Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Wednesday 31 October 2012

31 October - The Vigil of All Saints


Text taken from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.
Translated from the French by the Rev. Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.
Time After Pentecost. Book V. Fourth Edition. Volume 14.
Re-published by St. Bonaventure Publications, July 2000.
Internet Site: www.libers.com

Illustration and caption are taken from Una Voce of Orange County web-site 
at http://uvoc.org/, which reproduced them, with the kind permission of St. Bonaventure Press,  from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 1952 Edition.

The Vigil of All Saints
Violet Vestments



The Church Triumphant,
The Church Militant,
The Church Suffering.


Let us prepare our Souls, for the graces that Heaven is about shower upon the Earth in return for Earth's homage.

Tomorrow, the Church will be so overflowing with joy, that she will seem to be already in possession of eternal happiness; but, today, she appears in the garb of penance (Violet Vestments), confessing that she is still an exile.

Let us fast and pray with her; for are not we, too, pilgrims and strangers in this world, where all things are fleeting and hurry on to death ?

Year by year, as the great Solemnity comes around, it has gathered, from among our former companions, new Saints, who bless our tears and smile upon our songs of hope.

Year by year, the appointed time draws nearer, when we ourselves, seated at the Heavenly banquet, shall receive the homage of those who succeed us, and hold out a helping hand to draw them after us to the home of everlasting happiness.

Let us learn, from this very hour, to emancipate our Souls; let us keep our hearts free, in the midst of the vain solicitudes and false pleasures of a strange land.

The exile has no care but his banishment, no joy but that which gives him a foretaste of his fatherland.

With these thoughts in mind, let us say, with the Church, the Collect of the Vigil:


PRAYER

Domine Deus noster, multiplica super nos gratiam tuam:
et, quorum praevenimus gloriosa solemnia,
tribue subsequi in sancta professione laetitiam.
Per Dominum.

O Lord our God, multiply Thy grace upon us:
and grant us, in our holy profession,
to follow the joy of those,
whose glorious Solemnity we anticipate.
Through our Lord.


Saturday 27 October 2012

Monreale Cathedral, Palermo, Sicily (Part One)


Test and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Monreale Cathedral, Palermo, Sicily.
Photo: December 2007.
Author: Jerzy Strzelecki




Christ Pantocrator. Monreale Cathedral, Palermo, Sicily.
Christ Pantocrator - Cattedrale di Monreale - Sicily - Italy,
Photo: 10-11-2007.
Author: Giuseppe ME.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Monreale (Sicilian: Murriali) is a town and commune in the province of PalermoSicily, Italy, on the slope of Monte Caputo, overlooking the very fertile valley called "La Conca d'oro" (the Golden Shell), famed for its orange,olive and almond trees, the produce of which is exported in large quantities. The town has a population of approximately 30,000, and it is located 15 km (12 miles), South of Palermo.

After the occupation of Palermo by the Arabs, the Bishop of Palermo was forced to move his Seat outside the capital. The role of the new Cathedral was assigned to a modest little Church, Aghia Kiriaki, in the village nearby, which was later called Monreale. 

After the Norman conquest in 1072, Christians got back the Old City Cathedral. Probably, this role as temporary ecclesiastical centre played a part in King William II's decision to build his famous Cathedral, here.

The town was for long a mere village, and started its expansion when the Norman Kings of Sicily chose the area as their hunting resort, building a palace, here.





English: Cathedral of Monreale, Sicily, Italy. Mosaics of the North side of the nave.
Français : Cathédrale de Monreale, Sicile, Italie. Mosaïques du côté nord de la nef.
Photo: 9 October 2010.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)





English: Cathedral of Monreale, Sicily, Italy. Mosaics of the South side of the nave.
Français : Cathédrale de Monreale, Sicile, Italie. Mosaïques du côté sud de la nef.
Photo: 9 October 2010.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Although not so refined as mosaics in Cefalù and the Palazzo dei Normanni, the Cathedral interior nevertheless contains the largest cycle of Byzantine mosaics extant in Italy.


Under King William II, the large Benedictine Monastery, coming from Cava de' Tirreni, was founded and provided with a large asset. It is noteworthy that the new edifice had also an important defensive role. Monreale was the Seat of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Sicily, which thenceforth exerted a large influence over Sicily.

