Papal Mitres: part 2

Amongst the many remarkable features of Benedict XVI's Pontificate is the rather singular distinction of having used more mitres as Pope as all of his predecessors of the last 200 hundred years put together!  This is the second in a series of posts about the Papal mitres which I find pleasing, together with a description of them.

The mitres of Pope Benedict fall (almost) into two categories: those used during the tenure of Marini the First (Piero Marini) and those used during the tenure of Marini the Second (Guido Marini).  

The second in our series, shewn above, is part of the Marini the First range and was worn at Vespers in the Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the Walls in January 2008.  This mitre is a very inventive adaptation of the mediaeval mitre.  A similar mitre was used by Pope John Paul II.

As we know, the most common form of ornamentation for the mitre, as it developed in Tradition, was for a decorative band to be run around the crown of the head.  This band was called the circulus.  Another band extended at right angles to the circulus, forming an upside-down "T".  This vertical ornamentation was called the titulus.  Often, the circulus and titulus were lavishly embroidered.  During the mediaeval period, that area of the mitre on the left and the right of the titulus, which forms almost a triangular shape, came also to be decorated, often will geometrical medallions studded with jewels.  For the purposes of our description, let us call these areas of the mitre quadrants.

Returning to the mitre of this post, it is made from a gold fabric and its circulus and titulus are formed from a beautifully-conceived cross-hatching of golden braids.  This would have been sufficient to create a worthy mitre.  But the designer of this mitre took a bold step and ornamented the quadrants of the mitre, not with embroidery and jewels, but with an applique of black and gold silk damask, carefully enhanced with further gold braiding.  The shape and height of the mitre are very well proportioned, according to the manner of the early mediaeval period and well-suited to the stature of its wearer, Pope Benedict.

On that occasion, the Pope was given to wear a cope matching the mitre (adjacent photograph).  This cope is made from a magnificent straw-coloured silk damask.  Like the mitre, the cope's orphrey is formed from a  cross-hatching of golden braids, broken up with squares of the same black and gold silk damask.  The decoration is beautiful and striking.  There is nothing about this  Italian-made mitre and cope which makes it incongruous with the Baroque style of Catholic Rome.

Noteworthy, also, is the magnificent Morse, or clasp used to hold the cope together.  Obviously a modern work, but beautifully conceived and ornamented. Unhappily, a clearer image was not available.

Vestment for the Time "Per Annum"

The adjacent photograph shews a set of vestments completed for a Sydney priest in the Saint Martin style developed by the Saint Bede Studio.  The chasuble is made from a forest green brocade and ornamented (simply with a contrasting brocade) in the Roman style.  Unlike other examples of the Saint Martin chasuble, these vestments lack any additional ornamenting braids.  The vestments are fully lined in a rust-red cotton.


Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Re-enchantment of a Roman chasuble

An old Roman chasuble (right)  remade

Known derisively as the "fiddleback" or inaccurately as the "Roman".  That well-known and abbreviated form of chasuble never makes an appearance on this Blog.  Some of these "Roman" chasubles are of great beauty, made of exquisite damasks and often wonderfully embroidered.  On the other hand, there are many which were crunched-out of the vestment-making businesses and are of no particular merit.  The "Roman" chasuble really looks well only on men of smaller build, where its abbreviated length and width is not so noticeable.

In this post, we will look at such a chasuble, which had seen better days.  Made in Italy in the 1940's from a tastefully embroidered red silk, its qualities were marred by an ugly gold lurex braid.  Faced with a decision between "retiring" the vestment or trying somehow to salvage it, the owner opted for the latter. 

After and before

The chasuble and its accessories were carefully taken to pieces and examined for what might be re-used.  The results are shewn in the attached photographs.  A misshapen and badly adorned chasuble was made into a new set of vestments in the Saint Philip Neri style.  The original fabric was re-used to ornament the new silk vestments.  In fact, the original fabric was used to ornament two new chasubles, the second of which can be seen here.

Searching for a word to describe such radical surgery, we lighted upon the phrase the "Re-enchantment" of a Roman chasuble.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Papal Mitres: part 1

Amongst the many remarkable features of Benedict XVI's Pontificate is the rather singular distinction of having used more mitres as Pope as (probably) all of his predecessors put together over the last 200 hundred years!  Most of his predecessors used two or three precious mitres at most (in addition to the cloth gold and simplex mitres). There are a number of websites which have a tally of the mitres used by Pope Benedict, so I won't be contributing to the statistics.

Instead, this is the first in a series of posts about the Papal mitres which I find pleasing, together with a description of them.

The first in the series, shewn adjacent, was presented to Pope Benedict on the occasion of his visit to the Abbey Monte Cassino a couple of years ago.  In addition, a matching cope and chasuble were presented.  These vestments and mitre are very much in the character of the style of vestments used in Italy in the 13th century. 

