The Basilica Abbaziale di Santa Giustina is located in the Italian city of Padua, formerly home to one of the largest abbeys within Christendom until the time of Napoleon, and home also to the relics of St. Luke and the Holy Innocents. The original abbey church was subject …
Some Altars of the Basilica of Santa Giustina in Padua
The Basilica Abbaziale di Santa Giustina is located in the Italian city of Padua, formerly home to one of the largest abbeys within Christendom until the time of Napoleon, and home also to the relics of St. Luke and the Holy Innocents. The original abbey church was subject …
Altar Canopies: A Continuity of Tradition
Guest Article by Michael Bursch, AIA Throughout the history of the Church, theology has developed and norms have changed, and different styles of architecture have gone in and out of style. Yet throughout all this time, the use of altar canopies has continued. Although more …
A Brief History of Cloth of Gold
Cloth of gold is something that is mentioned as one possible substitute for liturgical white and it is frequently a point of conversation amongst vestment aficionados. Popularly speaking, however, the idea of "gold" vestments is frequently reduced to simply mean y…
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 and superbly expressive. In fact, many new statues created there look quite real. I would like to call the attention of readers to a new artist on the scene by the name of Ana Rey. Her website can be found here . A sample o…
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 Highlands, NC is getting a new church and the design team at McCrery has done a fabulous job, working alongside t…
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…
