Our next consideration in our ever popular 'before and after' series looks at the parish church of St. Mary of the Assumption in Taylor, Texas. this particular project, undertaken by Studio io and Canning Liturgical Arts ,.
Before and After: St. Mary of the Assumption in Taylor, Texas
Our next consideration in our ever popular 'before and after' series looks at the parish church of St. Mary of the Assumption in Taylor, Texas. this particular project, undertaken by Studio io and Canning Liturgical Arts ,.
Spanish Artist Ana Rey: Maker of Statues
The art of statue making in Spain is quite advanced. In fact, many new statues created there today look quite real, the creations of a new generation of 3D realism. I would like to call the attention of readers to a new artist on the scene by the name of Ana Rey. Her websit…
Eighteenth Century Embroidered Liturgical Cuffs
Recently I came across the following exquisite example of a liturgical "cuff" -- which, in the Byzantine East is called the epimanikion or epimanikia (pl). It is important to note, however, that such liturgical cuffs were not unique to the Chrisitan East as they c…
The Polystavrion of the Byzantine East
If you've ever spent much time looking at icons within the Byzantine tradition, you will have no doubt noticed the distinctive sacred vestments that can often be seen within many of them. These come in various forms, but all of them involve a series of repeating Greek c…
Churches of Venice: San Nicolò dei Mendicoli
Continuing on with our exploration of some of the churches of Venice, we turn today to San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, located in the Dorsoduro district of the city. The original church on this site is considered to have been one of the oldest within Venice with the original foun…
Our Lady of the Mountains (Highlands, NC) by McCrery Architects
Our good friends at McCrery Architects have designed a true masterpiece in the mountains of North Carolina. The parish community of Our Lady of the Mountains in Highland, NC is getting a new church and the design team at McCrery has done a fabulous job, working alongside th…
A Visit to the Studio of Sacra Indumenta: Bespoke Sacred Vestments and Liturgical Linens Made in the USA
The unquenchable hope of every traditional Catholic is to see beauty restored and maintained in the sacred liturgy, with worthy vestments in all their indescribable glory, color and magnificence, to the benefit of laity and the clergy alike.
St. Jude's Liturgical Arts Studio and the Cathedral Basilica of Philadelphia
S t. Jude Liturgical Arts Studio / Liturgical Exchange , who are based out of Havertown, Pennsylvania, shared some news on their website about a project that they undertook at the incredibly beautiful Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. The project pro…
Opus Anglicanum: Chasuble of St. Nicholas
The following chasuble is an interesting example of the re-working of earlier vestments in order to preserve a precious textile for continued liturgical use. While we are accustomed to the notion of the re-shaping a chasuble from a fuller cut to a more trimmed down one, in …
Before and After: The Impact of Altar Canopies
Guest Article by Michael Bursch, AIA
Altar canopies are beautiful and powerful expressions of the Eucharistic and liturgical purpose of churches around the world. By highlighting the altar, altar canopies draw eyes and hearts to the center of the liturgy, thereby emphasizin…
To Sing with the Angels: St. Paul's Choir School (Cambridge, MA)
The only all-boys Catholic choir school in the U.S. is St. Paul's Choir School (SPCS). Founded in 1963, the day school offers an unparalleled musical education in the cathedral school tradition, in the footprint of Westminster Cathedral Choir School, where choristers le…
Restoration Work by Atelier del Restauro in Malta
One of our favorite little chapels in the world to visit is the church dedicated to St. Paul on Valley Road (Knisja tà San Pawl) in Birkirkara, Malta. It is under the spiritual care of our good friend Fr. Nicholas Doublet. He grew up there and has done a marvelous job with …
A Thirteenth Century Solemn Mass Set of Pope Boniface VIII
Medieval vestments are few and far between and medieval papal vestment sets all the moreso, so for that reason, we're pleased to be able to share the following solemn Mass set of Pope Boniface VIII. Now, it is worth noting that the shape of the chasuble and dalmatic/tuni…
The Fourth International Pilgrimage Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad in Spain
The Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad (Our Lady of Christendom) is a lay-led organization that heads up a very prominent international pilgrimage of Traditional Catholics in northwestern Spain. The pilgrimage has risen to prominence - now in its fourth year - and is growing …
The Beautification of St. Peter's in Volo, Illinois
The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius in the Archdiocese of Chicago are well enough known to many of our readers and of course are primarily known for their work at their mother church of St. John Cantius in Chicago. What many may not realize is that they also have charge …
Mass in the Sala Ducale of the Apostolic Palace
The Sala Ducale is one of the grand rooms in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican. It has always been closed to the public, while viewed as being especially suitable for the reception of special groups of pilgrims who visit the Vatican. This stately room was occasionally set…
