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

Sunday 29 September 2013

Salve Mater Misericordiae. 11th-Century Marian Hymn.



Our Lady of Peace.
Ushaw, Durham,
England.
Photo: April 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Zephyrinus.



Salve Mater Misericordiae.
Available on YouTube at



Salve Mater misericordiae, 
Mater Dei et Mater veniae, 
Mater spei et Mater gratiae, 
Mater plena Sanctae Laetitiae,
O Maria!

Salve decus humani generis. 
Salve Virgo dignior ceteris, 
quae virgines omnes transgrederis 
et altius sedes in superis. 
O Maria!

Salve Mater misericordiae,
Salve felix Virgo puerpera: 
Nam qui sedet in Patris dextera, 
Caelum regens, terram et aethera, 
Intra tua se clasit viscera. 
O Maria!


Salve Mater misericordiae,
Esto, Mater, nostrum solatium: 
Nostrum esto, tu Virgo, guadium, 
et nos tandem post hoc exsilium, 
Laetos juge choris caelestium. 
O Maria!

Salve Mater misericordiae, 
Mater Dei et Mater veniae, 
Mater spei et Mater gratiae, 
Mater plena Sanctae Laetitiae,
O Maria!


English Translation.

Hail mother of mercy, 
mother of God and mother of pardon, 
mother of hope and mother of grace, 
mother full of holy gladness. 
O Mary!

Hail, honour of the mankind. 
Hail worthier Virgin than the other ones
because you overcome all of them
and in the heaven you occupy 
the highest seat of honour. 
O Mary!


Hail mother of mercy,
Hail Blest Virgin yet bearing child: 
For he who sits at the Father's right hand. 
The ruler of heaven, of earth and sky, 
has sheltered Himself in your womb. 
O Mary!

Hail mother of mercy,
Become, O mother, our solace: 
Be for us our source of joy, 
and at the last, after this exile, 
unite us rejoicing to the choir of angels. 
O Mary!

Hail mother of mercy, 
mother of God and mother of pardon, 
mother of hope and mother of grace, 
mother full of holy gladness. 
O Mary!

Saturday 28 September 2013

Sacris Solemniis And Panis Angelicus. Corpus Christi Hymn Written By Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274).


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



Monstrance.
Photo: 2004-10-18 (original upload date).
Source: Own work (zelf gemaakt).
Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Original uploader was Broederhugo at nl.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Sacris Solemniis and Panis Angelicus.
Available on YouTube
at


Sacris Solemniis is a Hymn written by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) for the Feast of Corpus Christi. The strophe of Sacris Solemniis, that begins with the words "Panis Angelicus" (Bread of Angels), has often been set to music separately from the rest of the Hymn. Most famously, in 1872, César Franck set this strophe for voice (tenor), harp, cello, and organ, and incorporated it into his Messe à trois voix, Opus 12. The Hymn expresses the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, in which the Bread and Wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ.

The phenomenon, whereby the strophe of Sacris Solemniis that begins with the words "Panis Angelicus" is often treated as a separate Hymn, has occurred also with other Hymns that Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote for Corpus Christi: Verbum Supernum Prodiens (the last two strophes begin with "O Salutaris Hostia"), Adoro Te Devote (the strophe beginning with "Pie Pelicane, Jesu Domine"), and Pange Lingua Gloriosi (the last two strophes begin with "Tantum Ergo", in which case the word "Ergo" ["therefore"] makes evident that this part is the continuation of a longer Hymn).


SACRIS SOLEMNIIS
AND PANIS ANGELICUS.

Sacris solemniis
iuncta sint gaudia,
et ex praecordiis
sonent praeconia;
recedant vetera,
nova sint omnia,
corda, voces, et opera.

Noctis recolitur
cena novissima,
qua Christus creditur
agnum et azyma
dedisse fratribus,
iuxta legitima
priscis indulta patribus.

Post agnum typicum,
expletis epulis,
Corpus Dominicum
datum discipulis,
sic totum omnibus,
quod totum singulis,
eius fatemur manibus.


Dedit fragilibus
corporis ferculum,
dedit et tristibus
sanguinis poculum,
dicens: Accipite
quod trado vasculum;
omnes ex eo bibite.

Sic sacrificium
istud instituit,
cuius officium
committi voluit
solis presbyteris,
quibus sic congruit,
ut sumant, et dent ceteris.


Panis angelicus
fit panis hominum;
dat panis caelicus
figuris terminum;
O res mirabilis:
manducat Dominum
pauper, servus et humilis.

Te, trina Deitas
unaque, poscimus:
sic nos tu visita,
sicut te colimus;
per tuas semitas
duc nos quo tendimus,
ad lucem quam inhabitas.

