The annual May Crowning ceremony is a cherished Catholic devotion generally held in early May—the month dedicated to Our Lady—when a statue of Our Blessed Mother is ceremonially crowned with flowers to honor her as the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven. A Lost Tradition…
The May Crowning Ceremony
The annual May Crowning ceremony is a cherished Catholic devotion generally held in early May—the month dedicated to Our Lady—when a statue of Our Blessed Mother is ceremonially crowned with flowers to honor her as the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven. A Lost Tradition…
Watts & Co's New 'Sainte-Chapelle' Inspired Line of Vestments
Anyone who has followed the history and tenure of Watts & Co. of London will know that they are known for two things in particular: their passion for bold, medievally inspired designs and medievally inspired vestments generally. They are, of course, experienced at other…
The Classical Beauty of the Statue of the Madonna di Trapani in Sicily
In this Marian month of May, we turn our attention to one of the most elegant and beautiful statues of the Virgin and Child you may ever come across -- at least in this writer's estimation -- the Madonna di Trapani located in the Basilica santuario di Maria Santissima A…
Before and After: Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Custer, Wisconsin
Recently, Conrad Schmitt Studios share the following with us, about a recently completion renovation at Sacred Heart Catholic Church located in Custer, Wisconsin. We are excited to share the newly completed liturgical decoration at Sacred Heart, an artistic renewal that hon…
Examples of the Solemn and Common Form of the Formale with the Image of the Holy Spirit
The Formale is a medieval ornament and something we covered previously in a 2022 article on this topic, but by way of brief overview, it is a decorative metallic clasp, used by senior prelates, when wearing a cope, covering the place where the cope joins at the front breast…
New Church Architecture: St. John Catholic Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma
C ram and Ferguson Architects are, of course, a storied architectural firm with deep roots in ecclesiastical architecture. While the firm is most often associated with gothic revivalist approaches, you can also find them approaching other styles and such is the case of St. J…
Some Examples of Processional Insignia
One of the things we like to do here at LAJ is present traditions and customs of older Catholic cultures; cultures where Catholic piety became deeply engrained in not only private life, but also "public" life. An example of that is the tradition of outdoor process…
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Paris
With it being May, the month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, what better time to share a little something about the Chapel of Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse in Paris, France. The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was originally a smaller, private conv…