Before and After: The Crypt Chapel of Corpus Christi Cathedral in Texas
S tudio io Liturgical Design in collaboration with Granda Liturgical Arts recently embarked on an 'update' of the crypt chapel of Corpus Christi Cathedral in Corpus Christi, Texas. The old chapel exhibits a rather curious arrangement of the type that seemed to become…
A Design for St. Edward’s Parish in Phoenix, Arizona by Harrison Design
One of the lesser seen styles in contemporary architecture (regrettably) is the Spanish mission style, a style rooted in the architectural tradition of Renaissance and baroque Spain. Fortunately we've seen some revival of this form in recent years, including this the fo…
A Neo-Romanesque Chapel Design by Duncan Stroik
While we are on the subjective of prospective designs for new ecclesiastical projects, I must make mention of the following project by Duncan Stroik for a Carmelite chapel. The design comes in the Romanesque tradition and impressively includes a full balustrade separating …
The Curious and Short-Lived Double Ciborium of the Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura
A rather curious 'feature' that was once seen in the Basilica of San Paolo fuori le mura in Rome was the fact it had, for a short time, not one, but two ciboria over the high altar. Effectively you had a ciborium over a ciborium. Suffice it to say, this was an unusu…
A Fourteenth Century (Possibly Papal) Antependium of Ss. Peter and Paul
With tomorrow being the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, we cannot miss an opportunity to feature some liturgical art related to this important feast day within the Roman church. The following antependium, dated to sometime around the year 1300, features a series of embroideri…
Spanish Custom of the Santo Niño in Sacerdotal Vestments
The Spanish custom of the Santo Niño vested as a high priest in Spanish vestments is a tradition sometimes seen in Spain, Naples, the Philippines, and South America. The symbolism is poignant and speaks to the heart. Every priest receives his vocation to the priesthood at b…
The Chasuble of Christ the King and the Great Commission
In various articles over the years we have commented on the decline of vestment design in the late nineteenth and twentieth century as standardized, very 'conservative' (as in, relatively plain so as to reach the tastes of the broadest possible audience) 'catalo…
Before and After: Monterey Latin Mass Community Restores Their High Altar
By way of King Richard's Liturgical Design & Contracting , we came across this interesting project: The Monterey Latin Mass Community approached King Richard’s to replicate its lost high altar. Relying on historic photos of the original altar, King Richard’s was prepa…
The "Universal Call to Holiness" Bas Relief by Rugo Stone
Stonework frequently doesn't get the attention it deserves and yet quality stonework frequently can 'make or break' a church project. In point of fact, when we consider the churches of old, their beautiful marble revetments are frequently points of particular no…
The Art of Mending Vestments: Guild of St Clare
It is universally true that vestments should be well maintained. Many thanks to the Guild of St. Clare in London for their important work, helping to repair vestments --a necessary service to help enhance the worthy celebration of the rites. This delicate art has traditiona…
Baltimore Basilica's Adoration Chapel Tabernacle by Granda
On a recent visit to the historic Baltimore Basilica I found myself pleasantly surprised when I stumbled into what has been transformed into a perpetual adoration chapel in the basement crypt or undercroft of the Basilica. In fact, the experience was deeply moving as my hea…
The Elements of the Altar or Holy Table in the Byzantine Tradition
While we have covered off considerations of the altar in the Latin rite, we have yet to ever provide any description of the adornment of the altar -- or "holy table" -- in the Byzantine East. Many of you have no doubt seen images of such altars at some point and …
Introducing A&M Ornamentos Vestments in Spain
As readers know, we are witnessing a veritable renaissance of vestment making all over the world. I would like to call readers' attention to A & M Ornamentos, a family-owned vestment operation located in Spain. Their custom-made chasubles are beautiful, of select fa…
Antique Vestments of the Byzantine Tradition
When considering vestments, we spend most of our time here on LAJ focusing on the vestments of the Latin rite -- and there is certainly plenty to focus on. But it crossed my mind of late how rarely we see antique vestments of the Eastern tradition -- specifically the Byzant…
A Cimabue Inspired Crucifix from Hape Sculpture in Italy
H ape Sculpture located in Val Gardena in the north of Italy, is one of the many traditional woodcarvers located in that region, specializing in traditionally, hand-crafted sculptural works, including beautiful crucifixes in the Italian tradition, such as the work which I wi…
Basilica of St. Lawrence is a Gustavino Masterpiece
One of my favorite churches in the American South is the Basilica of St. Lawrence, located in the mountain town of Asheville in North Carolina. The basilica is a beacon of beauty and immense creativity, one of the most visited places in Asheville.