Amen.


English translation.

At this our solemn feast
let holy joys abound,
and from the inmost breast
let songs of praise resound;
let ancient rites depart,
and all be new around,
in every act, and voice, and heart.

Remember we that eve,
when, the Last Supper spread,
Christ, as we all believe,
the Lamb, with leavenless bread,
among His brethren shared,
and thus the Law obeyed,
of all unto their sire declared.

The typic Lamb consumed,
the legal Feast complete,
the Lord unto the Twelve
His Body gave to eat;
the whole to all, no less
the whole to each did mete
with His own hands, as we confess.


He gave them, weak and frail,
His Flesh, their Food to be;
on them, downcast and sad,
His Blood bestowed He:
and thus to them He spake,
"Receive this Cup from Me,
and all of you of this partake.

"So He this Sacrifice
to institute did will,
and charged His priests alone
that office to fulfill:
to them He did confide:
to whom it pertains still
to take, and the rest divide.


Thus Angels' Bread is made
the Bread of man today:
the Living Bread from heaven
with figures dost away:
O wondrous gift indeed!
the poor and lowly may
upon their Lord and Master feed.

Thee, therefore, we implore,
O Godhead, One in Three,
so may Thou visit us
as we now worship Thee;
and lead us on Thy way,
That we at last may see
the light wherein Thou dwellest aye.

Amen.


Verbum Supernum. Corpus Christi Hymn. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274).


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



Monstrance.
Photo: 2004-10-18 (original upload date).
Source: Own work (zelf gemaakt).
Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Original uploader was Broederhugo at nl.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Verbum Supernum.
Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Available on YouTube at


Verbum Supernum Prodiens is a Catholic Hymn in long metre by Saint Thomas Aquinas. It was written for the Hour of Lauds in the Divine Office of Corpus Christi. It is about the institution of the Eucharist by Christ at the Last Supper, and His Passion and Death.

The last two verses form a Hymn on their own, as well, O Salutaris Hostia, which is sung at the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

There is also an unrelated Latin Nativity Hymn of the same name.



Verbum supernum prodiens,

Nec Patris linquens dexteram,
Ad opus suum exiens,
Venit ad vitæ vesperam.

In mortem a discipulo
Suis tradendus æmulis,
Prius in vitæ ferculo
Se tradidit discipulis.

Quibus sub bina specie
Carnem dedit et sanguinem;
Ut duplicis substantiæ
Totum cibaret hominem.


Se nascens dedit socium,
Convescens in edulium,
Se moriens in pretium,
Se regnans dat in præmium.

O salutaris hostia,
Quæ cæli pandis ostium,
Bella premunt hostilia;
Da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino
Sit sempiterna gloria:
Qui vitam sine termino
Nobis donet in patria.

Amen.


English translation.

The Word descending from above,
without leaving the right hand of His Father,
and going forth to do His work,
reached the evening of His life.

When about to be given over
to His enemies by one of His disciples,
to suffer death, He first gave Himself
to His disciples as the bread of life.

Under a twofold appearance
He gave them His flesh and His blood;
that He might thus wholly feed us
made up of a twofold substance.


By His birth He gave Himself as our companion;
at the Last Supper He gave Himself as our food;
dying on the cross He gave Himself as our ransom;
reigning in heaven He gives Himself as our reward

O salutary Host,
Who expandest the door of the sky,
Hostile wars press.
Give strength; bear aid.

To the Lord One in Three,
May there be sempiternal glory;
May He grant us life without end
In the native land.

Amen.


Friday 27 September 2013

Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274).


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




Monstrance.

Photo: 2004-10-18 (original upload date).

Source: Own work (zelf gemaakt).
Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Original uploader was Broederhugo at nl.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)




Pange Lingua . . .
Available on YouTube
at


Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium is a Hymn, written by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274), for the Feast of Corpus Christi . It is also sung on Maundy Thursday, during the Procession from the Church to the place where the Blessed Sacrament is kept until Good Friday.

The last two stanzas, called separately Tantum Ergo, are sung at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Hymn expresses the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, in which, according to the Roman Catholic Faith, the Bread and Wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ.

It is often sung in English as the Hymn "Of the Glorious Body Telling", to the same tune as the Latin.

The opening words recall another famous Latin Sequence, from which this Hymn is derived: Pange Lingua Gloriosi Proelium Certaminis by Venantius Fortunatus.



Pange, lingua, gloriosi
Corporis mysterium,
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
quem in mundi pretium
fructus ventris generosi
Rex effudit Gentium.

