The splendid papal liturgies celebrated publicly before the reform of the 1960s were few and far between. They were big and rare events. One thing that stood out were the precious tapestries that were on display for these liturgical events, sometimes a background the papal …
Tapestries of Papal Liturgies
The splendid papal liturgies celebrated publicly before the reform of the 1960s were few and far between. They were big and rare events. One thing that stood out were the precious tapestries that were on display for these liturgical events, sometimes a background the papal …
Echoes of the Papal Court: Cameriere di Spada a Cappa (Lay Version)
Some readers have asked for images of the Cameriere di Spade e Cappa, a lay position in the Papal Court abolished in the late 1960s. This role was part of the Papal Court, by extension, part of the Roman Curia. The Curia has been since the end of the 11th century the highes…
The Caudatario: The Carrier of the Train of a Cappa Magna
At Solemn Pontifical Masses for Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church there is a tradition of the caudatari, or "carrier of the strascico (portatore dello strascico) , holding the dragging edge of the cappa magana of the prelate. The person in this role generally is the la…
The Papal Blessing Benedictio Coram Populo: Urbi et Orbi
The papal blessing known as the Benedictio Coram Populo, or more commonly as the Urbi et Orbi (to the city [of Rome] and to the world) blessing, is pronounced by the popes on certain solemn occasions such as the Election of a Roman Pontiff, New Years Day or on other special…
Before and After: Immaculate Heart of Mary in Hays, Kansas
Conrad Schmitt Studios, based out of Wisconsin, recently shared news of a beautiful project they undertook at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hays, Kansas that effectively functions as both a "before and after" as well as a tutorial on something we like to disc…
Paul the Silentiary's Description of the Altar, Ciborium and Balustrade of Hagia Sophia in A.D. 563
Today I wanted to share a description of the altar, ciborium and chancel screen of the great Eastern Roman church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. This particular description was written in the year 563 by Paul the Silentiary, a Byzantine courtier in the service of the Em…
Mary's Chapel: An Award-Winning Private Chapel in the United States
Private family chapels seem to always raise a great deal of interest, but seldom to we get to share such projects, including on so ambitious as this, from the contemporary, new world. Today we can remedy that, sharing a project by O'Brien and Keane Architecture which …
Exploring An Unseen Space of the Sistine Chapel: The Cantoria
If you look at the Sistine Chapel, naturally one's attention is drawn the work of Michelangelo, in particular the fresco of the Last Judgement. From there, we gaze upward at the ceiling frescoes, we observe the high altar and the balustrade and the cosmatesque pavement.…
Before and After: St. Paul of the Cross in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
By way of Rugo Stone , I came across an interesting 'before and after' project they, as well as O'Brien & Keane Architecture , were involved with at the Passionist monastery of St. Paul of the Cross in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This particular monastery was f…
St. Jude Church in Peoria, Illinois
I always enjoy an opportunity to feature the work of some of our collaborators, especially long term collaborators like Murals by Jericho , but additionally new-found partners such as Rugo Stone . It is no secret that, speaking personally for a moment, I always like to high…
Two Easter-Themed Copes from Eighteenth Century France
Continuing on with some Easter themed considerations during this the octave of Easter, and also continuing on with our consideration of vestments in the French tradition, today I wanted to draw our readers attention to two different copes. Both of these copes are comprised …
The Studio of St. Luke's Paschal Candle Based on an Antique, Baroque Chasuble
Rave Bandong of the Studio of Saint Luke recently sent us some interesting photos of a Paschal Candle they recently completed painting. Now Paschal candles are out there everywhere of course, but what stood out to me about this particular commission, which they title Ad Reg…
The Renaissance Easter Cope of St. Catherine's Church in Hoogstraten, Belgium
The golden cope of St. Catherine's Church in Hoogstraten , Belgium is representative of both the character and elegance of the world of Renaissance vestment work. The vestments of this period were characterized by lush silks and silk velvets (reds and golds were particul…
A Selection of Festal Easter Chasubles in the Nineteenth Century French Tradition
With us now basking in the festal season of Easter, I can think of no better time to share a series of Easter themed vestments coming from the nineteenth century French tradition that I have collected over the years. Most of these designs contain an image of the Agnus Dei,…
A Rare Example of Art Deco Vestment Work
For much of its existence, the shape of Catholic liturgical art has been characterized by creating a balance between continuity and innovation. What do I mean by this? What I mean is that unlike the Eastern churches, art within the Western church has tended to develop in a …
Some Examples of the Urn or Capsula of the Paschal Triduum
Many years ago, April 2018, we wrote an article on the "urn" or "capsula" for the Blessed Sacrament that is traditionally used on the 'altar' of repose on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. We're not going to re-cover what was already covered in …
