Some Catholics have never seen or heard of a "Thabor" (Blessed Sacrament Throne). I was accustomed to seeing this liturgical instrument in my youth at the two parishes in St. Paul where I was an altar boy. The church of the Nativity of Our Lord had one that was ma…
The Thabor (Blessed Sacrament Throne)
Some Catholics have never seen or heard of a "Thabor" (Blessed Sacrament Throne). I was accustomed to seeing this liturgical instrument in my youth at the two parishes in St. Paul where I was an altar boy. The church of the Nativity of Our Lord had one that was ma…
Before and After: Church of the Assumption in Nashville, Tennessee
It is once again time to feature yet another 'before and after' in our ongoing and ever popular series on the subject of the re-enchantment of a particular church building. In this particular instance, Conrad Schmitt Studios was the firm engaged to perform beautific…
An Impressive Eighteenth Century Set of Petrine-Themed Pontifical Vestments from the Era of Pope Benedict XIV
Today we are pleased to share this stunning set of pontifical vestments coming from the first half of the eighteenth century. The set in question is housed in Bologna and feature the arms of Pope Benedict XIV -- who reigned as Roman pontiff from 1740-1758 and who, prior to …
A Roman in America: Carmine Carapella and a Palladian Vision for Contemporary Catholic Architecture
Today we are pleased to introduce our readers to the architect, Carmine Carapella of Carapella Architecture . Carapella is Italian and, more specifically, he is a Roman by birth -- a venerable legacy in its own right to be certain. He began his career in architecture by stud…
The Lotharkreuz of Aachen Cathedral
Located in the Aachen Cathedral Treasury ( Aachener Domschatzkammer ) is a stunning crux gemmata (bejewelled cross), the processional Cross of Lothair, or Lotharakreuz , named after the ninth century Carolingian king, Lothair II. Despite the naming, this cross was actually mad…
The Stunning Basilica of San Juan de Dios in Granada, Spain
At the peak of the Spanish Rococo Baroque period, the BasÃlica de San Juan de Dios was built in Granada, Spain. Every surface is embellished in gilt and statuary. The result is a feast for the eyes offering the best that Spanish Baroque has to offer. The effect is pure wond…
Before and After: St. Patrick's Catholic Church in O’Neill, Nebraska
The good folks at Conrad Schmitt Studios recently shared news of a project at St. Patrick Catholic Church in O’Neill, Nebraska that involved bringing the parish back closer to its historical artistic roots. As many will know, many historical parishes were subjected to vari…
Portable Murals on the Life of the Prophet Moses by Markos Kampanis
Many may not be aware, but today is the observance of the Old Testament prophet and patriarch, Moses. The Old Testament righteous are frequently neglected in modern popular piety, which is really rather a shame given their place in salvation history, so today, in order to …
Medieval Meets Modern in Utrecht
Gothic vestment work is not something we have always a great deal of opportunity to feature here, but as we sit within the Octave of Easter, I thought it a good opportunity to feature of white gothic chasuble found in the collection of the Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrech…
Vatican Grottos Altar at the Tomb of St. Peter (Sepulcrum Sancti Petri Apostoli)
In the Vatican Grottos can be found this open concept chapel, facing the tomb of St. Peter. This is part of the vast crypt that stretches underneath St. Peter's Basilica. The area contains sarcophagi that hold the remains of deceased Roman Pontiffs, monarchs, princes of…
Before and After (Antependia Edition) with Penson Ecclesiastical Arts
One of the things we have discussed here and elsewhere over the years is how important antependia (i.e. altar frontals) can be and indeed are They are important in their own right in the same way that sacred vestments are generally, functioning effectively as the paraments…
The Passion Reliquary of Duomo of Florence (The Croce della Granduchessa)
Florence is famous for it's beautiful cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore , but what many may not realize is that located outside of the cathedral, situated directly behind the area where the apse is located, is the treasury museum of the cathedral, the Opera di Santa Maria…
The Papal Ferula
The papal ferula (from Latin ferula 'rod'), is an ancient pastoral staff, established before the thirteenth century. Distinct from the crozier of bishops, it is essentially a staff topped by a cross (historically without the body of Christ). The ferula also has a th…
The "Auriesville Pilgrimage" for Restoration
The Pilgrimage for Restoration (also known as the "Auriesville Pilgrimage") was founded in 1996 as an annual walking pilgrimage in northeastern New York. Not to be overlooked, each year it draws a sizable number of traditional Catholics who walk through the pictur…
Before and After: Mother of Mercy Chapel at St. Charles Preparatory School in Columbus, Ohio
The firm of William Heyer Architect is located in Columbus, Ohio and in 2025 they were involved in a beautification project at the (already quite beautiful) Mother of Mercy Chapel located at the St. Charles Preparatory School in Columbus, Ohio. The chapel was already built …
An Illuminated Byzantine Psalter from the Twelfth Century
We don't dive into illuminated medieval liturgical books as much as I'd like, and when one thinks of them, one tends to think of the manuscripts of the Latin West, but there is, of course, a comparative tradition to be found within the Christian East. Within the col…
Before and After: St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Lee’s Summit, Missouri
The church of St. Margaret of Scotland located in Lee's Summit, Missouri, was previously a fairly spartan liturgical space. To be clear however, the core space had its merits; it had order and symmetry, it simply lacked colour and ornament. In some ways, it represents w…
Churches of Québec: Église du Saint-Nom-de-Marie in St.Marie-de-Beauce
In the past we have featured some of the beautiful and historical churches of province of Québec in Canada, and today we are pleased to formalize this into our "Churches of Québec" series, which we hope to publish from time to time in order to share the wealth of …
