The church of the Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini (Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims), is the FSSP parish in Rome. It is well positioned in the historic centro storico , near to the Ponte Sisto and the Palazzo Spada. Baroque in design, it dates back to the early 17th cent…
FSSP In Urbe: Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini
The church of the Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini (Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims), is the FSSP parish in Rome. It is well positioned in the historic centro storico , near to the Ponte Sisto and the Palazzo Spada. Baroque in design, it dates back to the early 17th cent…
Before and After: Carmel of the Holy Spirit in Littleton, Colorado
I ntegration Design Group (as well as Conrad Schmitt Studios) were recently involved in a beautification project at the Discaced Carmelite Monastery in Littleton, Colorado. This project involved updates to a mid-twentieth century chapel. The chapel itself had apparently unde…
Ethiopian Liturgical Art at the Cathedral in Emdibir (Including Iconography of Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II)
While we've covered Byzantine, or Eastern Roman, Christian art, that is, of course, not the sole expression of Christian liturgical art in the East. One of the more unique expressions and traditions of the Christian East is the liturgical art of the Ethiopian church and…
Better Approaches to Medieval Y Orphreys on Roman Pianetas
As the gothic revival took hold in the second half of the nineteenth century, one of the interesting things we can observe is how some started to take some of this medieval revivalism and sought to apply it to sacred vestments. We saw, at certain points, a revival of the fu…
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont: The Last Rood Screen in Paris
One of the most remarkable churches to visit in Paris is Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. Ideally, everyone with an interest in sacred liturgy should visit this absolutely stunning liturgical space. Inside is an actual rood screen, designed beautifully in a most creative way.
Book Review: The Great Sacred Music Reform of Pope St. Pius X by Dr. Patrick John Brill
One of the most important church documents a Catholic should read is the motu proprio, Tra le Sollicitudini . It was issued by Pope St. Pius X in 1903, shortly after he ascended the papal throne. This document marks the official beginning of the reform of the liturgy that ha…
A Survey of the Rococo Metalwork of the Austrian-Born, Tridentine Goldsmith, Giuseppe Pruchmayer
Giuseppe Ignazio Pruchmayer (1722-1796) was an Austrian born goldsmith who originally hailed from Linz though he would eventually make his way to Trent by the year 1750, before finally becoming a citizen of that city in the year 1753. Pruchmayer is, in point of fact, consi…
The Exquisite Polychrome Marbles of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in Venice
The church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in Venice is a Renaissance era church designed and built between 1481-1489 in the short span of eight years by the architect Pietro Lombardo and sons. The church is distinctive in many regards, including its distinctly Venetian charac…
A Survey of Some Recent Works by Atelier LAVS
A telier LAVS (i.e. 'Laus' -- the Latin word for 'praise') is an Italian vestment maker, active both online and also having storefronts in Santarcangelo di Romagna, Assisi and, most recently, Rome. The atelier is quite well known within Italian circles in pa…
Before and After: Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona
N ew Jerusalem Studios is a firm based in Phoenix, Arizona, which "specializes in theologically informed liturgical design for renovation and the creation of large scale sacred art murals." We have shared some of their work before and we are pleased to be able to s…
A Medieval Orphrey Repurposed Onto a New Chasuble
The Italian vestment firm Atelier Sirio are someone we have featured on various occasions, often time in relation to the excellent antique restoration work, but they also produce new vestment work as well (take, for example, some of their medieval inspired work ).
New Church Architecture: St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina
The architects at O'Brien and Keane , based out of Arlington, Virginia, are a firm that we have featured here before and today I wished to share a specific project they recently completed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. This parti…
Spanish Splendour: A Luxurious Set of Vestments from the Early 1500s
The Renaissance has to be amongst one of the most elegant and noble of ages where vestment design is concerned. It is a period that is characterized by luxurious velvets and silks, as well as embroidered designs, both figurative and vegetal. I've often characterized it…
The Crux Sacra Vestment Studio in Thailand
The tailor at Crux Sacra Studio is working overtime to deliver the finest product at a reasonable price. He is a former lawyer, working diligently to create the most beautiful vestments possible in his native Bangkok, Thailand.