The Cathedral of Monreale is one of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture in the world. It was begun in 1174 by William II, and, in 1182, the Church, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, was, by a Bull of Pope Lucius III, elevated to the rank of a Metropolitan Cathedral.





The Cloisters, Monreale Cathedral.
Author: Urban.
Photo: August 2005.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily. The archiepiscopal palace and monastic buildings,on the South side, were of great size and magnificence, and were surrounded by a massive precinct wall, crowned at intervals by twelve towers. This has been mostly rebuilt, but little now remains except ruins of some of the towers, a great part of the monks' Dormitory and Frater, and the splendid Cloister, completed about 1200.

The Cloister is well preserved, and is one of the finest Italian Cloisters, both for size and beauty of detail, now extant. It is about 2200 m², with pointed arches decorated with diaper work, supported on pairs of columns in white marble, 216 in all, which were alternately plain and decorated by bands of patterns in gold and colours, made of glass tesserae, arranged either spirally or vertically from end to end of each shaft. 

The marble capitals are each carved with foliage, biblical scenes and allegories, no two being alike. At one angle, a square pillared projection contains the marble fountain or monks' lavatorium, evidently the work of Muslim sculptors.


PART TWO FOLLOWS



Tuesday 23 October 2012

De Profundis clamavi ad te, Domine










Psalm CXXIX. De Profundis. Psalm of the Holy Souls in Purgatory


Italic Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
(obtainable from Carmel Books, Blackford House, Andover Road, Highclere, Newbury, Berkshire, England RG20 9PF. Tel: (01635 255340)).

Non-Italic Text taken from The Catholic Encyclopedia at
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04738b.htm

Illustrations from Wikipedia -the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise stated.



Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 

Folio 70r - De Profundis, the Musée Condé, Chantilly.

(Wikimedia Commons)


Out of the depths I have cried unto Thee, O Lord ! 
      Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive 
      To the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, shalt mark iniquities,
      Lord, who shall endureth ?
For with the Lord there is merciful forgiveness,
      And by reason of Thy law I have waited upon Thee, O Lord.
My Soul doth rely on His word:
      My Soul doth hope in the Lord.
From the morning watch, even unto night,
      Let Israel hope in the Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy,
      And with Him plentiful redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel,
      From all his iniquities.

   V.   Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.
   R.   And let perpetual light shine upon them.


  

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine:

      Domine, exaudi vocem meam.
Fiant aures tuae intendentes:
      In vocem deprecationis meae.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine:
      Domine, quis sustinebit ?
Quia apud te propitiatio est:
      Et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus:
      Speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem:
      Speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia:
      Et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel,
      Ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.

   V.   Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.
   R.   Et lux perpetua luceat eis.



De Profundis

("Out of the depths"). First words of Psalm 129. The author of this Psalm is unknown; it was composed probably during the Babylonian Exile, or perhaps for the day of penance prescribed by Esdras (Ezra 9:5-10).

The hard school of suffering, during the Exile, had brought the people to the confession of their guilt, and had kindled in their hearts faith and hope of the Redeemer and confidence in the mercy of God

The De Profundis is one of the fifteen Gradual Psalms, which were sung by the Jewish pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem, and which are still contained in the Roman Breviary. It is also one of the seven Penitential Psalms, which, in the East and the West, were already used as such by the early Christians

In the Divine Office, the De Profundis is sung every Wednesday at Vespers, and also at the Second Vespers of Christmas; the words "Apud Dominum misericordia et copiosa apud eum redemptio" reminding us of the mercy of the Father, Who sent His Son for the redemption of mankind

It is also used in the ferial prayers of Lauds and in the Office of the Dead at Vespers

The Church recites this Psalm principally in her prayers for the dead; it is the Psalm of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the words of the Psalmist applying well to the longing and sighing of the Souls exiled from Heaven

It is recited at funerals by the Priest, before the corpse is taken out of the house to the Church.


THIS ENDS THE ARTICLE ON THE DE PROFUNDIS


Sunday 21 October 2012

Durham Cathedral (Part Four)


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




The Norman Columns of Durham Cathedral


In 1986, the Cathedral, together with the nearby Castle, became a World Heritage Site. The UNESCO committee classified the Cathedral under criteria C (ii) (iv) (vi), reporting, "Durham Cathedral is the largest and most perfect monument of 'Norman' style architecture in England".