The Fraction of the Host in the Mozarabic Rite
The Mozarabic rite, a liturgical rite of the Latin Church, gives us a glimpse of some unique traditions that come from Medieval liturgical praxis in Spain. The liturgy is teacher. We learn from the sacred rites. The Mozarabic Rite has a distinct fraction custom, seen in the…
The Monumental Fifteenth Century Crucifix of Bologna
Located in the city of Bologna is the fifteenth century Basilica of San Petronio, a basilica that is perhaps most famous for the fact of its only partially finished facade . However, located within the basilica is a stunning, monumental carved wooden crucifix, hung from the …
A Survey of Some Recent Work by Hape Sculpture in Italy
The workshop of Hape Sculptures are located in the famed region of Val Gardena in the north of Italy where so many woodcarvers and woodcarving workshops have made their home. Hape is a family run business that was founded many decades ago creating hand carved works in wood,…
Before and After (and After Again): An Update from Holy Innocents in Long Beach, California
An update on a previous 'before and after we wrote about at the beginning of 2024, focused on Holy Innocents in Long Beach, California . In that article we detailed the work that Harrison Design pursued at this particular church. The very best refresher, of course, are s…
An American Catholic Masterpiece: the High Altar and Reredos of the Assumption Church
An outstanding example of ecclesiastical art in the United States is the highly decorative altar and reredos of the church of the Assumption in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is a feast for the eyes, a garland of beauty, made of local oak wood by German immigrants at the end of th…
The Papal Fanon
The fanon is a papal vestment worn for solemn liturgies. It is the only prominent vestment distinctive of the rank of a pope. This custom dates back at least to the 8th-century. The fanon is also worn by the Patriarch of Lisbon. The photo below depicts Pope St. John Paul II…
A 'Roman' Pianeta from Atelier LAVS
LAVS is perhaps best known for their mitres as well as their more fully flowing, medieval-styled vestments, but LAVS also occasionally dips into the realm of later cuts, cuts often colloquially referred to as the 'Roman' cut. One of the characteristic stylistic elem…
Variety and Distinctiveness: Sacra Domus Aurea's 'Gotico Pastello' Gothic Revival Set
Many years ago, in January 2018. we wrote a two part series about The Importance of Variety and Distinctiveness in Vestment Design . In that series we looked at gothic revival vestments (and baroque vestments), and one of the questions we asked about contemporary approaches …
Chiesa di San Lorenzo: One Parish Church's Solemn Mass Set Dedicated to its Patron Saint, St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence, whose feast day is observed today, is one of the most prominent saints of the Church of Rome (and indeed, of the church in Rome proper), being one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome who was ultimately martyred in A.D. 258 at the age of 32 during the pers…
The Papal Mantum
The papal mantum was one of several papal vestments that developed through the centuries only to be ignored and cast aside in a fit of 1960s modernization. Other distinctly papal vestments, for example, included the falda, the subcinctorium, and the exceptionally long fanon…
Contemporary Work: A Monumental Mural of the Transfiguration
The Feast of the Transfiguration is one of those feasts in the liturgical year which really doesn't get the focused, popular devotional attention that it deserves. Now, in the Christian East, the Transfiguration is one of the feasts that they like to particularly highli…
August 5th: Solemnity of Our Lady of Snows (In Dedicationie S. Mariae Ad Nives) in Rome
The Solemnity of Our Lady of Snows in Rome is one of the more beloved annual traditions in Rome. Similar to the feast of Pentecost at the Pantheon, flower pedals are showered down upon the floor of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in commemoration of the event that took place…
Markos Kampanis' Work for Two Byzantine Private Family Chapels
Over the course of LAJ's tenure, we have explored various private chapels. To date these have been exclusively focused on chapels set within the Latin rite context, but something we have never had the opportunity to show to date are such spaces set within the context of…
Exploring Carthusian Liturgical Architecture
While 'Carthusian architecture' is not something one hears spoken of a great deal -- compared to, say, Cistercian architecture -- it seems fair to suggest that there is a recognizable Carthusian style and ordering, one that tends to follow a model similar to that of…
Before and Afte: Still Further Updates to St. Helen Catholic Church in Vero Beach, Florida
We're pleased to present another before and after project coming out of Conrad Schmitt Studios in New Berlin, Wisconsin, this time at St. Helen's Catholic Church in Vero Beach, Florida. From the studio:
The Papal Subcinctorium
Admittedly, images of the papal subcinctorium are very difficult to find. Here it can be seen in part, not to be mistaken for the maniple. This ancient ornamental vestment was reserved to the Roman Pontiffs (and similar to other papal vestments, also to the Patriarch of Lis…
The Forty Hours' Devotion
The Forty Hours' Adoration (in Italian: Quarat'Ore ) is a devotion where the faithful gather in Eucharistic adoration for 40 consecutive hours in memory of the forty hours during which the sacred body of Our Lord laid in the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Nuns Who Make Altar Linens in Rome: Figlie di San Giuseppe di Rivalba
The nuns in Rome who make and launder the altar cloths of St. Peter's Basilica are the congregation Figlie di San Giuseppe di Rivalba (the Daughters of St. Joseph of Rivalba). These sisters can be seen often in the sacristy of the Vatican Basilica, as well as dressing t…
A Survey of Various Objects of Liturgical Art Coming Out of the Twentieth Century Liturgical Movement
Passing fashions come and go, also evidenced in the development of liturgical items over time. The twentieth century liturgical movement produced many various works related to the sacred liturgy that reflect a gradual development of artistic style.
The Basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires in Paris
One of the most popular Parisian churches for pilgrims is the delightful church of Our Lady of Victories, Notre-Dame-des-Victories. Radiating the French Baroque style, this delightful Marian shrine has attracted many pilgrims over the years including St. Thérèse of Lisieux …
A Paleochristian Bronze Lampada Featuring Ss. Peter and Paul
Saints Peter and Paul are two of the most important and beloved saints and apostles in the entire Christian Church. Given their particular prominence in the 'college of the apostles,' from the earliest of times we can find a strong devotion to them, a devotion which…
A Byzantine Curiosity - A Domestic Incense Burner?
There is a twelfth century object whose origins is possibly from Constantinople or possibly a workshop located in the South of Italy (historically part of the Byzantine world let us recall) that has long captured my curiosity, mainly for reason of the mystery surrounding it…
Requiem Aeternam: An Eighteenth Century Requiem Set Combining Themes of Death and Life
Continuing on with our ongoing exploration of Requiem Mass vestments, today we are looking at a set of vestments, produced in England in connection with the Southern Netherlands in the eighteenth century according to Nicola Gentle, author of an article on the set in in Text…
Caldwell Hall Chapel at Catholic University of America
One of the most historic chapels in America is Caldwell Chapel at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Bishop Sheen prayed here as a student as well as when he came here later to be a professor. He spent nearly a quarter of a century as the Catholic Univer…
Church of the Holy Family in Dayton, Ohio with Mural by Gerhard J. Lamers
One of an array of beautiful churches in southwestern Ohio is the church of the Holy Family in Dayton. Visitors are welcomed by a 1920s Italo-Romanesque Revival gem that was dedicated one hundred years ago. The exact day was Tuesday, Jan. 12, 1926, chosen to be near the dat…
A Collection of Canopies
[This article is simply a photographic survey of various altar canopies coming from various centuries. For more information about altar canopies, please see our article The Altar and It's Canopy from December 2022.]
The Roman Rite in the Holy Land: Feast of the Most Holy Sepulchre of Our Lord Jesus Christ
In the Latin Patriarchate, July 15th is the feast of the Most Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Not many people know this special liturgical celebration exists, but it is an ancient Latin Rite feast that has some really beautiful prayers. In the Patriarchate of Jerusalem it is c…
The Madonna Della Pace Icon in Venice
In past articles we have looked at some important important Byzantine icons in Venice -- specifically the Madonna Nicopeia (located in the Basilica of San Marco) and the Madonna della Salute (located in the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute). Today we are going to take a…
The Renovation of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Omaha, Nebraska
Immaculate Conception Church in Omaha, Nebraska was constructed in the early twentieth century when still served by the Order of Friars Minor. By our own time, the parish was in need of some re-vivification and re-enchantment, and so it was that Erik Bootsma Architecture an…
Bishop Sheen's Private Chapel in NYC
Bishop Sheen was a national celebrity of the electronic age. This unique role began from the time he was first on radio in 1928. Then in 1950 he was named the National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. His national recognition reached a new level whe…
Book Review: Sacred Signs by Romano Guardini
It brings great satisfaction to see Sacred Signs by Romano Guardini in print as one of the new 'OS JUSTI THEOLOGICAL CLASSICS' (a series of wonderful books edited by our good friend, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski). This treasure is a gem of the early Liturgical Movement in …
House Chapel of the Institute of the Good Shepherd in Rome
The Casa San Clemente is the religious house of the Istituto del Buon Pastore in Rome. The renovated apartments include a house chapel in a designated room with a beautiful altar dedicated to Pope St. Clement of Rome. Romans have a great devotion to St. Clement, the fourth …
