Before we leave the great feast and Octave of Pentecost for yet another year, I wanted to share the following vestment that recently came out of the atelier of Sacra Domus Aurea, an atelier based out of Italy that specializes in vestments of various cuts and styles, all of which are defined by an adherence to the traditional lexicon of vestment design.
In this particular instance, the influences come out of the French tradition, both in terms of cut and materials as well as design and ornamentation. The vestment is a 'Roman' style vestment in the French tradition -- as characterized by its narrower cut on the front shoulders, its spade shaped stole and maniple ends, it use of the Parisian cross orphrey, as well as its use of a rich, burgundy red velvet.
What makes the set specific to Pentecost, however, are two elements: the dove found in the centre of the orphrey, and the flames which are found peppered throughout the design. Both are symbols of the Holy Spirit of course and while the symbol of the dove is perhaps the most familiar, the flames of fire perhaps bear a little more explanation for some. For that we turn to the second chapter of the Book of Acts:
And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak.With that all in mind then, let's take a look at this new set.
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| One will note here that the flames also appear around the image of the dove on each of the four corners |
This is a vestment that is sure to not only inspire, but also to catechize.
If you'd be interested in learning more about the work of Sacra Domus Aurea, we'd invite you to visit their website or to find them on social media.
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