In 1996, the Great Western Doorway was the setting for Bill Viola's large-scale video installation The Messenger. Interior views of the Cathedral were featured in the 1998 film, Elizabeth.

Durham Cathedral has been featured in the Harry Potter films as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where it had a spire digitally added onto the top of the famous towers.

Architectural historian, Dan Cruickshank, selected the Cathedral as one of his four choices for the 2002 BBC television documentary series, Britain's Best Buildings.

In November 2009, the Cathedral featured in a son et lumière festival, whose highlight was the illumination of the North Front of the Cathedral, with a 15-minute presentation, that told the story of Lindisfarne and the foundation of the Cathedral, using illustrations and text from the Lindisfarne Gospels.





Durham Cathedral's Choir, looking West.
Adapted from Greenwell, p. 32.
Greenwell, William. Durham Cathedral. 
Eighth Edition Durham: Andrews and Company, 1913. NA971 D96G8.
Copyright MAS.
The copyright holder of this project is © Alison Stones. The pages and their images are used by the University of Pittsburgh with her express permission. Permission is granted for reproduction and use of these images for non-profit research and educational purposes only, provided Alison Stones or any of the other image copyright holders participating in the project is properly attributed as the copyright owner on each and every image reproduced and used. Any further use or reproduction of these images without the express written consent of Alison Stones is prohibited. 
 Email: mastones@hotmail.com


Durham Cathedral is notable for the ribbed vault of the nave roof, with pointed transverse arches supported on relatively slender composite piers alternated with massive drum columns, and flying buttresses or lateral abutments concealed within the triforium over the aisles. 

These features appear to be precursors of the Gothic architecture of Northern France a few decades later, doubtless due to the Norman stonemasons responsible, although the building is considered Romanesque, overall. 

The skilled use of the pointed arch and ribbed vault made it possible to cover far more elaborate and complicated ground plans than before. Buttressing made it possible to build taller buildings and open up the intervening wall spaces to create larger windows.

Saint Cuthbert's tomb lies at the East, in the Feretory, and was once an elaborate monument of cream marble and gold. It remains a place of pilgrimage.





Durham Cathedral at Sundown.
Photograph by Robin Widdison.
2006-08-04 (original upload date).
Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here
Transfer was stated to be made by User:Jalo.
Original uploader was Robin Widdison at en.wikipedia
Released into the public domain (by the author).
(Wikimedia Commons).


"Durham is one of the great experiences of Europe to the eyes of those who appreciate architecture, and to the minds of those who understand architecture. The group of Cathedral, Castle, and Monastery on the rock can only be compared to Avignon and Prague." (Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England).

"I paused upon the bridge, and admired and wondered at the beauty and glory of this scene...it was grand, venerable, and sweet, all at once; I never saw so lovely and magnificent a scene, nor, being content with this, do I care to see a better." (Nathaniel Hawthorne, on Durham Cathedral, The English Notebooks).

'With the Cathedral at Durham, we reach the incomparable masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, not only in England but anywhere. The moment of entering provides for an architectural experience never to be forgotten, one of the greatest England has to offer.' (Alec Clifton-Taylor, 'English Towns' series on BBC television).

"I unhesitatingly gave Durham my vote for best Cathedral on planet Earth." (Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island.").

"Grey towers of Durham. Yet well I love thy mixed and massive piles. Half church of God, half castle 'gainst the Scot. And long to roam those venerable aisles. With records stored of deeds long since forgot.". (Sir Walter Scott, Harold the Dauntless, a poem of Saxons and Vikings set in County Durham).


THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON DURHAM CATHEDRAL.


Wednesday 17 October 2012

Durham Cathedral (Part Three)


Text and Illustrations taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Durham Cathedral.
Photo: July 2007.
Source: Own Work.
Author: --Immanuel Giel 13:01, 21 August 2007 (UTC)
(Wikimedia Commons)


Saint Cuthbert's tomb was destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII in 1538, and the monastery's wealth handed over to the king. The body of the Saint was exhumed, and, according to the Rites of Durham, was discovered to be uncorrupted. It was reburied under a plain stone slab, but the ancient paving around it remains intact, worn by the knees of pilgrims. Two years later, on 31 December 1540, the Benedictine Monastery at Durham was dissolved, and the last Prior of Durham (Hugh Whitehead) became the first Dean of the Cathedral's secular Chapter.

