 2)
In the first part of this series (first published on NLM in 2010 and republished here in a slightly updated form in 2022) we explored the solemn pontifical form of the Lyonese rite up to the conclusion of the Creed. As part of those initial considerations I addressed some o…
A Ceremonial Overview of the Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Presence of the Pope (Coram Summo Pontifice)
The following is a description of the Missa Pontificalis coram Summo Pontifice (Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated in the presence of the Supreme Pontiff) as it would have been celebrated traditionally for the papal chapel in places such as the Sistine Chapel with the pope i…
Why the Predella or Altar Step(s) are Important
In an article of February 20, 2018, The Neglected Predella: Its Importance for Altar Arrangements , I had discussed the fact of how many modern altar/sanctuary arrangements tend to cut out this related component of the altar. Before we go further in our considerations today,…
More Sacred Vestments in Art
We have collected another series of painted depictions that feature vestments as part of their composition. Frequently these depictions can give one a sense of the designs of the various regions and periods in which they were painted, thus giving us an insight into vestment…
Colossal Baroque: An Interview With Bryan Roach On Glorifying God With "the Most Splendid Music Ever Written"
An Interview by Julian Kwasniewski Bryan Roach, director of the recently-founded baroque ensemble Musica Transalpina graciously agreed to sit down and answer a few questions about his musical group and their inaugural concert, Colossal Baroque .
America's Oldest Shrine: Our Lady of La Leche in St. Augustine, Florida
The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche is the oldest shrine in the continental United States and the location of the first parochial Mass celebrated on U.S. soil. As the oldest continually used Catholic worship site in the nation, it is one of the most important pilgri…
The Tiaras of the Popes: Gregory XVI
Perhaps one of the most elegant, and thus also most frequently used, papal tiaras was that of Pope Gregory XVI (though the lappets seen on it now are from the time of Pope Pius IX) made for the pontiff in 1834. Given its particularly beauty it should probably come as little…
A Floriated Cope from the Prominent Roman Atelier of Giovanni Romanini, Maker of Papal Vestments
As we often like to do here each springtime and Eastertide, it is time to feature a vestment in the Roman tradition of the same; vestments which feature colourful, pastel coloured floriated designs according to the aesthetic of the seventeenth and eighteenth century. As we&…
Medieval Vestment Survivals: Casulla del Terno de San Vicente
As part of our series on medieval vestment survivals. I wanted to turn your attention today to the following chasuble dated to the second half of the thirteenth century, specifically circa 1300-1360, the San Vicente chasuble. Suffice it to say the shape is not original, re…
Chapel of St. Peter's Seminary in London, Canada
One of the more impressive collegiate chapels in Canada is that of St. Peter's Seminary, located in London, Ontario -- which is approximately two hours from Detroit. The entire structure is jewel of gothic revivalism from its outer stone walls, windows with gothic trac…
Inspired by the Ciborium: A Carved Tabernacle Covering for a Church in Texas
A LBL Oberammergau and Studio io teamed up to design and produce a ciborium and Eucharistic throne inspired covering for a tabernacle for St. Mary's Catholic Center in College Station, Texas. The project stands almost fourteen feet in height and includes hand-carved, wo…
A Chasuble From the Year 1420
The following chasuble is dated to circa 1420, originally being in the church of St. Mary's in Gdansk in the north of Poland. The chasuble itself is made of an Italian loomed silk, with an interior lining made of Spanish silk. The embroidery on the orphrey is thought to…
Shrine Altar for Sr. Mary Wilhelmina at the Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus (Gower, Missouri)
A recumbent style altar of wood has been made to hold the mortal remains of Sr. Mary Wilhelmina, the foundress of the Benedictines of Mary Queen of the Apostles . She founded this vibrant order of cloistered nuns in 1995 and passed away in 2019. Today, the sisters who are lo…
Vestments of the Saints
Saints are sometimes, in our minds, nearly like mythological figures. We see them depicted in art, we read about their lives and accomplishments, but it can be easy to forget they walked this earth just like the rest of us, maybe visited the same churches we now visit today…
Green Floriated Chasubles and the Imagery of the Enclosed Garden of the Song of Songs
The Song of Songs (sometimes called the Canticle of Canticles or Song of Solomon) is a book of sacred scripture that is rich in imagery. imagery that is frequently interpreted and understood as an allegory for love of Christ for His Church. One passage in particular, chapt…
Book Notice: Illusions of Reform
In recent years we have seen an increase in liturgical tensions, sparked in great part by the fact that much of the liturgical work and legacy of Benedict XVI has been sidelined before our very eyes The downside of these actions -- theological and ecclesiological as much a…
Red and Gold: A Selection of Eighteenth Century Vestments
Some of the vestments we have shown here are something of some historical note or perhaps demonstrative of some particular style that we have wanted to bring to our readers' attention, but aside from these there are also a great many other instances where we have no oth…