Nobis datus, nobis natus
ex intacta Virgine,
et in mundo conversatus,
sparso verbi semine,
sui moras incolatus
miro clausit ordine.

In supremae nocte coenae
recumbens cum fratribus
observata lege plene
cibis in legalibus,
cibum turbae duodenae
sedat suis manibus.


Verbum caro, panem verum
verbo carnem efficit:
fitque sanguis Christi merum,
et si sensus deficit,
ad firmandum cor sincerum
sola fides sufficit.

Tantum ergo Sacramentum
veneremur cernui:
et antiquum documentum
novo cedat ritui:
praestet fides supplementum
sensuum defectui.

Genitori, Genitoque
laus et jubilatio,
salus, honor, virtus quoque
sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
compar sit laudatio.

Amen. 

Alleluja.




English translation.

Sing, my tongue, the Saviour's glory,
of His Flesh, the mystery sing;
of the Blood, all price exceeding,
shed by our Immortal King,
destined, for the world's redemption,
from a noble Womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
then He closed in solemn order
wond'rously His Life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,
seated with His chosen band,
He, the Paschal Victim eating,
first fulfils the Law's command;
then as Food to His Apostles
gives Himself with His own Hand.


Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature
by His Word to Flesh He turns;
wine into His Blood He changes;
what though sense no change discerns?
Only be the heart in earnest,
faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
This great Sacrament we hail,
O'er ancient forms of worship
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith will tell us Christ is present,
When our human senses fail.

To the Everlasting Father,
And the Son who made us free
And the Spirit, God proceeding
From them Each eternally,
Be salvation, honour, blessing,
Might and endless majesty.

Amen. 

Alleluia.


Attende Domine, Et Miserere, Quia Peccavimus Tibi. Lenten Hymn Of Supplication.




Rievaulx Abbey,
Yorkshire, England.
Photo: 14 April 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tilman2007.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Attende Domine.
Available on YouTube
at


Attende Domine, et miserere, quia peccavimus tibi.

Ad te Rex summe, omnium Redemptor,
oculos nostros sublevamus flentes:
exaudi, Christe, supplicantum preces.

Attende Domine, et miserere, quia peccavimus tibi.

Dextera Patris, lapis angularis,
via salutis, ianua caelestis,
ablue nostri maculas delicti.

Attende Domine, et miserere, quia peccavimus tibi.

Rogamus, Deus, tuam maiestatem:
auribus sacris gemitus exaudi:
crimina nostra placidus indulge.

Attende Domine, et miserere, quia peccavimus tibi.

Tibi fatemur crimina admissa:
contrito corde pandimus occulta:
tua, Redemptor, pietas ignoscat.

Attende Domine, et miserere, quia peccavimus tibi.

Innocens captus, nec repugnans ductus;
testibus falsis pro impiis damnatus
quos redemisti, tu conserva, Christe.

Attende Domine, et miserere, quia peccavimus tibi.


The English translation:

Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy, because we have sinned against Thee.

To Thee, highest King, Redeemer of all,
do we lift up our eyes in weeping:
Hear, O Christ, the prayers of your servants.

Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy, because we have sinned against Thee.

Right hand of the Father, corner-stone,
way of salvation, gate of heaven,
wash away our stains of sin.

Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy, because we have sinned against Thee.

We beseech Thee, God, in Thy great majesty:
Hear our groans with Thy holy ears:
calmly forgive our crimes.

Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy, because we have sinned against Thee.

To Thee we confess our sins admitted with a contrite heart
We reveal the things hidden:
By Thy kindness, O Redeemer, overlook them.

Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy, because we have sinned against Thee.

The Innocent, seized, not refusing to be led;
condemned by false witnesses
because of impious men,
O Christ, keep safe those whom Thou hast redeemed.
Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy, because we have sinned against Thee.


Ave Verum Corpus. William Byrd (1543 - 1623).


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



Monstrance.
Photo: 2004-10-18 (original upload date).
Source: Own work (zelf gemaakt).
Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Original uploader was Broederhugo at nl.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Ave Verum Corpus.
William Byrd.
Available on YouTube at


Ave Verum Corpus is a short Eucharistic Hymn that has been set to music by various composers. It dates from the 14th-Century and has been attributed to Pope Innocent VI.

During the Middle Ages, it was sung at the elevation of the Host during the Consecration. It was also used frequently during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Hymn's title means "Hail, True Body", and is based on a poem deriving from a 14th-Century manuscript from the Abbey of Reichenau, Lake Constance. The poem is a meditation on the Catholic belief in Jesus's Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.


Romanesque (Part Eleven).