After the Battle of Dunbar, on 3 September 1650, Durham Cathedral was used by Oliver Cromwell as a makeshift prison to hold Scottish prisoners-of-war. It is estimated that as many as 3,000 were imprisoned, of whom 1,700 died in the cathedral itself, where they were kept in inhumane conditions, largely without food, water or heat. The prisoners destroyed much of the cathedral woodwork for firewood but Prior Castell's clock, which featured the Scottish thistle, was spared. It is reputed that the prisoners' bodies were buried in unmarked graves. The survivors were shipped as slave labour to North America.

In 1946, during work to install a new central heating system for the University, a mass grave of the Scottish soldiers was allegedly uncovered. Towards the end of 2007, a campaign was launched to commemorate the Dunbar Martyrs. Further to this, and with the agreement of Durham University, Historic Scotland funded a geophysical survey of Palace Green. It was hoped that this might provide clarity on the final resting place of the dead, but results were inconclusive. During 2010, the Cathedral Chapter agreed to the installation of a memorial plaque within Saint Margaret of Scotland's Chapel at the Cathedral. The "Dunbar Martyr" campaigners are raising funds to assist with the cost of creation and installation of the plaque, which will bear a Scottish Thistle.

Bishop John Cosin, who had previously been a Canon of the Cathedral, set about restoring the damage and refurnishing the building with new Stalls, the Litany Desk and the towering Canopy over the Font. An Oak Screen, to carry the organ, was added at this time to replace a Stone Screen which was pulled down in the 16th-Century. On the remains of the old Refectory, the Dean, John Sudbury, founded a Library of early-printed books.




The Rose Window,
Durham Cathedral.
Photo: April 2010.
Author: Zephyrinus.


During the 18th-Century, the Deans of Durham often held another position in the South of England, and, after spending the statutory time in residence, would depart to manage their affairs. Consequently, after Cosin's refurbishment, there was little by way of restoration or rebuilding. When work commenced again on the building, it was of a most unsympathetic nature. 

In 1773, the architect, George Nicholson, having completed the Prebend's Bridge across the River Wear, persuaded the Dean and Chapter to let him smooth off much of the outer stonework of the Cathedral, thereby considerably altering its character.




Durham Cathedral at sunrise.
Source: Own Work. 
Photo: November 1998. 
Permission: Dual-licensed under GFDL and Creative Commons Attribution 2.5. 
(Wikimedia Commons) 


The architect, James Wyatt, greatly added to the destruction by demolishing half the Chapter House, altering the stonework of the East End, and inserting a large rose window that was supposed to be faithful to one that had been there in the 13th-Century. Wyatt also planned to demolish the Galilee Chapel, but the Dean, John Cornwallis, returned and prevented it, just as the lead was being stripped from the roof.

The restoration of the Cathedral's Tower, between 1854 and 1859, was by the architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott, working with Edward Robert Robson, who went on to serve as architect-in-charge of the Cathedral for six years. In 1858, Anthony Salvin restored the Cloisters.


PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

16 October - Feast Day of Saint Hedwig, Patroness of Silesia, Poland


Italic Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Non-Italic Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Hedwig.
Widow.

Semi-Double.
White Vestments.











The Basilica of Saint Hedwig,
Trzebnica, Poland.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Hedwig, of royal birth, and still more illustrious by the innocence of her life, was the daughter of Berthold, Prince of Carinthia, and aunt, on the mother's side, of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.

Having married Henry, Duke of Poland, she fulfilled her duties as wife in so holy a fashion that the Church compares her to the strong woman, whose portrait is drawn for us by the Holy Ghost in today's Epistle.

She had three sons and three daughters. She macerated her body both by fasting and watching and by the roughness of her clothes. She was very charitable to the poor, whom she, herself, served at table.

Her husband, the Duke, having died, Hedwig, like the merchant mentioned in the Gospel, gave away all her riches to acquire the precious pearl of eternal life.

After praying earnestly and under Divine inspiration, she generously exchanged worldly pomp for the life of the Cross (Collect), entering the Cistercian monastery of Trebnitz, where her daughter was Abbess.

She died on 15 October 1243, and Poland honours her with special veneration.




