The Caeremoniale Episcoporum (according to the ancient Roman rite) specifies that where an altar is setup immediately against a wall, or close to it, an ornamental 'altar screen' may be set up behind the altar. This could come in the form of a dossal or it could al…
The Reredos: A Brief Survey
The Caeremoniale Episcoporum (according to the ancient Roman rite) specifies that where an altar is setup immediately against a wall, or close to it, an ornamental 'altar screen' may be set up behind the altar. This could come in the form of a dossal or it could al…
The Transformation of a Gymnasium into a Chapel in Maryland
Not so very long ago, we wrote an article about the impressive transformation of a dining hall into a chapel . That particular bit of coverage roused a great deal of interest as it helped to show the liturgical potentiality that can be found, with a bit of creativity and a l…
The Cotta Griccia: How it Was Stored in Sacristies
Rome lore remembers well the old cotta griccia. In hushed tones senior prelates have relayed the story of how these rochets and albs were laundered back in the old days in the Vatican, soaked in starch, pressed in a special grill to make the intricate pleats, and rolled to …
Considerations of the Upper Chapel of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris
Looking at what is, arguably, the crown jewel of French gothic, the upper chapel of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, today, is a little bit like looking at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (or Istanbul if you prefer); it is lofty, impressive, and beautiful, and yet at the same time,…
The Tiaras of the Popes: Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII reigned as pope from 1878 until 1903, the fourth longest serving pope in history. He was known as the pope of the Rosary for reason of his frequent mention of this particular devotion, but he is also well known for his promotion of the revival of Thomism (the …
A Survey of Some Baroque and Rococo Pulpits
Baroque and Rococo pulpits are one of elements of baroque churches which I always find of particular interest. Overall, this is something quite "fantastical" about the way in which they are presented. Some come in the form of ships, others are encrusted with winds…
An Alb Made by St. Bernadette of Lourdes
The lace apparel on this linen alb was hand embroidered by St. Bernadette Soubirous. In those years she was living at the motherhouse of her order, the Convent of St. Gildard of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, located in Nevers, France. A beautiful place that is today sti…
Rugo Stone Design and Fabricate a Cosmatesque Influenced Altar
St. Mary, Help of Christians, located in Aiken, South Carolina, was a project that was completed by McCrery Architects in 2014, partnering with others firms such as Rugo Stone . (It was a project I wrote more generally about back in December 2017 in an article, Early Roman …
A Modern Workshop Producing the Scarce Art of Polychromed Leather Antependia
In a previous article we touched on some of the gilt leather antependia being produced by Lutson , a family owned and operated business operating near Lourdes, France. Their workshop has been producing polychromed, gilt leather for many decades now, offering various designs …
Three Medievally Inspired Altar Frontals by Sir Ninian Comper
In the realm of altar frontals, there are a few different styles, but within a Catholic context typically if one sees frontals at all, one will either see a Roman style of frontal (typically stretched onto a frame and which employs gold galloon) or, less commonly, one will …
Vestments of St. John Vianney, Curé of Ars
At the museum in Ars, located in the former rectory of St. John Vianney, is located a room with a sample of his vestments. In addition, his cassock and altar missal can be seen here. Some of the items include a chasuble, cope, alb, surplice, preaching stoles, and even his o…
Interesting Images of Liturgical Ceremonial and Art from a Medieval-Renaissance Era Codex
Recently I came across a rather interesting manuscript that shows various images of medieval/renaissance liturgical life, treasure and dress. In addition to these primary benefits, there is also something particularly evocative about the style of the drawings (at least in m…
Lesser Seen Vestment Works of the English Gothic Revivalist, Sir Ninian Comper
Certain works of liturgical art are frequently seen, published repetitively, over and over, and the works of Sir Ninian Comper are no different in this regard. We often see certain select works coming out of his catalogue of work, but beyond that we are treated to very litt…
Notes on the Gremiale
The 'gremiale' is one of those rarely seen liturgical textiles -- rarely seen because it's use in modern times has primarily (but not exclusively) been limited to the context of solemn pontifical occasions such as the solemn pontifical Mass. This was primarily …
A Quick Survey the Work of Konrad Perathoner of Consilium Domum Deo