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


File:Poitiers, Cathédrale Saint-Pierre -PM 34985 lighter.JPG

A rare and remarkable survival, of "unforgettable beauty".
The very large Crucifixion window of Poitiers Cathedral, France.
Photo: 7 August 2009.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
(Author: PMRMaeyaert.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Moissac 6.jpg

Deutsch: Moissac, Kreuzgang der Abteil. 
English: Cloisters of Saint-Pierre Abbey, Moissac, France. 
The Abbey was a Benedictine and Cluniac Monastery, in Moissac
Tarn-et-Garonne, in South-Western France. A number of its Mediaeval 
buildings survive, including the Abbey Church, which has famous 
and important Romanesque sculpture around the entrance.
Date: 23 January 2007.
Source: Own photography by Membeth; originally from 
de.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Membeth.
(Wikimedia Commons)


It is a feature of Romanesque art, both in manuscript illumination and sculptural decoration, that figures are contorted to fit the space that they occupy. Among the many examples that exist, one of the finest is the figure of the Prophet Jeremiah, from the Pillar of the Portal of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France, from about 1130. A significant motif of Romanesque design is the spiral, a form applied to both plant motifs and drapery in Romanesque sculpture. An outstanding example of its use in drapery is that of the central figure of Christ on the Outer Portal at La Madaleine, Vezelay.

Many of the smaller sculptural works, particularly Capitals, are Biblical in subject and include scenes of Creation and the Fall of Man, episodes from the life of Christ, and those Old Testament scenes that prefigure his Death and Resurrection, such as Jonah and the Whale and Daniel in the Lions' Den. Many Nativity scenes occur, the theme of the Three Kings being particularly popular. The Cloisters of Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey in Northern Spain, and Moissac, are fine examples, surviving complete.

The large wall surfaces and plain, curving, Vaults of the Romanesque period lent themselves to mural decoration. Unfortunately, many of these early wall paintings have been destroyed by damp, or the walls have been replastered and painted over. In most of Northern Europe, such pictures were systematically destroyed in bouts of Reformation iconoclasm. In other countries, they have suffered from war, neglect and changing fashion.



English: Stained Glass Window. North Transept, Strasbourg Cathedral, France. 
King David and King Solomon. 12th-Century.
Detail of a small panel, showing Kings David and Solomon, set in an architectonic frame from a large window at Strasbourg. Late-12th-Century. The alternation of red and blue is a typical device of simpler window designs. It is approximately 1/3 the height, and is much less complex in execution, than the Emperor series, of which Otto II is a part.
Français: Transept Nord, fenêtre de gauche. Rois David et Salomon (3e ou 4e quart XIIe).
(Wikimedia Commons)


A classic scheme for the full painted decoration of a Church, derived from earlier examples often in mosaic, had, as its focal point in the Semi-Dome of the Apse, Christ in Majesty, or Christ the Redeemer, enthroned within a mandorla and framed by the four Winged Beasts, symbols of the Four Evangelists, comparing directly with examples from the gilt covers, or the illuminations, of Gospel Books of the period. 

If the Virgin Mary was the dedicatee of the Church, she might replace Christ, here. On the Apse walls, below, would be Saints and Apostles, perhaps including narrative scenes, for example of the Saint to whom the Church was dedicated. On the Sanctuary Arch, were figures of Apostles, Prophets, or the twenty-four "Elders of the Apocalypse", looking in towards a bust of Christ, or his symbol, the Lamb, at the top of the Arch. 

The North Wall of the Nave would contain narrative scenes from the Old Testament, and the South Wall, from the New Testament. On the rear West Wall, would be a Doom Painting, or Last Judgement, with an enthroned and judging Christ at the top.


File:Bas-côté nord, baie VI Otto II Rex (dernier tiers XIIe).jpg

Romanesque Stained-Glass depiction of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor; 
Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg, France. From a series of Emperors 
(12th- and 13th-Centuries). The panels are now set into 
Gothic Windows, Strasbourg Cathedral, France.
Photo: 4 June 2010.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Vezelay-Basilique-Nef.JPG

English: Abbey of Saint Mary Magdalene, Vézelay, France (consecrated 1104), has clusters of vertical Shafts rising to support Transverse Arches and a Groin Vault. The dressed polychrome stonework has exquisitely-detailed Mouldings. The East End is Gothic.
Français: Nef de la Basilique de Vezelay.
Photo: 10 May 2007.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


One of the most intact schemes to exist is that at Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe in France. The long Barrel Vault of the Nave provides an excellent surface for fresco, and is decorated with scenes of the Old Testament, showing the Creation, the Fall of Man and other stories, including a lively depiction of Noah's Ark, complete with a fearsome figurehead and numerous windows. 