A Sicilian Missal Cover from the 1500's
What you are seeing is a beautiful specimen of a silver missal cover dated to the 1500's that was created in the workshops of Sicily. The design of this cover includes beautifully etched floriated designs, done in a kind of latticework that allows the underlying coloure…
The Lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople
One of the most noteworthy of the lost churches of Constantinople is the Church of the Holy Apostles. In this particular instance, the fate of the Holy Apostles had less to do with the Ottoman conquest of the city, and instead suffered a similar fate to that of the old Con…
The Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad Pilgrimage in Argentina (Peregrinación a Luján)
Liturgical arts are flourishing everywhere and Argentina, a Catholic land, is no exception. Some readers have expressed interest in the annual Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad (Our Lady of Christendom) pilgrimage in South America. This is the largest annual event of Traditi…
The New Altar of the Sacred Heart at the Oxford Oratory
The following submission was kindly sent in to LAJ by the good fathers of the Oxford Oratory, detailing some of the ongoing architectural restorations and beautifications that are taking place there. In this particular instance, they detail their new altar, done in an Italo…
A Rare Account of Mass in the Sistine Chapel
Below is an article taken from a radio broadcast by Helen Coghill S. Haskin, an American radio lecturer in the 1930s best remembered for her soft, contralto voice. I believe she was a member of the Episcopal Church. The account is taken from The Crusader's Almanac , prin…
The Fifteenth Century Mitre made by Indigenous Mexicans and Gifted to the Pope and St. Charles Borromeo
We have a tendency to think about European art being brought in the direction of the New World -- and it certainly was -- but we don't a often consider that sometimes it also came back from the New World to the Old. That is certainly the case with the "Mitra di Col…
A Little Light from the East: St. Volodymyr's in Kiev
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Continuing on with some of our considerations of some Eastern churches that can help in illuminating the common inheritance that is to be found between the Christian East and West, we turn our attention today to St. Volodymyr's Cathedral located in Kyiv, Ukraine -- the …
Pentecost Vestments for Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone
Altarworthy, a vestment maker based out of the United States, recently published news on social media about a set of vestments made for Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, the archbishop of San Francisco, for the occasion of the solemnity of Pentecost on May 19, 2024 in the Ca…
Restoration of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Hanover, Pennsylvania by Canning Liturgical Arts
One of the most historic churches in America is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (in Conewago Township, Pennsylvania, Diocese of Harrisburg). Declared a minor basilica in 1962, this former Jesuit church built in Federal-style architecture is said to be the oldest s…
A Eucharistic Canopy from the Mid-Nineteenth Century
The use of canopies in a Catholic ceremonial context is itself linked to the Judeo-Christian imperative to cover over (or to use Old Testament terminology, to "tent") that which is considered symbolically important. Traditionally altars were required to be covered…
Before and After: San Joselito Chapel in Norwalk, Connecticut
Many of our "Before and After" speak quite well for themselves, and today's example coming from Canning Liturgical Arts is certainly no exception -- in fact, it might be an iconic example. Speaking of such, over the years we have commented on how colour and de…
The 'New Springtime'? -- Green Shoots of Life In the Churches, But Not of the Sort Predicted (Or: Some Abandoned Churches of Italy)
There is something both sad and poignant about abandoned churches. While churchmen in the 1960's and 1970's confidently predicted (in retrospect, naively so) a "new springtime for the Church" resulting from modernizations, in reality what we have seen take…
Michaelmas Day Window at St. Michael's Abbey in Silverado, California
Many thanks to G Photography and Films for the wonderful images of the annual celebration of Michaelmas Day at St. Michael's Abbey in Orange County, California. The new abbey church was designed by the French architect Jean-Louis Pagès, who drew his inspiration from a 1…
Further Examples of Coverings for Liturgical Books
We have spoken here before of the lost art of the liturgical book coverings and today I am pleased to be able to present a few more examples, all taken from the diocese of Savona in Liguria. Liturgical book coverings function much in the way antependia do insofar as they &#…
Dominican Rite Altar Cards
Recently I was privileged to attend Mass at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. It was good news to hear the ancient Dominican Rite is flourishing and continues to make a comeback on this side of the pond. I was further impressed to see these very interesting…
Before and After: Ss. Cyril and Methodius in East Helena, Montana
[Steve Baker, the principal architect at Baker Architects LLC provided LAJ with the following guest article featuring a renovation project their firm completed in the Autumn of 2023 at Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church located in East Helena, Montana.]
A Brief History of Liturgical Colours
To understand the evolution of liturgical colours, one first has to understand some basics about the evolution of sacred vestments themselves. Vestments originate from Roman civil dress and in paleochristian times this was simply attached to the notion of reserving one's…
The Ottoman Cope of the Basilica of Gandino
On February 21, 2021, our friend and colleague Lucas Viar wrote an article on the sixteenth century Condestable cope -- a vestment in the possession of Burgos Cathedral in Spain and a very good example of the use of a Moorish, Islamic-influenced textile within vestment desi…
A Florentine Cope From the Sixteenth Century
With the great feast of Pentecost now upon us, what better time to show this elegant, ornamental red cope. This particular cope is Florentine in manufacture and is dated to the sixteenth century; specifically the last quarter of the sixteenth century, sitting somewhere betw…
