One of the most important church documents a Catholic should read is the motu proprio, Tra le Sollicitudini . It was issued by Pope St. Pius X in 1903, shortly after he ascended the papal throne. This document marks the official beginning of the reform of the liturgy that ha…
Book Review: The Great Sacred Music Reform of Pope St. Pius X by Dr. Patrick John Brill
One of the most important church documents a Catholic should read is the motu proprio, Tra le Sollicitudini . It was issued by Pope St. Pius X in 1903, shortly after he ascended the papal throne. This document marks the official beginning of the reform of the liturgy that ha…
A Survey of the Rococo Metalwork of the Austrian-Born, Tridentine Goldsmith, Giuseppe Pruchmayer
Giuseppe Ignazio Pruchmayer (1722-1796) was an Austrian born goldsmith who originally hailed from Linz though he would eventually make his way to Trent by the year 1750, before finally becoming a citizen of that city in the year 1753. Pruchmayer is, in point of fact, consi…
The Exquisite Polychrome Marbles of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in Venice
The church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in Venice is a Renaissance era church designed and built between 1481-1489 in the short span of eight years by the architect Pietro Lombardo and sons. The church is distinctive in many regards, including its distinctly Venetian charac…
A Survey of Some Recent Works by Atelier LAVS
A telier LAVS (i.e. 'Laus' -- the Latin word for 'praise') is an Italian vestment maker, active both online and also having storefronts in Santarcangelo di Romagna, Assisi and, most recently, Rome. The atelier is quite well known within Italian circles in pa…
Before and After: Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona
N ew Jerusalem Studios is a firm based in Phoenix, Arizona, which "specializes in theologically informed liturgical design for renovation and the creation of large scale sacred art murals." We have shared some of their work before and we are pleased to be able to s…
A Medieval Orphrey Repurposed Onto a New Chasuble
The Italian vestment firm Atelier Sirio are someone we have featured on various occasions, often time in relation to the excellent antique restoration work, but they also produce new vestment work as well (take, for example, some of their medieval inspired work ).
New Church Architecture: St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina
The architects at O'Brien and Keane , based out of Arlington, Virginia, are a firm that we have featured here before and today I wished to share a specific project they recently completed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. This parti…
Spanish Splendour: A Luxurious Set of Vestments from the Early 1500s
The Renaissance has to be amongst one of the most elegant and noble of ages where vestment design is concerned. It is a period that is characterized by luxurious velvets and silks, as well as embroidered designs, both figurative and vegetal. I've often characterized it…
The Crux Sacra Vestment Studio in Thailand
The tailor at Crux Sacra Studio is working overtime to deliver the finest product at a reasonable price. He is a former lawyer, working diligently to create the most beautiful vestments possible in his native Bangkok, Thailand.
Resurrecting Old Vestments: Antique Vestment Repair and Restoration
Anyone who has a passion for antique vestments will know the story. You have a beautiful vestment that you've come across somewhere, there's only one problem: the vestments are dirty, frayed, or worn out in some capacity. At its worst -- something I've personall…
The Fifth Century Eastern Roman Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos in Thessaloniki
Continuing on with our consideration of 'Eastern Roman' (i.e. Byzantine) church architecture of the first millennium, our next stop is the church of Panagia Acheiropoietos in Thessaloniki. This particular structure has quite a long history. It was founded as a chur…
The Twelfth Century 'Uta' Chasuble of Marienberg Abbey
Located within Marienberg Abbey in South Tyrol, Italy, is an interesting and rare relic of a bygone age. It is the so-called "Uta chasuble" dated to the twelfth century -- specifically circa A.D. 1165-1170. It is named the "Uta" chasuble for the reason t…
The Ancient Ambrosian Rite in Milan
The See of Milan is the largest archdiocese in Europe and has the largest number of priests. It has also long maintained its own rite or usage of the Roman rite known as the Ambrosian rite. This is still seen today in the greater part of the diocesan territory of the old Du…
The Rochet of St. Alphonsus Liguori
A very rare liturgical artifact on display in Rome is the old rochet of St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787). This relic lends some important clues as to the style of his time, what was seen in Italy just after the late Baroque period, following the Renaissance period.
The Renaissance Baptismal Font of the Duomo of Viterbo
Baptismal fonts don't get the attention they deserve. In the parlance of Christendom, it is through this Sacrament that one enters into the Christian fold and for that reason, baptismal fonts are traditionally placed in a prominent location. In the case of many larger c…
The Custom of Dust Coverings (Vesperale) for Altars
A common custom in some places is to cover the altar with a vesperale (or "vesperal cloth"), a felt dust covering when Mass is not being celebrated. Not required, just an extra touch. The altar server takes the cover off before Mass and returns it after. Dust cove…
A New Cope by Paramentica Vestments
Recently in California at the Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit a new silk cope was unveiled for Pontifical Vespers. The liturgy was held in the chapel of St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California. The feast day was St. Irenaeus. The celebrant was Dom Benedict…
Ars Comacina and the Tradition of Cantù Lace in Lombardy, Italy
Classic "Cantù" lace ( pizzo di Cantù ) is never not stunning. Historically, it has been based on Baroque flower patterns with scrolling branches or thick coils. There is no substitute. It is distinct and elegant in appearance. Decorated with various ground stitches…
From Venice To Jerusalem: A Late Seventeenth Century Set of Paraments
The collections of the Terra Sancta Museum are, it goes without saying, impressive. The Custodia of the Holy Land was, after all, gifted with many precious objects of liturgical art over the centuries including many precious sets of vestments. Many of these objects were the…
Two Enamelled Icons of St. Michael the Archangel from Constantinople
Many Byzantine treasures can today be found in the treasury of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. It is a bit of mixed blessing. On the one hand, we can rightly lament the loss of that once great Christian city and what a jewel of Christendom it must have been, while on t…
A Survey of Some Recent Work of the Atelier Sacra Domus Aurea
The atelier Sacra Domus Aurea has been busy over the past year and so it seemed like we should take a few moments to feature some of their most recent works, coming in different forms and different liturgical colours, but each of them strike me as very good examples of cont…
Sant'Alfonso di Liguori: Home of the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
One of Rome's newest churches is Sant'Alfonso di Liguori all'Esquilino, on the famous pilgrim road called the Via Merulana. It was completed in 1859 in the immensely popular Gothic Revival style, making it a rare example of the Neo-Gothic in Rome and one of the …