Another scene shows, with great vigour, the swamping of Pharaoh's army by the Red Sea. The scheme extends to other parts of the Church, with the Martyrdom of the local Saints shown in the Crypt, and Apocalypse in the Narthex, and Christ in Majesty. The range of colours employed is limited to light blue-green, yellow ochre, reddish brown and black. Similar paintings exist in Serbia, Spain, Germany, Italy and elsewhere in France.

The oldest-known fragments of Mediaeval pictorial Stained-Glass appear to date from the 10th-Century. The earliest intact figures are five Prophet Windows, at Augsburg, dating from the Late-11th-Century. The figures, though stiff and formalised, demonstrate considerable proficiency in design, both pictorially and in the functional use of the glass, indicating that their maker was well accustomed to the medium.


File:Sto Dom de Sil-0.JPG

Español: El Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos es una abadía benedictina 
ubicada en el municipio de Santo Domingo de Silos, en la provincia de Burgos.
English: The Cloisters, Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey. The Abbey is a Benedictine Monastery 
in the village of Santo Domingo de Silos, in the Southern part of Burgos Province, 
in Northern Spain. Its Cloister is a "Magnum Opus" of Romanesque art in Europe.
Deutsch: Kreuzgang - links eine der gedrehten Vierersäulen.
Photo: 25 July 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Juergen Kappenberg.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Toscana Lucca5 tango7174 lighter.JPG

English: Cathedral of Saint Martin, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. The West Façade. The Arcading on the facade of Lucca Cathedral, Tuscany, Italy, (1204) has many variations in its decorative 
details, both sculptural and in the inlaid polychrome marble.
Français: Cathédrale Saint-Martin, Lucques, Toscane, Italie. La façade ouest.
Photo: 29 September 2007.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Français: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres,
Eure-et-Loir, Centre, France. Vitraux du chœur.
English: Chartres Cathedral, France.
Stained-Glass Windows in the Choir.
Photo: 28 September 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)


At Canterbury and Chartres Cathedrals, a number of panels of the 12th-Century have survived, including, at Canterbury, a figure of Adam, digging, and another of his son, Seth, from a series of Ancestors of Christ. Adam represents a highly naturalistic and lively portrayal, while, in the figure of Seth, the robes have been used to great decorative effect, similar to the best stone carving of the period.

Many of the magnificent Stained-Glass Windows of France, including the famous windows of Chartres, date from the 13th-Century. Far fewer large windows remain intact from the 12th-Century. One such is the Crucifixion Window at Poitiers Cathedral, a remarkable composition that rises through three stages, the lowest with a quatrefoil depicting the Martyrdom of Saint Peter, the largest central stage dominated by the Crucifixion, and the upper stage showing the Ascension of Christ in a mandorla. The figure of the crucified Christ is already showing the Gothic curve. The window is described by George Seddon as being of "unforgettable beauty".


PART TWELVE FOLLOWS.


Thursday 26 September 2013

Saint Cyprian, Martyr, And Saint Justina, Virgin And Martyr. Feast Day 26 September.


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

Simple.
Red Vestments.


File:Cipriano e Justina.jpg

English: The Martyrdom of Cyprian and Justina.
Português: O martírio de Cipriano e Justina.
Date: Middle Ages.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Saints Cyprian and Justina are honoured in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy, as Christians of Antioch, Pisidia, who, in 304 A.D., during the Persecution of Diocletian, suffered Martyrdom at Nicomedia (modern-day İzmit, Turkey. Not to be confused with Izmir), on 26 September, the date of their Feast.

The outline of the legend, or allegory, which is found with diffuse descriptions and dialogues in the "Symeon Metaphrastes" and was made the subject of a poem by Empress Aelia Eudocia, goes thus:

Cyprian was a pagan magician of Antioch, who had dealing with demons. By their aid, he sought to bring Saint Justina, a Christian Virgin, to ruin; but she foiled the threefold attacks of the devils by the Sign of the Cross. Brought to despair, Cyprian made the Sign of the Cross, and in this way was freed from the toils of Satan. He was received into the Church, was made pre-eminent by miraculous gifts, and became, in succession, Deacon, Priest, and, finally, Bishop, while Justina became the Head of a Convent.


File:Zamora - Iglesia de San Cipriano (siglo XII).jpg

English: 12th-Century Church of Saint Cyprian, Zamora, Spain.
Español: Iglesia de San Cipriano, en Zamora. Iglesia románica del siglo XII.
Photo: 3 August 2006.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


During the Diocletian Persecution, both were seized and taken to Damascus, where they were shockingly tortured. As their Faith never wavered, they were brought before Diocletian, at Nicomedia, where, at his command, they were beheaded on the bank of the River Gallus. The same fate befell a Christian, Theoctistus, who had come to Cyprian and had embraced him.