Resurrecting Old Vestments: Antique Vestment Repair and Restoration
Anyone who has a passion for antique vestments will know the story. You have a beautiful vestment that you've come across somewhere, there's only one problem: the vestments are dirty, frayed, or worn out in some capacity. At its worst -- something I've personall…
The Fifth Century Eastern Roman Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos in Thessaloniki
Continuing on with our consideration of 'Eastern Roman' (i.e. Byzantine) church architecture of the first millennium, our next stop is the church of Panagia Acheiropoietos in Thessaloniki. This particular structure has quite a long history. It was founded as a chur…
The Twelfth Century 'Uta' Chasuble of Marienberg Abbey
Located within Marienberg Abbey in South Tyrol, Italy, is an interesting and rare relic of a bygone age. It is the so-called "Uta chasuble" dated to the twelfth century -- specifically circa A.D. 1165-1170. It is named the "Uta" chasuble for the reason t…
The Ancient Ambrosian Rite in Milan
The See of Milan is the largest archdiocese in Europe and has the largest number of priests. It has also long maintained its own rite or usage of the Roman rite known as the Ambrosian rite. This is still seen today in the greater part of the diocesan territory of the old Du…
The Rochet of St. Alphonsus Liguori
A very rare liturgical artifact on display in Rome is the old rochet of St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787). This relic lends some important clues as to the style of his time, what was seen in Italy just after the late Baroque period, following the Renaissance period.
The Renaissance Baptismal Font of the Duomo of Viterbo
Baptismal fonts don't get the attention they deserve. In the parlance of Christendom, it is through this Sacrament that one enters into the Christian fold and for that reason, baptismal fonts are traditionally placed in a prominent location. In the case of many larger c…
The Custom of Dust Coverings (Vesperale) for Altars
A common custom in some places is to cover the altar with a vesperale (or "vesperal cloth"), a felt dust covering when Mass is not being celebrated. Not required, just an extra touch. The altar server takes the cover off before Mass and returns it after. Dust cove…
A New Cope by Paramentica Vestments
Recently in California at the Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit a new silk cope was unveiled for Pontifical Vespers. The liturgy was held in the chapel of St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California. The feast day was St. Irenaeus. The celebrant was Dom Benedict…
Ars Comacina and the Tradition of Cantù Lace in Lombardy, Italy
Classic "Cantù" lace ( pizzo di Cantù ) is never not stunning. Historically, it has been based on Baroque flower patterns with scrolling branches or thick coils. There is no substitute. It is distinct and elegant in appearance. Decorated with various ground stitches…
From Venice To Jerusalem: A Late Seventeenth Century Set of Paraments
The collections of the Terra Sancta Museum are, it goes without saying, impressive. The Custodia of the Holy Land was, after all, gifted with many precious objects of liturgical art over the centuries including many precious sets of vestments. Many of these objects were the…
Two Enamelled Icons of St. Michael the Archangel from Constantinople
Many Byzantine treasures can today be found in the treasury of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. It is a bit of mixed blessing. On the one hand, we can rightly lament the loss of that once great Christian city and what a jewel of Christendom it must have been, while on t…
A Survey of Some Recent Work of the Atelier Sacra Domus Aurea
The atelier Sacra Domus Aurea has been busy over the past year and so it seemed like we should take a few moments to feature some of their most recent works, coming in different forms and different liturgical colours, but each of them strike me as very good examples of cont…
Sant'Alfonso di Liguori: Home of the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
One of Rome's newest churches is Sant'Alfonso di Liguori all'Esquilino, on the famous pilgrim road called the Via Merulana. It was completed in 1859 in the immensely popular Gothic Revival style, making it a rare example of the Neo-Gothic in Rome and one of the …
Before and After: St. Cecilia's Catholic Church in Ames, Iowa
One of the architects at SVPA Architects , an architectural firm based in West Des Moines, lowa, recently reached out to LAJ to inform us of a recently completed a renovation at St. Cecilia's Catholic Church in Ames, lowa -- a church that was only rededicated this past J…
The Byzantine Era Monastery of Kaisariani in Attica
Dedicated to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Monastery of Kaisariani is located in Attica, near Athens, Greece. The monastic church -- or "katholikon" -- follows a typical Byzantine cross-in-square plan, though additions were made in later centuri…
Rome's Borghese Chapel: Salus Populi Romani Icon
One of the most cherished sites in Rome through the centuries is the Patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major, also known as the Liberian Basilica. Here art and faith find a perfect union. This historic church is built atop Rome's highest hill, the Esquiline. A distingui…
The Guild of St. Stephen for Altar Servers (Sancti Stephani Archisodalitas)
The Archconfraternity of St. Stephen is the only official international guild of altar servers. It exists for their formation and organization. It promotes a high standard of serving at the altar by which the server can sanctify his soul and obtain salvation. He can also ed…
The Christmas Preface: Praefatio de Nativitate Domini
The Preface prayers are some of the most solemn written pieces of prayer in the history of Western civilization. Authorship is unknown. We can only imagine these prayers were written by priests in Rome. It is impossible to know how old they are, but we can assume they are o…
A Precious Neopolitan Monstrance Gifted to the Holy Land in the Mid-Eighteenth Century
