In France it is called the "surhuméral" (or "super-humeral") and it is variant on the more widely known "rationale." It is a unique privilege that is reserved to only the prelates of specific Sees. Bernard Berthod, in his excellent Dictionnaire…
The Surhuméral of See of Toul, France
In France it is called the "surhuméral" (or "super-humeral") and it is variant on the more widely known "rationale." It is a unique privilege that is reserved to only the prelates of specific Sees. Bernard Berthod, in his excellent Dictionnaire…
The Rustic Beauty of the Chapel of St. Anne in Lawton, Michigan
For a very long while now I've enjoyed a certain kind of Eastern European church architecture that one can find in the more rural regions of Russia and other select parts of Eastern Europe. It is a style that, for me at least, is defined by one simple but defining chara…
Splendours of New Spain: A Set of Embroidered Vestments Made in Mexico in 1730
The following set of fully embroidered, floriated vestments originally came from eighteenth century Mexico, approximately the year 1730, made by Mexican embroiderers. People often make the assumption that the Church in the new world was inherently limited in its ability to…
Churches of Constantinople: The Chora Church
Continuing on with our considerations of some of the churches of the once great imperial Christian city of Constantinople, we will today turn our attention to the second greatest extant structure after Hagia Sophia, the church of St. Saviour in Chora, or what is generally s…
The Peculiar Ninth Century Asturian Church of Santa Cristina de Lena
In the midst of research for another topic, I stumbled across the rather unique and peculiar mid-ninth century church of Santa Cristina de Lena located in Lena, Spain. This particular church architecturally falls into a style of architecture known as "Asturian" c…
Elena Neigum on the Icon as Silent Theology - Preserving the Byzantine Canon in Contemporary Liturgical Art
Elena Neigum is an established iconographer and educator who is focused on the analysis of contemporary threats to the Byzantine iconography, advocating for the reaffirmation of the icon as a sacred and theological act within the life of the Church. -- LAJ Guest article by E…
Dom Joseph Gajard, OSB: Master of Gregorian Chant
Sometimes older priests will say, "Everything I know about Gregorian Chant I learned from Dom Joseph Gajard." This is a common sentiment expressed by many clergy who learned about the beauty and flexibility of plainchant from this devoted French master of venerabl…
The Romanesque Abbey of Pomposa
Romanesque, in my experience, is a style that has one of the widest popular appeals of the various styles of Christian liturgical architecture. It is a sober on the one hand, but on the other it is weighty and imbued with a Roman gravitas . In many ways, many styles that cam…
Four Polychromed Reliquary Busts from Eighteenth Century Como
Reliquary busts are one of my favourite objects of liturgical art where the altar is concerned. To my mind, they not only are beautiful 'houses' for the relics they contain, they also help to make these relics more 'incarnate' and tangible, reminding us of …
A Full Solemn Pontifical Mass Set From the Early Eighteenth Century
Full Solemn Pontifical Mass sets are generally a vestment aficionados dream come true for the simple reason that they not only include the most parts and pieces, they typically are made from the very best materials and highest quality embroideries, being amongst some of the…
Guest Article: The Aspiring New Architectural Practice of Daniel P. DeGreve, Architect
Guest article by Daniel P. DeGreve, Architect Daniel P. DeGreve, Architect is an architectural firm in the process of being launched an hour north of Columbus, Ohio, and will include full planning and design consultation services specializing in Catholic sacred architecture …
A Closer Look at the Mosaics of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna
Today I wanted to take a closer look at some of the exquisite mosaics found in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, located in the old imperial city of Ravenna (formerly capital of the Western Roman Empire during the fifth century). The basilica itself was constr…
Before and After: St. Andrew’s Church in Tipton, Missouri
C onrad Schmitt Studios recently shared a beautiful 'before and after' project that they were involved with at St. Andrew’s Church in Tipton, Missouri. The project involved bringing the nineteenth century church back to life through the use of colour, gilding, stenci…
Returning to the Byzantine Church of Agioi Apostoloi (Holy Apostles) in the Agora of Ancient Athens
We have previously shown readers this church before, but recently some better photographs came to light, and one can rarely have too much of a good thing where this sort of thing is concerned, so I decided it was worth the revisit, particularly as I have attempted to show b…