After the bodies of the Saints had lain unburied for six days, they were taken by Christian sailors to Rome, where they were interred on the estate of a noble Lady, named Rufina, and, later, were entombed in Constantine's Basilica.

The story, however, must have arisen as early as the 4th-Century, as it is mentioned both by Saint Gregory Nazianzen and Prudentius; both, nevertheless, have confounded Cyprian with Saint Cyprian of Carthage, a mistake often repeated.


File:ChiesaSantaGiustinaBL.jpg

English: Church of Saint Justina of Padua, 
located in the village of Feltre, Italy.
Italiano: Chiesa Santa Giustina.
Photo: 14 February 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Alaraf.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The attempt has been made to find, in Cyprian, a mystical prototype of the Faustian legend. The Spanish author, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, took the story as the basis of a drama, El mágico prodigioso. In 2005, American author, Tono Rondone, published a Novel, "The Martyrs", which is a continuation of this tradition (http://piscesbooks.com/themartyrs.html).

The legend is given in Greek and Latin in Acta SS. September, VII. Ancient Syriac and Ethiopic versions of it have been published.

There is even a book, "The Great Book of Saint Cyprian", full of Prayers and spells, which is widely sold in the Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking world. Similarly, Cyprianus is a popular name for a grimoire in Scandinavian folklore.


File:Chiesa di Santa Giustina (Venezia).jpg

facade, architect Baldassare Longhena.
Français: Église Santa Giustina à Venise
façade, architecte Baldassare Longhena.
facciata, architetto Baldassare Longhena.
Photo: 15 May 2012.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Their Feast Day appeared in the Calendar of Roman Rite celebrations from the 13th-Century until 1969, when it was removed because of the lack of historical evidence of their existence. Their names were also removed from the subsequent (2001) revision of the Roman Martyrology, the official, but professedly incomplete, List of Saints recognised by the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Martyrology, however, includes five Saints called Cyprian and two named Justina. Some Traditionalist Catholics continue to observe pre-1970 versions of the Roman Calendar.


The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

"At Nicomedia," says the Roman Martyrology, "the birth in Heaven of the Holy Martyrs, Cyprian and Justina. This Virgin (Justina), after having endured many tortures under the Emperor, Diocletian, and the Judge, Eutholmus, converted to Christ Cyprian the Magician, who had tried to seduce her by his incantations.

Both were Martyred in 304 A.D. Their bodies, after having been exposed to wild beasts, were taken away during the night by Christian mariners, who carried them to Rome. Later, they were buried in the Basilica of Constantine (Saint John Lateran), near the Baptistry."

Mass: Salus Autem.


File:Cyprianandjustinagoldenlegend.jpg

Saint Cyprian and the demon.
14th-Century manuscript of the Golden Legend.
Description: Cyprian and Justina. Saint Cyprien et le démon. 
Sainte Justine et le démon. Cote : Français 245 , Fol. 109. 
Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda aurea (traduction de Jean de Vignay), 
France, Paris, XVe siècle, Jacques de Besançon.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following Text is from The Liturgical Year,
by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.

"Whosoever ye be, that are seduced by the mysteries of the demons, none of you can equal the zeal I once had for these false gods, nor my researches into their secrets, nor the vain power they had communicated to me, to me, Cyprian, who, from my infancy, was given up to the service of the dragon in the citadel of Minerva.

"Learn from me the deceitfulness of their illusions. A Virgin has proved to me that their power is but smoke. The king of the demons was arrested at the door of a mere child, and could not cross the threshold. He who promises so much is a liar.

"A woman makes sport of the boaster who vaunted he could shake Heaven and Earth. The roaring lion becomes a startled gnat, before the Christian Virgin, Justina." [Confessio Cypriani Antiocheni, i, 2.]

He who sought to ruin thee is now, O Virgin, thy trophy of victory; and for thee, O Cyprian, the path of crime turned aside into the way of Salvation. May you together triumph over Satan in this age, when spirit-dealing is seducing so many faltering, faithless, Souls.

Teach Christians, after your example, to arm themselves, against this and every other danger, with the Sign of the Cross; then will the enemy be forced to say again: "I saw a terrible sign and I trembled; I beheld the Sign of the Crucified, and my strength melted like wax." [Acta Cypriani et Justinae.]


Tuesday 24 September 2013

Our Lady Of Ransom. Feast Day 24 September.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Our Lady of Ransom.
Feast Day 24 September.

Greater-Double.
White Vestments.