Late Gothic Altarpieces: Pfarrkirche Gampern, Austria
For the past months, we've been exploring some impressive late gothic altarpieces found in Central Europe -- this would include countries like Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and so on. Today we are continuing on with that exercise, turning this time to Pfarrkirch…
The Sedia Gestatoria of Pius IX Donated by the Catholics of Naples
Over the years more than one version of the sedia gestatoria was created. That being said, the most popular version was possibly this one that belonged to Blessed Pius IX. It was donated to him in 1871 by the clergy and people of Naples in the 26th year of his pontificate. …
Festal and Floral: Further Examples of Polychrome Floral Motifs in Vestment Work
It seems that I cannot let an Easter season (or spring or summer season generally) go by without taking an opportunity to once again promote a specific type of vestment design which I find both approrpiately 'seasonal' in look and feel, and certainly festal in natu…
Traveling Burse by Benedicamus
In Europe it is more common to see this item, what I call a "traveling burse," a small bag to hold a pyx for sick call visits. It is a small hand-sewn bag, sometimes made of leftover vestment materials, that clergy use to carry Communion hosts. The bag is simple…
More Vestments in Art
On a couple of previous of occasions, we've featured some details taken from historical artworks that feature interesting liturgical details, in particular sacred vestments (the most common liturgical feature to turn up in such works, rather than the liturgy itself). T…
The Description of Hagia Sophia written by Paul the Silentiary in A.D. 563
What was the impact and impression that Hagia Sophia had shortly after the Emperor Justinian constructed it? One hears stories of emissaries to Constantinople being converted by the great beauty of the church and her liturgical rites of course, but for a more detailed impre…
The Imperial Marbles of Hagia Sophia
> In a previous article we covered the topic of some of the extant mosaics of the great church of Constantinople, Hagia Sophia. Today, I thought we would take another look at what was at one time the great jewel of the city of Constantinople, a city that was at one time c…
The Palatine Guard of Honor
In these photos is the uniform of the Colonel Commander of the Palatine Guard. The Palatine Guard walked in papal processions as a guard of honor, enhancing the splendor of the liturgical services of the Roman Pontiffs. The members of the Guard were volunteers, Roman men of…
A Detailed Look at the Twelfth Century Mosaics of the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome
When attempting to look at apsidal mosaics, triumphal arch mosaics, it can be easy to lose the trees for the forest -- yes, you read that correctly and I inverted it purposefully. What I mean to say is this. These types of mosaics, unless they focus in solely on a monument…
Venetian Vestments from the 1400's
This particular set of vestments dates from the 1400's, though the orphreys are earlier in their origins, and were manufactured in Venice. The chasuble is rather unique in shape insofar as it is effectively a longer form of the "Roman" chasuble measuring 55&qu…
The Byzantine Church of San Pietro in Otranto
One of the things easily forgotten about Italy is that the modern state of Italy is just that -- modern. Previously in its history, what we know as the state of Italy today was a conglomeration of city-states (Florence, Venice, the Papal States, the Kingdom of Sicily, etc.)…
The Construction of a Solemn Liturgical Occasion in St. Peter's Basilica in 1900
Many of our readers will be familiar with scenes of canonizations from the Vatican prior to the 1970's. They include the Roman tradition of red festal hangings, suspended chandeliers, and all the majesty and solemnity that counter-reformation Catholicism could muster, s…
The Late Gothic Altarpiece of the Master of Ravenden in Jakobskirche, Rabenden, Germany
The late gothic altarpieces of Central Europe have always been one of my favourite types of altarpiece. They are generally filled with colour and life, they are ornamental (rather like gingerbread tracery on Victorian era home) and in many ways these qualities remind me of …
A Solemn Set of Vestments in Rose from 1725-1750
For one reason or another, rose coloured vestments always have a great deal of interest surrounding them. These days, people tend to think of only limited shades of this colour, but in historical reality, there was quite a variety ranging from light pinks, orangey-pinks, co…
Contemporary Vestment Work: A Distinctive Set of Gothic Revival Vestments
I thought I would take a brief moment to share a set of vestments I have been intending to share for some while now, coming from Altarworthy , a proprietor of sacred vestments based out of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. Altarworthy has a particular, but not excl…
Proposals for the Altar of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe
Recently on social media we shared some images of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe located in Ravenna. The photos in question showed the high altar of the basilica both with and without a ciborium over the altar. These images spurred on a great deal of conversa…
The Chapel of the Crucifix in the Duomo of Monreale in Palermo, Sicily
The Duomo of Monreale is renowned for its beauty. In fact, one might even say it is overwhelming in its beauty. However, what one mainly thinks of when talking about this great cathedral is the Italo-Byzantine art of the main cathedral. However, there are other gems to be …
The Byzantine "Sakkos": It's History and Some Antique Examples
