The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence is one of the most important churches in the city of Florence and if you happen to be sojourning there via train you're in luck as it is literally right across from Florence's train station. The church is the principal…
Santa Maria Novella - The Dominican Church of Florence
The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence is one of the most important churches in the city of Florence and if you happen to be sojourning there via train you're in luck as it is literally right across from Florence's train station. The church is the principal…
Tapestries of the Papal Court for Holy Thursday
If you take a look at images or photographs of papal ceremonies from prior to the 1970's you will frequently see large tapestries forming a part of the liturgical or ceremonial setting (which, it should be noted, take place outside of the context of Mass; see the end of…
Sacra: Relics of the Saints (Restoration, Catechesis, Consultation)
Relics play a key role in liturgical arts. They adorn nearly all altars. Today there are a lot of people asking about preservation and repair of relics and reliquaries, seals, restoring documents, authentication, identification, provenance, etc. These days many relics are o…
Another Example of the Shared Architectural-Liturgical Roots of East and West: Hagios Demetrios in Thessaloniki
Continuing on with our periodic considerations of the commonalities we can find between Christian East and West, today I wanted to draw your attention to the church of Hagios Demetrios (St. Demetrius) which is located in Thessaloniki, Greece. The first church on this site d…
A Contemproary Marian Chasuble in the Medieval Tradition
One of the challenges that I've frequently observed with fuller, "gothic" styles of chasubles is that frequently many of the designs we come across are often lacking in variety; they can seem very much the same. Some of this is accidental by virtue of the fact…
Pyx/Ciborium Veils by Sacristia
Through the centuries Catholics have always sought to beautify their sacred rites and to show extra care and concern for the true presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. At the same time, Christian liturgy is rooted in both synagogue and temple with traditions that dev…
The Christus Rex Pilgrimage in Australia
Each year in Australia the Christus Rex Society sponsors the Christus Rex Pilgrimage , a 3-day walking pilgrimage that covers 90 km from Ballarat to Bendigo. About 500 participants make the walk, in honor of Christ the King, with two nights camping. Liturgies are celebrated …
Churches of Latin America: Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús in Cusco, Peru
Continuing with our series exploring some of the beautiful churches of Latin America, we turn today to the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús in Cusco, Peru. Cusco is the ancient capital of the Incan empire and it is perhaps best known for a style of painting named after it. …
Santa Costanza in Rome
Santa Costanza is a fourth century mausoleum structure that is thought to have been originally built to house the remains of the Emperor Constantine's relations, including one Costanza -- hence the name -- though it is worth noting there is some debate about whether thi…
Splendours of Lisbon: A Full Pontifical Set of Vestments
Previously we have given consideration to the impressive collection of vestments at the Museu de São Roque /Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa , and today I wished to share another set from their impressive collection, this time a pontifical set. The entire set is comprised…
The Custom of Suspending the Galero in Cathedral Churches
A beloved tradition of the Latin Church - the suspension of a cardinal's galero in his cathedral church over his tomb after his funeral - was a harmless custom that unfortunately proved to be a casualty of the lamentable 1960s revolution - an acute historical disturbanc…
Gothic Revival Revived
One of the challenges in terms of gothic revival vestment work is making such designs stand out from the many catalogue offerings of gothic that poured into nearly every sacristy in the mid twentieth century. Many bespoke makers today are challenging the 'status quo ant…
The New Stone Altars of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis
The chapel renovations at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St Louis, Missouri are fairly well known to our readers as we have touched upon them previously, but a specific element I would like to highlight in this particular renovation are the exquisite altars that were executed …
Whither Noble Simplicity?
It has been awhile since we did one of our 'digital renovations' and recently an image of St. Catherine's Church in Krakow, Poland came to my attention and it seemed to be a good candidate for just such an exercise (the intent of which are to prompt people to re…
Children's "Play Vestments" by the Liturgical Co.
The Liturgical Co. is a vestment atelier based in California under the care of Ms. Sequoia Sierra. Ms. Sierra designs, creates, and repairs vestments, habits, and other religious and liturgical items and furnishings related to textiles. She also produces reversible "p…
FSSP Versailles: Chapelle de l'Immaculée Conception
Versailles is a magnificent place to visit. It is also a place where the Classical Rite always existed - it was celebrated here, even at unknown places during the particularly difficult time of the post-conciliar years. Today the FSSP have a vibrant parish in the heart of V…
A Carved Gothic Altar from Rugo Stone
Beauty, quality and detailing remain possible in our own times and this can be seen quite well in a marble altar that was created for Corpus Christi Church in South Riding, Virginia by Rugo Stone in collaboration with a larger projects by McCrery Architects . From Rugo Stone…
Restoration of the Church of the Most Holy Mother of God (Vladivostok, Russia) by Mathew Alderman
Our good friend Matthew Alderman of Matthew Alderman Studios did a fabulous job some time ago (2006-2008) helping to restore the interior of the old Latin Rite Proto-Cathedral of the Most Holy Mother of God ( Ecclesia Cathedralis Deiparae Sanctissimae ) in Vladivostok, Russia…
Preserving the Treasury of Sacred Music: Twin Cities Catholic Chorale
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the spectacular Twin Cities Catholic Chorale at the Church of Saint Agnes (St. Paul, Minnesota). Now in its 50th season at the parish, the Chorale has planned some special events to celebrate its golden jubilee, including a rare prese…
Gothic Inspired Mitre by LAVS
LAVS is a well-known creator of hand-made vestments and miters in the medieval footprint. During the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, their studio produced various items that made headlines, recognized by their unique three-dimensional tool work and filigree embroidery. LAVS mi…
The Difference of an Interior Restoration: St. Mary's in Menasha, WI
Beauty attracts. The above images display what the interior of the German-Gothic church of St. Mary in Menasha, Wisconsin (Diocese of Green Bay) looks like today (on the right) and what it looked like for many years before (on the left). Built in the 1880s, the church was v…