+ 24 September +



The Web-Site of the Mercedarian Friars is at


The Blessed Virgin appeared in the 13th-Century to Saint Peter Nolasco (Feast Day 28 January), to Saint Raymund of Pennafort (Feast Day 23 January), and to James, King of Aragon, requesting them to found a religious institute with the object of delivering Christian captives from the barbarous Saracens (Collect), who then held a great part of Spain.

In consequence of this, on 10 August 1218, King James established the royal, military and religious Order of Our Lady of Ransom (Editor: The Mercedarians), and granted to its Members the privilege of bearing on their breasts his own Arms.

Most of them were knights, and while the Clerics recited Divine Office in the Commanderies, they guarded the coasts and delivered prisoners. This pious work spread everywhere and produced heroes of sanctity and men of incomparable charity and piety, who devoted themselves to the collection of alms for the ransom of Christians, and who often gave themselves up as prisoners to deliver captives.

This Feast, originally kept only by the Order, was extended to the whole Church by Pope Innocent XII in the 17th-Century.

Mass: Salve, Sancta Parens.



Royal, Celestial and Military Order of 
Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of Captives
Ordo Beatae Mariae 
de Mercede redemptionis captivorum



File:Coat of Arms of the Mercedarians.svg


English: Arms of the Mercedarians.
Català: Escut de la Orde de la Mercè.
Español: Escudo de la Orden de la Merced.
Date: 6 April 2011.
Source: [1].
Author: Heralder.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Feast of Our Lady of Ransom is a Roman Catholic Liturgical Marian Feast on 24 September, a Double Major Ranking of Liturgical Days in the Roman Rite, commemorating the foundation of the Mercedarians.

On 10 August 1223, the Mercedarian Order was legally constituted at Barcelona by King James of Aragon and was approved by Pope Gregory IX on 17 January 1235. The Mercedarians celebrated their institution on the Sunday nearest to 1 August (on which date, in the year 1233, The Blessed Virgin was believed to have shown Saint Peter Nolasco the White Habit of the Order), and this custom was approved by the Congregation of Rites on 4 April 1615 (Anal. Juris Pont., VII, 136). 

But the Calendar of the Spanish Mercedarians of 1644 has it on 1 August as a Double. Proper Lessons were approved on 30 April 1616. The Feast was granted to Spain (Sunday nearest to 1 August) on 15 February 1680; to France, 4 December 1690. On 22 February 1696, it was extended to the entire Latin Church, and the date changed to 24 September.


File:Coat of Arms of the Mercedarians.svg


The Mercedarians keep this Feast as a Double of the First-Class, with a Vigil, Privileged Octave, and Proper Office, under the Title: "Solemnitas Descensionis B. Mariæ V. de Mercede".

Our Lady of Ransom is the Principal Patron of Barcelona; the Proper Office was extended to Barcelona (1868) and to all Spain (Double of the Second-Class, 1883).

Sicily, which had suffered so much from the Saracens, took up the old date of the Feast (Sunday nearest to 1 August) by permission of the Congregation of Rites, since 31 August 1805 (Double Major), Apparition of Our Lady to Saint Peter Nolasco in the Choir of Barcelona, on the Sunday after 24 September.

In England, the Devotion to Our Lady of Ransom was revived in modern times to obtain the rescue of England as Our Lady's Dowry.


Saturday 21 September 2013

Romanesque (Part Ten).


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


File:Canterbury Cathedral - Portal Nave Cross-spire.jpeg

Canterbury Cathedral, England.
West Front, Nave and Central Tower.
This Cathedral retains its fine Romanesque Crypt (see, below).
Photo: September 2005.
Source: Picture taken and post-processed by Hans Musil.
Author: Hans Musil.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Canterbury Cathedral Crypt.jpg

The Romanesque Crypt 
of Canterbury Cathedral.
Photo: 29 October 2003.
Source: Flickr.
Reviewer: Andre Engels.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Among the structures associated with Church buildings are Crypts, Porches, Chapter Houses, Cloisters and Baptisteries.

Crypts are often present as an underlying structure to a substantial Church, and are generally a completely discrete space, but, occasionally, as in some Italian Churches, may be a sunken space under a raised Chancel and open, via steps, to the body of the Nave. Romanesque Crypts have survived in many instances, such as Canterbury Cathedral, when the Church itself has been rebuilt.

The usual construction of a Romanesque Crypt is with many short, stout Columns, carrying Groin Vaults, as at Worcester Cathedral.