An element of Byzantine liturgical vesture that has always interested me is the "sakkos" which is effectively akin to a dalmatic in its shape, but not in its liturgical symbolism because of the fact that in the Byzantine East, it is used exclusively by bishops. In…
A French Vestment Exhibition in Honour of the Grand and Historical Eucharistic Procession of Angers
In 2011 an exhibition of vestments and other objects of sacred art was held in commemoration of the grand tradition of the Eucharistic procession of Angers, France, known as the "Grand Sacre d'Angers." This particular occasion was known, not just in Anjou, not…
Details From Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki
The church of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki, Greece is a seventh century church that has seen and lived quite a bit of history. It has seen the pre-schism church, it was subject to the iconoclasm the eighth century, it has undergone conversion into a mosque under the Ottoman…
Polish Made Vestments by Vestum
The Polish tailor Vestum produces liturgical vestments, mitres, fabrics and other sewn items for the sacred liturgy. Vestum's portfolio is substantial, with many commissions from across the globe. Their custom creations come in many styles, including conical chasubles. …
Before and After: St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mason, Texas
Our friends over at Studio io informed us of a project they undertook (in collaboration also with Murals by Jericho ) at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mason, Texas. The church itself was actually quite old and quaint, as can be seen here in this photo below of the exterior,…
Glories of the Renaissance: A Set of Vestments from 1517-1526
Vestments from the Renaissance period are typically characterized by the richness of their materials, frequently employing ornate silks and velvets in bold patterns. In addition, figurative embroideries of Christ and the saints also tend to feature prominently. Today we are…
The Fading Art of Hand Embroidery
An unfortunate practical reality of our time is that hand embroidery, while not a lost art per se, is for all intents and purposes a rather unobtainable one. It is not that it is actually unobtainable, but hand embroidery on the scale of previous centuries is difficult to …
Medieval Remains: Stone and Mosaic Work of the Duomo di Salerno, Site of the Relics of St. Matthew
Polychrome stonework has to be one of the highlights of any church architecture for me, particularly when it is of the early medieval variety and attached to balustrades, ambone, paschal candlesticks and the like. These are typically today seen as architectural remnants, pr…
The Byzantine Monastery of Gelati in Georgia: Echoes of East and West
Today I wanted to take a brief stop at the Gelati Monastery, an early twelfth century structure which is located in a country that we've never had an occasion to feature before, Georgia -- specifically, Kutaisi, Georgia. This particular monastery complex was built unde…
The Newly Reprinted Missale Romano-Monasticum
One of our readers kindly brought to my attention the fact that the 1934, Pustet edition of the Missale Romano-Monasticum has been reprinted by the Benedictine monks of the Monastery of Norcia . The Missale Romano-Monasticum is the traditional liturgical book of the Benedict…
St. Charles Borromeo's Instructions on the Chasuble
It was during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI, the estimable "Pope of the liturgy," that interest began to arise in the revival of chasuble shapes taken from the Renaissance age, this after he was seen using such shapes within some of his own papal liturgical…
Before and After: St. Matthew's Church in Shullsburg, Wisconsin
In yet another installment that, rather than "before and after" we might also very well call "why ornament, pattern and colour matters" we turn your attention today to the parish church of St. Matthew in Shullsburg, Wisconsin. This is yet another examp…
Passion Sunday in the Vatican Basilica: Statio Ad S. Petrum
In the Roman Missal the 5th Sunday of Lent, Passion Sunday has as its station Mass San Pietro in Vaticano, St. Peter's Basilica. On this day the canons of the Basilica's Vatican Chapter sing Vespers of Passion Sunday (now Second Vespers of the Fifth Sunday in Lent) …
A Rare Pre-Reformation English Vestment of Purple Italian Velvet
Recently I came across the following chasuble which came up for auction in 2014 (and sold for the shockingly low price of £2,250 GBP) which is thought to date from the end of the 1400's or early 1500's. The main body of the chasuble is made from a purple Italian ve…
A Reconstruction of the Lost Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople
In the past we've discussed here the lost Eastern Roman church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. We have already detailed, albeit at a very high level, the general historical background of this particular church in a previous article , but the reason for this parti…
The Revival of Beuronese Imagery by Markell Studios (Stillwater, Minnesota)
There is an artist in Minnesota by the name of Nicholas Markell of Markell Studios who is reviving the cherished style of Beuronese art that originated at the Archabbey of Beuron in Germany. This school of art was born from German Benedictine monks in the nineteenth century…
Sede Vacante: The Custodian of the Conclave
The Papal Court was heavily involved in aspects of papal liturgies, including the rites surrounding the death and burial and mourning for recently deceased Roman Pontiffs. The rare images seen here give a precious insight into the court dress of the Court, namely the heredi…