Saint Hedwig Church in Legnickie Pole.
Author: Marek i Ewa Wojciechowscy
Permission: GFDL
Attribution:
© Marek and Ewa Wojciechowscy / Trips over Poland / CC-BY-SA-3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 1.0 & GDFL


Polski: Kościół św. Jadwigi w Legnickim Polu pierwotnie stanowił kościół przyklasztorny benedyktynów, stąd jest wpisany na listę zabytków wspólnie z dawnym zespołem klasztornym. Obecnie jest zwykłym kościołem parafialnym.

English: The Church of Saint Hedwig, in Legnickie Pole, used to be part of the Benedictine Monastery and therefore it shares the inscription in the cultural monuments registry with the buildings of the former Monastery. Today, it is an ordinary Parish Church.



The Basilica of Saint Jadwiga (English: Hedwig), in Trzebnica, Poland, is a Convent for Cistercian nuns, situated in Trzebnica (German:Trebnitz) North of Wrocław, in Silesia, Poland, founded in 1203.

After few decades of abandonment in the 19th-Century, it is an now an Abbey of the Sisters of Mercy of Saint Borromeo, since 1889.

The Abbey was established by the Silesian Piast, Duke Henry I (The Bearded), and his wife, Saint Hedwig of Andechs (Polish: Święta Jadwiga Śląska), confirmed by Pope Innocent III




The image of Saint Hedwig is
taken from the web-site of
Saint Hedwig Parish,
872, Brunswick Avenue,
Trenton, New Jersey NJ 08638,
United States of America.
www.sainthedwigparish.com


The legend of its foundation relates that Duke Henry, when out hunting, fell into a swamp, from which he could not extricate himself. In return for his rescue from this perilous position, he vowed to build the Abbey. With Hedwig's consent, her brother Ekbert of Andechs, then Bishop of Bamberg, chose the first nuns that occupied the convent.

The first Abbess was Petrussa, from Kitzingen Abbey; she was followed by Gertrude, the daughter of Hedwig. The Abbey was richly endowed with lands by Duke Henry. When Hedwig became a widow in 1238, she went to live at Trzebnica and was finally buried there.





The Church of Saint Hedwig,
Legnickie Pole, Poland.
Photo: 2007.
Author: Marek i Ewa Wojciechowscy
Permission: GFDL
Attribution: 
© Marek and Ewa Wojciechowscy / Trips over Poland / CC-BY-SA-3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 1.0 & GDFL
(Wikimedia Commons)


Up to 1515, the Abbesses were First Princesses of the Piast dynasty and. afterwards, members of the nobility. 

It is said that, towards the end of the 13th-Century, the nuns numbered 120. The Abbey also became a mausoleum of many rulers of the fragmented Silesian Piasts. In 1672 there were 32 nuns and 6 lay sisters, in 1805 there were 23 nuns and 6 lay sisters. At the Protestant Reformation, most of the nuns were Poles, as were the majority until the 18th-Century.




Saint Hedwig of Andechs Church, Ząbkowice Śląskie, Poland.
Polski: Zabytkowy kościół parafialny p.w. św. Jadwigi w dawnym Sadlnie, 
obecnie części Ząbkowic Śląskich.
Photo: July 2011.
Source: Own Work.
(Wikimedia Commons) 


The Abbey of Trebnitz suffered so greatly during the Thirty Years War, that the nuns fled across the border onto the territory of the mostly unaffected Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, as they did again in 1663 when the Turks threatened Silesia.

In 1742, in the aftermath of the First Silesian War and the Treaty of Breslau, Trebnitz found itself under the governance of Protestant Prussia and started to suffer from political discrimination.

The last Abbess, Dominica von Giller, died on 17 August 1810, and on 11 November 1810, the Abbey was suppressed and secularised, by order of King Frederick William III. The building, which was extensive, was sold later and turned into a cloth factory. 




Saint Hedwig of Andechs Church, Ząbkowice Śląskie, Poland.
Polski: Wnętrze zabytkowego kościoła parafialnego p.w. św. Jadwigi w dawnym Sadlnie, 
obecnie części Ząbkowic Śląskich.
Photo: July 2011.
Source: Own Work.
(Wikimedia Commons) 


In the 19th-Century, the ruined Abbey was bought by the Knights Hospitaller and, later, by the Order of Sisters of Saint Charles Borromeo, as a hospital.

The Church, a Basilica, has pillars in the Late-Romanesque style, to which Baroque additions were made from 1741. It features several paintings with scenes from the life of Saint Hedwig by Michael Willmann. After the secularisation of the Abbey, it became the Trebnitz Parish Church.

