The Papal Court was heavily involved in aspects of papal liturgies, including the rites surrounding the death and burial and mourning for recently deceased Roman Pontiffs. The rare images seen here give a precious insight into the court dress of the Court, namely the heredi…
Sede Vacante: The Custodian of the Conclave
The Papal Court was heavily involved in aspects of papal liturgies, including the rites surrounding the death and burial and mourning for recently deceased Roman Pontiffs. The rare images seen here give a precious insight into the court dress of the Court, namely the heredi…
The Unfinished, Yet Magnificent Cathedral of Beauvais
Guest Article by Ishmael Obinna Adibuah Upon entering the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Beauvais, also known as Beauvais Cathedral, one might not realize that the present church is unfinished. Such is the mystery of this unfinished High Gothic cathedral, which was once the ta…
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 …