Confining ourselves to the mitre, it is made from a white silk damask and its orphrey (properly called the circulus and titulus) is also formed from hand-embroidered gold silk.  Quite unlike the baroque mitres, the ornament of such mitres is confined to orphrey.  Here we find, in geometrical patterns, precious stones of differing sizes and colours, arranged in a restrained and tasteful manner.  The shape and height of the mitre are very well proportioned, according to the manner of the early mediaeval period and well-suited to the stature of its wearer.

Admirable!

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Priestly Ordinations 2011 - part 3

The third in this series of Ordination vestments features a chasuble  prepared for a young man who was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in the Co-Cathedral of S' Thomas More, Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee (USA)  on 4th June, along with two other men.

The ordinand asked for a chasuble in the Saint Martin design, but strictly in colours of white and gold. This design is extremely ample and is intended to be more contemporary in appearance, even though based in Catholic traditions.

A renaissance-style ivory damask was chosen for the chasuble, ornamented with a brocade of white and gold, outlined with a narrow galloon. The ornamentation is in the traditional Roman style of the TAU. The chasuble was fully lined in gold dupion silk.

Click on the image for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Priestly Ordinations 2011 part 2

On 5th May, the Rev'd Damon Sypher FSSP was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in Saint Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, by His Eminence, Cardinal Pell. The Mass was celebrated according to the 1962 Liturgical books. The adjacent photograph shews Father Sypher during the Rite of Ordination.

Father Sypher was ordained in a Saint Philip Neri style chasuble made by the Saint Bede Studio and presented to him by friends.  The chasuble was made of silver and straw-coloured silk damask, ornamented with orphreys of burgundy and straw brocade according to the Roman style.  The photograph below shews the rear of the chasuble.

A similar chasuble is illustrated here.

Please click on the photographs for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Priestly Ordinations 2011 part 1

Over the last 2-3 months, the Studio has been busily engaged in making chasubles for ordinands to the Sacred Priesthood.  At last we are in a position to post some photographs of the vestments that have been made.

Firstly, a set of vestments made for Father Matthew Hardesty of Kentucky, USA.  The vestments are made from an ivory silk damask, fully lined in gold dupion silk.  The orphrey was formed from a straw-coloured silk damask, alternating with fleur-de-lis emblems.

We are pleased to include a photograph of the vestments taken at the celebration of Father Hardesty's First Mass.  Congratulations, Father.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Patron Saint of the Studio

Greetings to all readers of this Blog on this Feast of Saint Bede the Venerable, monk of Jarrow (UK) and first historian of the Church in England.  

Read a little about the life and work of Saint Bede here.

And please say a prayer for God's Blessing on the work of the Studio.

Triple Tiara of Pope Benedict XVI

At Wednesday's General Audience in the Piazza of Saint Peter's, Pope Benedict was presented with his very own Triple Tiara. Although small scale, it is an admirable tiara, perhaps reminiscent of the tiara of Pope John XXIII.  Happily, it tends more to the shape and appearance of the mediaeval tiara than the baroque variety.

Read a bit more about the presentation at John Sonnen's blog.

Were the Pope to wear the tiara, I, for one, wouldn't feel scandalised (call me old-fashioned).


Click on the image for a larger view.

On Raising the chasuble at the Elevations

 
In the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the minister (deacon or altar server) is directed to raise the chasuble slightly in his left hand as the celebrant elevates the Sacred Host and then the Chalice. This direction is given in the Ritus Servandus VIII,8; the Caeremoniale Episcoporum II, viii and a decision of the Congregation of Sacred Rites no 3535.

What is the origin of this practice? It dates from that period when chasubles were voluminous and constrained the celebrant from raising his arms above his head. Lifting the lower right hand corner of the chasuble actually enables the celebrant a greater movement of the arms. Thus, the origin of this ceremonial action is purely practical. Much has been written about mystic and symbolic meanings as being the origin of this action, all of which is complete nonsense.

The ceremonial books direct that the raising of the chasuble be a very subtle action. It was never intended that the chasuble be raised half-way up the celebrant's back or - worse still - be held up by both hands of the minister, making the chasuble seem like some fantastical ecclesiastical sail. Most assuredly such exaggerated movements are distracting both to the celebrant and to the congregation.

If the chasuble is not very ample at all, there is even more reason for its raising at the Elevation to be a very modest action: just a couple of inches at most. Furthermore, this gesture only accompanies the actual Elevations, and not the celebrant's accompanying genuflections.

Attached is a beautiful photograph of a Low Mass celebrated at Prinknash Abbey (UK) in 1940, illustrating perfectly how it should be done.

A much-commented post on the New Liturgical Movement has caused me to re-post this article.