Konrad Perathoner is a 55 year old artist and sculptor who presently lives in Rome and whose work can be found by way of Consilium Domum Deo - Koni . What particularly drew our attention to his work are the monumental sketches of altars and altar pieces, remarkable in their…
Another Repurposed Space Turned into a Chapel in Tyler, Texas
Awhile back we shared news around the transformation of a former dining hall to a beautiful chapel . That project involved the efforts of, amongst others, Little Way Construction . While researching that piece, I came across images of another similar sort of project they were…
The Polyptych of the Virgin in the Golden Chapel of San Zaccaria in Venice
Venice is filled with architectural treasures, textile treasures and artistic treasures generally, and to date we've shared some overviews of some of the more important churches of this wonderful northern Italian city, however today I wanted to focus in on one specific …
Three Red Crucifixion Chasubles from the 1400's-1500's
Chasubles from the later 1400's and 1500's are always quite of interest for reason of their ornate textiles and embroideries. Today we're going to quickly look at three chasubles coming from this period, each of which have a scene of the crucifixion in a raised …
The Evolution of Hagia Sophia: The Ceiling
The interior of the great Eastern Roman church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople has a long and complex history. The present church, which was completed in the year 537, was built by the Emperor Justinian in record time -- only six years. (If that does not seem so very long…
Unpacking the Liturgical Elements Found in a 1942 Photo: Corpus Christi Church, New York City
Browsing through a 1942 issue of Liturgical Arts Quarterly (LAQ) awhile back, I came upon this photo, taken at Corpus Christi church in New York City. We have already unpacked this photo in another way in a previous article , but I wanted to return to it again, this time ta…
Before and After: The Altar of St. Joseph''s Church in Killeen, Texas
Ask most people to think about architecture and sacred architecture in particular and they naturally tend toward thinking of soaring architectural spaces, covered in frescoes or stained glass ands the like, repelte with intricate ornamental details and so on. After all, why…
Precious Mitres from Atelier LAVS
One of the premiere makers of precious mitres today is the Italian firm, LAVS (and for those unaware, the "V" is actually the Roman "u," meaning that the company name is not "lavs" but rather the Latin word for 'praise': laus.) The mitr…
Chapel of the Madonna della Bocciata in the Vatican Basilica
The oldest crypt chapel in the Grottoes of St. Peter's Basilica is said to be this lovely chapel of the Madonna della Bocciata. It is located very close to the tomb of the Blessed Apostle Peter. Holy Mass is celebrated here each morning in the Classical Roman Rite at 7:…
The Fifteenth Century Mariazell Chasuble
The Mariazell chasuble is so named because it is found within the treasury of the Basilica of Mariazell located in Austria, properly called the Basilica Mariä Geburt (Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary), an important shrine church by virtue of its possession of a m…
An Exquisitely Carved Altarpiece from 1692
Recently I came across a particularly stunning carved altarpiece that is located within the diocese of Como. While I do not have a great deal of information about this particular altarpiece, I can tell you that it was carved in the year 1692 by G. Barberini, A. Radaelli and…
The Tree of Life Rood at the Oratory of St. Mary Magdalen in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Encompassed within the parish of St. Vincent de Paul in Fort Wayne, Indiana is the Oratory of St. Mary Magdelen, a work involving long time LAJ collaborator William Heyer and others. Heyer describes the project as follows: Much of the interior design was inspired by the past…
The Sedia Gestatoria of the Servant of God Pius VII
Several versions of the sedia gestatoria (the mobile throne of popes) were made and remain in existence today. This version was created for Pius VII, probably in the year 1800 and possibly fabricated in Venice. It is kept at the Palace of Versailles, owned by the French gov…
The Chapel in the Cornfield: Ancilla Domini in Donaldson, Indiana
While I do not often focus on the liturgical architecture in the English speaking "new world" (for no other reason than the fact that most of it is already quite familiar to many of our readers by virtue of being the "native" architecture), from time to …
The Chapel of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Whole not a "new" project per se (though it certainly is that if you consider it within the time-scales of the Church) a project that we've wanted to briefly make note of is that of the chapel of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist located i…
The Chapel and Sancta Maria Regina Angelorum Fresco at Seton High School in Manassas, Virginia.
