Typically when you think of "choir screens," you will either think of a straight wall like feature separating the chancel from the nave, or in some instances a rectangular one. Today, I wanted to show you something a little bit different and rather more rare. It c…
The Tornacoro: The Semi-Circular Screen of the Duomo of Verona
Typically when you think of "choir screens," you will either think of a straight wall like feature separating the chancel from the nave, or in some instances a rectangular one. Today, I wanted to show you something a little bit different and rather more rare. It c…
St. John's Abbey Church in Collegeville, Minnesota
When the new St. John's Abbey church of St. John the Baptist in Collegeville, Minnesota was dedicated in 1961, it was dubbed by one reviewer "the most exciting architectural story since the building of the great medieval churches in Europe." The project was de…
Churches of Venice: San Zaccaria
It often feels as though everything about Venice is unique. From its canals, to its traditions and distinctive styles that bring together influences from various parts of East and West. If all roads lead to Rome, as the saying goes, it feels as though all waterways led to V…
Authentic Inculturation: The Oriental, Sino-Christian Altars of Dom Adelbert Gresnigt, OSB
Dom Adelbert Gresnigt, O.S.B., was a Dutch Benedictine monk who lived from 1877 until 1956. Dom Adelbert was a monk of the Abbey of Maredsous in Belgium who was trained as a painter and sculpture in the Beuronese school, having executed works in locations ranging from the V…
Festal Chasubles from Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century France
In the past we have frequently shown festal chasubles -- i.e. chasubles that are particularly decorative in their qualities -- but we have seldom looked at such chasubles coming from within the French tradition, and since we have lately been trying to explore that tradition…
Peruvian Splendour: Vestments from Lima, Peru
If you think that ornate, antique vestments can only be found in the sacristies of Europe you may want to think again. In point of fact, the new world colonies of Spain (and Portugal for that matter) provide a great deal in the way of liturgical art that one typically woul…
More Sicilian Baroque: The Chiesa di Santa Caterina in Palermo
Sicilian baroque is perhaps one of the more interesting regional variations on the baroque. In the past we've shown you an example of this, the Church of the Gesù, located in Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Today we are going to show you another example, also located i…
Salzburg's St. Sebastian (Sebastianskirche)
Catholics who find themselves in Salzburg are encouraged to visit the parish church of St. Sebastian . Also known as the Sebastianskirche, this beautiful late Baroque church is connected to the Sebastian Cemetery, a wonderful place for a Sunday visit. The parish is known for…
The Venetian Cope of Gandino
This particular cope is of sixteenth century Venetian manufacture, presently on display in the Museo della Basilica di Gandino. Both the age of the cope and the Venetian influence are readily enough visible to anyone who has followed our various articles on LAJ in this rega…
Famous Daprato Altars: Church of St. Agnes (Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis)
The Daprato Statuary Company produced some of the finest marble altars in the United States. Their tag line was "first in quality of materials used, first in quality of execution, first in fidelity to design." Daprato altars were seen everywhere in new churches i…
The History, Forms and Symbolism of the Crosier
The crosier -- sometimes written 'crozier' -- or "pastoral staff" is, alongside the mitre, one of the most recognizable and iconic symbols of prelacy in the Church. It is a liturgical ornament that is a sign of authority and jurisdiction and today we wish…
Tiaras of the Popes: Three Tiaras of Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX, or "Pio Nono," is perhaps one of the most well known of modern popes, having reigned as Roman pontiff from the years 1846 to 1878. It is no doubt the length of his tenure, which at 31.5 years is second only to St. Peter himself and a few years longer…
Chapelle de Picpus in Paris (Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix)
Many Catholic pilgrims who travel to Paris make a stop at Picpus Chapel to pray and visit the attached Cimetière de Picpus (Picpus Cemetery). This is a place of prayer where hundreds of martyrs of the French Revolution are entombed and where a venerable statue in the chapel…
The Church of Hosios Loukas in Greece: Exploring Architectural Commonalities Between Christian East and West
The church of Hosios Loukas (St. Luke) is a monastic church located near the small town of Distomo, Greece. The main church (which is referred to as a 'Katholikon') was built in circa A.D. 1011-1012 and is considered one of the very best preserved examples of Middle…
Centre of Liturgical Arts: L'Eglise Saint-Just de Lyon Where Popes and Kings Worshipped
In the Primatial See of Lyon - Prima Sedes Galliarum - is one of France's grandest and most vibrant parishes and one of the flagship parishes of the FSSP. I wish every Catholic could visit here for Sunday High Mass. This community deserves recognition and should be know…
The Sacred Belt of Our Lady (Cathedral of Prato, Italy)
Cathedrals in Europe are often home to precious relics of Christendom that are enshrined and displayed with great solemnity. In the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Prato near Florence is kept a famous relic known as the belt of Our Lady. Each year the relic is shown 5 times per…
How to Simply Achieve Noble Beauty, Simplicity and Romanitas in Altar Design
Let's imagine a scenario. You're building a parish perhaps, or perhaps renovating one; you want to build an altar, one that is both a linkage to the tradition as well as an expression of noble beauty and simplicity as historically expressed in the Roman tradition. …
America's First Basilica: The Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis ( Basilicae Sanctae Mariae Minneapolitanae ) has always been my favorite church in North America. Every time I visit this "modern" French Renaissance gem my heart is full. The incredible size and proportions, variety of marb…
Pontifical Vestments of a Late Eighteenth Century Italian Archbishop
Noble beauty and simplicity are oft spoken of concepts, but frequently also misunderstood . Some have taken to interpret and understand these principles in the light of minimalism and/or faux poverty (i.e. the use of more rustic materials and designs) and while such manifest…
The Resplendent Baroque High Altar of Saint-Bruno de Bordeaux
One of the most magnificent FSSP apostolates is Saint-Bruno in the port city of Bordeaux. This community in southwestern France boasts one of the most beautiful Baroque altars in the country, an outstanding example of seventeenth century decoration - a triumph of the imagin…
The Romanesque Basilica of the Abbey of San Giovanni in Argentella
Located near Rome in the town of Palombara Sabina is the abbey of San Giovanni in Argentella -- a city in which the antipope Innocent III was arrested in the year 1180. Construction on the abbey began in the sixth century, however a previous structure, possibly Byzantine i…