The grave of Saint Hedwig is located in a Chapel, to the right of the High Altar, donated by her grandson, Archbishop Ladislaus of Salzburg, in 1267. The grave of Duke Henry I, her husband, is in front of the High Altar.

Among those buried in the Church, are: Henry I (The Bearded), Duke of Silesia-Wrocław, 1238; Saint Hedwig of Andechs, widow, 1243; Konrad von Feuchtwangen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, 1296; Karolina of Legnica-Brieg, last scion of the Silesian Piasts, 1707.


Saturday 13 October 2012

Durham Cathedral (Part Two)


Text and Illustrations taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise stated.





Durham Cathedral.


Initially, a very simple temporary structure was built from local timber to house the relics of Saint Cuthbert. The shrine was then transferred to a sturdier, probably wooden, building known as the White Church. This Church was replaced three years later, in 998 A.D., by a stone building, also known as the White Church, which was complete, apart from its tower, by 1018. 

Durham soon became a site of pilgrimage, encouraged by the growing cult of Saint Cuthbert. King Canute was one early pilgrim, granting many privileges and much land to the Durham community. The defendable position, flow of money from pilgrims, and power embodied in the Church at Durham ensured that a town formed around the Cathedral, establishing the early core of the modern city.

The present Cathedral was designed and built under William of St. Carilef (or William of Calais), who was appointed as the first prince-bishop by William the Conqueror in 1080. Since that time, there have been major additions and reconstructions of some parts of the building, but the greater part of the structure remains true to the Norman design.




Interior of Durham Cathedral.

Photo: February 2009.

Source: From geograph.org.uk

Author: Paul Robson
(Wikimedia Commons)



Construction of the Cathedral began in 1093 at the eastern end. The Choir was completed by 1096 and work proceeded on the Nave, of which the walls were finished by 1128, and the High Vault complete by 1135. The Chapter House, demolished in the 18th-Century, was built between 1133 and 1140. William of Calais died in 1099 before the building's completion, passing responsibility to his successor Ranulf Flambard, who also built Flamwell Bridge, the first crossing of the River Wear in the town. Three bishops, William of St. Carilef, Ranulf Flambard, and Hugh de Puiset, are all buried in the rebuilt Chapter House.

In the 1170s, Bishop Hugh de Puiset, after a false start at the eastern end, where the subsidence and cracking prevented work from continuing, added the Galilee Chapel at the west end of the cathedral. The five-aisled building occupies the position of a porch, it functioned as a Lady Chapel and the Great West Door was blocked during the Mediaeval period by an altar to the Virgin Mary. The door is now blocked by the tomb of Bishop Langley. The Galilee Chapel also holds the remains of the Venerable Bede. The main entrance to the Cathedral is on the northern side, facing towards the Castle.




Cloisters, Durham Cathedral, UK. 
Photograph by Robin Widdison.
Date: 2006-08-04 (original upload date).
Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here
Transfer was stated to be made by User:Jalo.
Author: Original uploader was Robin Widdison at en.wikipedia
Released into the public domain (by the author).
(Wikimedia Commons)


In 1228, Richard Le Poore came from Salisbury, where a new Cathedral was being built in the Gothic style. At this time, the eastern end of the Cathedral was in urgent need of repair and the proposed eastern extension had failed. 

Richard Le Poore employed the architect Richard Farnham to design an eastern terminal for the building, in which many monks could say the Daily Office simultaneously. The resulting building was the Chapel of the Nine Altars. The towers date from the early 13th-Century, but the central tower was damaged by lightning and replaced in two stages in the 15th-Century, the Master Masons being Thomas Barton and John Bell.

The Shrine of Saint Cuthbert was located in the eastern apsidal end of the Cathedral. The location of the inner wall of the apse is marked on the pavement, and Saint Cuthbert's tomb is covered by a simple slab. However, an unknown monk wrote in 1593: [The shrine] "was estimated to be one of the most sumptuous in all England, so great were the offerings and jewells bestowed upon it, and endless the miracles that were wrought at it, even in these last days." — Rites of Durham.


PART THREE FOLLOWS.

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary








Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
Each Pater is a diamond.

Each Ave, a flower, added to the crown we offer to Mary. 

Bouasse Lebel 112B.


 The Rosary, Our Lady's Psalter

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.