Today I wished to take a few moments to feature the work, once again, of painter and mosaicist, Ioana Belcea of Princeton, New Jersey. Specifically I wished to look at the "Sancta Maria Regina Angelorum" fresco which is located in the Queen of Angels Chapel at Set…
150 Years of Tradition at Saint Joseph Shrine in Detroit, Michigan
Guest Article by Ishmael Obinna Adibuah Last year marked the 150th anniversary of the Dedication of Saint Joseph Shrine in Detroit, Michigan. Since 1873, this church has been a home for those seeking to offer fitting
worship to God through the church’s perennial liturgical t…
Book Review: Turned Around - Replying to Common Objections Against the Traditional Latin Mass
Our good friend and unmissable liturgical scholar, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, has produced yet another masterwork on the subject of the Classical Roman Rite. Entitled Turned Around (TAN Books, 2024), the subtitle reads: Replying to Common Objections Against the Traditional Lati…
Windows into Heavenly Light: The Iconography of Dr. Georgios Kordis
While we have not covered Byzantine-inspired iconography here a great deal to date, that is not because it is not appreciated. It is rather solely for the reason that our focus here at LAJ has been to attempt to help people in the Latin rite better know and appreciate their…
The Solemn Ceremony of Homage of Sovereigns at the Tomb of the Blessed Apostle Peter
For centuries on state visits to the Vatican Catholic sovereigns make their usual visit to the tomb of the Blessed Apostle Peter in the Vatican Basilica. For this rite they were historically accompanied by members of the Papal Court and the Archpriest of St. Peter's Bas…
Gebetsliga Vestments by Emblematik (Fatima, Portugal)
Having grown up in a prominent Austro-Hungarian parish (the Church of Saint Agnes in St. Paul, Minn.), I have always felt a special affinity for the work of the Gebetsliga (German for Prayer League) that serves as the official promoter of the cause of canonization for Bless…
The Lapus Lazuli Tabernacle of the Cathedral of Palermo, Sicily
Taken on their own, tabernacles are not something we have generally featured here to date, in part because in recent centuries these typically have manifested themselves as little more than a veiled door embedded within a reredos. In that particular regard, there isn't …
Travel Vestments by Ars Comacina
A rs Comacina in Italy have made available a set of travel vestments that illustrates the typical inexhaustible beauty of Italian know-how and design. These are lightweight, reversible in dual colors, and simple in design. In short, they are made for travel. The set folds ea…
Ciborium Veils by Manufactura Vesti Clero
The Polish ecclesiastical tailor Manufactura Vesti Clero produces beautiful veils for ciboria and the pyx. The only time of the year most lay folk in the pews see the veil is on Maundy Thursday when the Eucharist is processed to the altar of repose, with the utmost solemnit…
The Abbey Church of the Cistercian Abbey of Valloires, France
The Cistercian Abbey of Valloires, France is a twelfth century foundation that was substantially rebuilt within the eighteenth century after the original abbey had been subjected to ruin and looting, including the collapse of the original abbey church in the 1700's. As …
The Wrought Iron Choir Screen of the Cathedral of Sens
The cathedral of Sens, located in Burgundy within Eastern France, was one of the very first cathedrals to be built in the gothic style, with construction beginning in 1135 and continuing on for a long while thereafter. In fact, the See of Sens was that which was originally …
The New Completed Nativity of the Monastery of Norcia by Fabrizio Diomedi
Some of our readers may be aware of the history of the Benedictine monastery of Norcia , located in the birthplace of St. Benedict. That monastery, located over the house of Ss. Benedict and Scholastica, was tragically damaged by an earthquake a few years ago, but out of tha…