The Terra Sancta Museum is host to numerous liturgical treasures that are of inestimable value, and while these objects value may well also be 'material' in nature, it is actually their cultural, liturgical and spiritual value which is their greatest and most import…
Ss. Peter and Paul by Eric Armusik
E ric Armusik is a classical figurative artist based out of Pennsylvania whose work we have featured before, but it is specifically his depiction of Ss. Peter and Paul that I wished to draw your specific attention to today. This particular work was commissioned from the arti…
The Benedictine Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore
The Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore is one of the most well-known territorial abbeys in the Benedictine world. It is located in Tuscany, near Siena and is also quite close to Assisi. The beautiful red brick buildings stand out against the blue sky and sandy countryside. As …
The Roman Basilica of Saints Celso and Giuliano
For fans of Pope Pius XII, the Roman Basilica of Santi Celso e Giuliano (Saints Celso and Giuliano) is one of the most important sites in the city. It was here the future pope was baptized by his uncle Don Giuseppe Pacelli with the name 'Eugenio' when he was only tw…
The Spanish Church and Altarpieces of San Juan de Recesende
The church of San Juan de Recesende is located in the small town of Recesende, Spain. Originally the church was of Romanesque era origins, and while some of these origins still remain visible down to this day, the church has gone through various modifications over the centu…
The Twelfth Century Wilten Chalice, Paten and Fistulae
The collection of the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna , Austria, contains a rather interesting and unique bit of medieval metalwork: the twelfth century Wilten Chalice and Paten (the name of which is derived from the fact that it originally came from Wilten Abbey in Tyrol,…
Velvet and Gold: A Cardinalatial Antependium from the High Renaissance
We're on the cusp of the feast and octave of the Nativity, so it is an apropros time to share a bit of festal gold, this time coming in the form of an antependium dated to circa 1517-1526, a design which is attributed to two painters of the Florentine school, Andrea del…
The Church of Saint-Roch in Paris
Paris is a city of churches with over 200 stunning Catholic churches / chapels / oratories, each with a unique design and character of its own. One of our favorites is Saint-Roch , a magnificent temple that brings to mind the insistence of St. Thomas Aquinas on three propert…
Cardinal Burke's Titular Church in Rome: Sant'Agata dei Goti
The recently restored Sant'Agata of the Goths is a hidden gem in Rome, tucked in behind the Angelicum, on the downward slope of the Quirinale Hill. It is dedicated to St. Agatha of Sicily, the renowned martyr of Catania, one of seven women commemorated in the Roman Cano…
An Example of a Leather Antependium from Old Quebec City (1675-1725)
In the past we have featured some historical leather veatments as well as some of the leather antependia that can still be procured from contempoary atelier's such as Lutson , a firm located in Gascony, France. In the course of some other, unrelated research, I happened…
Advent in the Roman Missal: The Rorate Mass
The first time I attended the Votive Mass "Rorate" in honor of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, I was living in the Sandy Hill neighborhood of Ottawa, Canada. In the pre-dawn hour I recall walking in the dark, frigid cold to the nearby FSSP parish. Upon entering the war…
A Monastic Inspired Marian Chasuble from Talleres de Arte Granda
It has been a little while since we've had the opportunity to feature some new vestment work, and with the Feast of Immaculate Conception being just yesterday, it seemed an opportune time to feature a bespoke commission that Talleres de Arte Granda recently completed fo…
Five Marian Chasubles for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
With it being the feast of the Immaculate Conception, we wanted to share a few antique Marian chasubles that feature the Immaculate Conception (or at very least Marian imagery). In the past we've done this by showing some of the famed and ever popular Cerulean blue chas…
Icons and Illuminations by Ioanna Belcea
In previous articles we have featured the compelling liturgical art of the studio of Ioana Belcea and today we are going to continue our consideration of her work, this time not of her mosaics and frescoes, but rather her iconography and illuminations . The beauty of such pi…
Before and After: The Restoration of Belmont Chapel in Newport, Rhode Island
The Belmont Memorial Chapel is a small church that is located on the grounds of Island Cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island. While that goes slightly outside our usually rather tight sphere of focus here at LAJ, I believe our readers will be very interested in this particular …
Silver Elegance: An Eighteenth Century Italian Thurible in White Silver
Silver, like gold, does not have a singular expression. Rather, silver comes in a range of different shades. Some silvers are very cool and greyish in their hue while others have other underlying secondary colours such as pink/red. However one of those beautiful shades, in…
The Sagrestia Vecchia (Old Sacristy) of the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence
Sacristies are generally places you do not want to miss when you're touring an older European church. Generally speaking, while you may not get a look at the sacred vestments, these are still places of great interest, being more akin to chapels than mere dressing rooms,…
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens)
The truly stupendous Amiens Cathedral at once takes hold of the soul -- it is one of the finest churches raised to the Glory of God. Constructed from 1220-1270, a short period for a Gothic cathedral, this lovely church is renowned for its unusual unity of style. Like other …
