A Survey of the Altar Arrangements Seen in Roman Basilicas Prior to the Later Twentieth Century

As one moves around and about in the various churches of Rome, one will find artefacts from different periods of history. Some of these artefacts are architectural, as in the case of the use of spolia (i.e. items from classical antiquity such as columns, basins and the like that have been relocated and repurposed). Other artefacts show us elements of medieval liturgical arrangements, such as the schola cantorum in the basilica of San Clemente. Still many other elements connect us to baroque Rome, Some of these artefacts are more recent however, and much more transitory and less permanent in nature. I speak here to some of the liturgical fads and fashions coming out of the mid twentieth century and in particular the altar arrangements.

Of course, the most obvious thing in this regard is the installation of a second, freestanding altar before another earlier one (usually a counter-reformation altar), but this is not of what I wish to speak today. Many Roman churches retain the earlier altar and ciborium configurations and in these instances we thankfully do not see this, but what has changed, however, are the arrangements found upon those altars.  In some cases we see the particularly Italian fad of placing two candles to one side of the altar and the processional cross on the other -- a frustratingly asymmetrical arrangement it must be said. In other instances we see the altar candlesticks placed on the floor around the altar. (This was, for example, a change that only recently was made -- regrettably so in my estimation -- at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.) In still other instances we might see the candles and cross placed upon the mensa of the altar, perhaps one to each side, or sometimes in what we might call the "Tridentine" configuration of six candles and cross spaced along the entire length of the mesa.  

Now it must be said that, historically speaking, the "Tridentine arrangement" (if you want to call it that) was certainly not "the" arrangement for all of church history; not even for most of it.  Yet still, I think the Tridentine arrangement was a particularly successful, even 'iconic,' one for the reason of its great beauty, founded in its symmetry and balance, and also in its harmony with the architecture (I speak here of "verticality").  So in view of that, I thought today we'd take a look at some photographs taken in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that show us how some of these Roman basilicas arranged their altars in the time before 'archeologistic-modernism' took hold and these matters would become a subject of debate and a proverbial liturgical tug-of-war. I offer them in no particular order.

S. Giorgio in Velabro

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

St. John Lateran

San Clemente

Ss. Nereo e Achilleo

S. Prassede

S. Agnes fuori le mura

S. Caesario in Palatio

S. Maria in Trastevere

San Lorenzo fuori le mura

S. Crisogono

S. Maria Maggiore

S. Maria in Cosmedin

S. Cecilia in Trastevere

S. Paolo fuori le mura

-------

Do you like Liturgical Arts Journal's original content? You can help support LAJ in its mission and vision to promote beauty in Catholic worship either by: 

Making a one-time donation or

Subscribing monthly/yearly 

You choose the amount! Your support makes all the difference.