Ave Maria,
Gratia plena,
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Et benedictus fructus ventria tui,
Jesus.
Santa Maria,
Mater Dei,
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
Nunc,
Et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.


Friday 12 October 2012

Durham Cathedral (Part One)


Text and Illustrations taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Durham Cathedral.
Author: Domstu
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and Saint Cuthbert of Durham (usually known as Durham Cathedral) is a Cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the Seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995 A.D., with the present Cathedral being founded in 1093. The Cathedral is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green.

The present Cathedral replaced the 10th-Century "White Church", built as part of a monastic foundation to house the shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. The treasures of Durham Cathedral include relics of Saint Cuthbert, the head of Saint Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede. In addition, its Durham Dean and Chapter Library contains one of the most complete sets of early-printed books in England, the pre-Dissolution monastic accounts, and three copies of the Magna Carta.

Durham Cathedral occupies a strategic position on a promontory high above the River Wear. From 1080 until the 19th-Century, the Bishopric enjoyed the powers of a Bishop Palatine, having military as well as religious leadership and power. Durham Castle was built as the residence for the Bishop of Durham. The seat of the Bishop of Durham is the fourth-most-significant in the Church of England hierarchy, and he stands at the right hand of the monarch at coronations. Signposts for the modern-day County Durham are subtitled "Land of the Prince Bishops."

There are daily Church of England services at the Cathedral, with the Durham Cathedral Choir singing daily except Mondays and when the Choir is on holiday. The Cathedral is a major tourist attraction within the region, the central tower of 217 feet (66 metres) giving views of Durham and the surrounding area.





Durham Cathedral interior.
Photo: August 2010.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The See of Durham takes its origins from the Diocese of Lindisfarne, founded by Saint Aidan at the behest of Oswald of Northumbria, around 635 A.D. The See lasted until 664 A.D., at which point it was translated to York. The See was then re-instated at Lindisfarne in 678 A.D., by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Among the many Saints produced in the community at Lindisfarne Priory, Saint Cuthbert, who was Bishop of Lindisfarne from 685 A.D., until his death on Farne Island in 687 A.D., is central to the development of Durham Cathedral.

After repeated Viking raids, the monks fled Lindisfarne in 875 A.D., carrying Saint Cuthbert's relics with them. The Diocese of Lindisfarne remained itinerant until 882 A.D., when a community was re-established in Chester-le-Street. The See had its Seat here until 995 A.D., when further incursions once again caused the monks to move with the relics.

According to local legend, the monks followed two milk maids who were searching for a dun (i.e. brown) cow and were led into a peninsula formed by a loop in the River Wear. At this point, Saint Cuthbert's coffin became immovable. This trope of hagiography was offered for a sign that the new shrine should be built here. A more prosaic set of reasons for the selection of the peninsula is its highly defensible position, and that a community established here would enjoy the protection of the Earl of Northumberland, as the bishop at this time, Aldhun, had strong family links with the earls. Nevertheless, the street leading from The Bailey, past the Cathedral's eastern towers up to Palace Green, is named Dun Cow Lane.


PART TWO FOLLOWS


Friday 5 October 2012

Vigil of Reparation, tonight, (Friday, 5 October 2012), in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.






Christ Crowned with Thorns
by Matthias Stom (1615 - 1649).
Current location: Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California, United States.
Accession Number: M.1977.25.P
Source/Photographer: Norton Simon Museum Website (www.nortonsimon.org)




From Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

The Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for the sufferings and insults that Jesus endured during His Passion. These Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ do not involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair the sins against Jesus. Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of 1854, and published by the Holy See in 1898) which also includes prayers as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.

In his encyclical, Miserentissimus Redemptor, on reparations, Pope Pius XI called Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ a duty for Catholics and referred to them as "some sort of compensation to be rendered for the injury" with respect to the sufferings of Jesus.

Pope John Paul II referred to Acts of Reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless Crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".



THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND ON THE SOCIETY OF ST. HUGH OF CLUNY BLOG.

Vigil of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary on Friday, 5 October, at St. Peter Church in Hartford, Connecticut.

The Vigil begins with the Traditional Latin Mass (Low Mass) of the Sacred Heart at 7:00 p.m., followed by Rosary, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and Benediction, closing with the Traditional Latin Mass (Low Mass) of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 12:00 Midnight. 


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