File:938ParmaDuomo.JPG

English: Parma Cathedral, Italy.
Italiano: Parma - Abside del Duomo.
Photo: August 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Geobia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Battistero.jpg

English: The Baptistry, Parma Cathedral.
Italiano: Baptisterium in Parma auf der 
Piazza Battistero. Il Battistero di Parma.
Photo: 21 May 2005.
Source: Own work. Self-photographed 
(Original text: “selbst fotografiert (www.schaefer-bonk.de)”).
Author: Philip Schäfer.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Porches sometimes occur as part of the original design of a facade. This is very much the case in Italy, where they are usually only one Bay-deep and are supported on two Columns, often resting on couchant lions, as at Saint Zeno, Verona. Elsewhere, Porches of various dates have been added to the facade, or side entrance, of existent Churches and may be quite a substantial structure, with several Bays of Vaulting, supported on an open, or partially open, Acade, and forming a sort of Narthex, as at the Church of Saint Maria, Laach Abbey, Germany. In Spain, Romanesque Churches often have large lateral Porches, like Loggias.

Chapter Houses often occur adjacent to Monastic or Cathedral Churches. Few have survived intact from the Romanesque period. Early-Romanesque Chapter Houses were rectangular in shape, with the larger ones sometimes having Groin, or Ribbed, Vaults, supported on Columns. Later-Romanesque Chapter Houses sometimes had an Apsidal Eastern End. The Chapter House at Durham Cathedral is a wide space with a Ribbed Vault, restored, as originally constructed, in 1130. The circular Chapter House at Worcester Cathedral, built by Bishop Wulfstan (1062–95), was the first circular Chapter House in Europe and was much imitated in England.


File:Florence Baptistry.jpg

Florence Cathedral, Italy.
Deutsch: Beschreibung: Baptisterium (Florenz).
Photo: 9 September 2004.
Source: Own work.
Author: Christopher Kaetz
(Wikimedia Commons)


Cloisters are generally part of any Monastic complex and also occur at Cathedral and Collegiate Churches. They were essential to the communal way of life, a place for both working, during daylight hours, and relaxing, during inclement weather. They usually abut the Church building and are enclosed with windowless walls on the outside and an open Arcade on the inside, looking over a Courtyard or "Cloister Garth". They may be Vaulted or have timber roofs. The Arcades are often richly decorated and are home to some of the most fanciful carved Capitals of the Romanesque period, with those of Santo Domingo de Silos, in Spain, and the Abbey of Saint Pierre Moissac, being examples. Many Romanesque Cloisters have survived in Spain, France, Italy and Germany, along with some of their associated buildings.

Baptisteries often occur in Italy as a free-standing structure, associated with a Cathedral. They are generally octagonal, or circular, and Domed. The Interior may be Arcaded on several levels, as at Pisa Cathedral. Other notable Romanesque Baptisteries are that at Parma Cathedral, remarkable for its galleried exterior, and the polychrome Baptistery of San Giovanni, of Florence Cathedral, with Vault Mosaics of the 13th-Century, including Christ in Majesty, possibly the work of the almost legendary Coppo di Marcovaldo.


File:Worcester Cathedral Crypt.jpg

The Crypt, 
Worcester Cathedral, England.
Note the Groin Vaults.
Photo: 23 February 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: TheElfFromAbove.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Arcading is the single most significant decorative feature of Romanesque architecture. It occurs in a variety of forms, from the Lombard band, that is a row of small Arches that appear to support a roofline or course, to shallow Blind Arcading, that is often a feature of English architecture, and is seen in great variety at Ely Cathedral, to the open Dwarf Gallery, first used at Speyer Cathedral, and widely adopted in Italy, as seen on both Pisa Cathedral and its famous Leaning Tower. Arcades could be used to great effect, both externally and internally, as exemplified by the Church of Santa Maria della Pieve, in Arezzo, Italy.


File:Giulia3.JPG

English: Lombard band in the Basilica di Santa Giulia, Northern Italy.
Italiano: Basilica di Santa Giulia, abside superstite, nel comune di Bonate Sotto.
Photo: 2 April 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Giorces.
(Wikimedia Commons)

A Lombard band is a decorative Blind Arcade, usually exterior, often used during the Romanesque and Gothic periods of architectureLombard bands are believed to have been first used during the First Romanesque period of the Early-11th-Century. At that time, they were the most common architectural decorative motif for facades in Lombardy, Aragon and Catalonia. Arches of Early-Christian buildings of Ravenna, such as the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, have been 
suggested as the origin of Lombard bands.


The Romanesque period produced a profusion of sculptural ornamentation. This most frequently took a purely geometric form and was particularly applied to Mouldings, both straight courses and the Curved Mouldings of Arches. In La Madeleine, Vezelay, France, for example, the polychrome Ribs of the Vault are all edged with narrow filets of pierced stone. Similar decoration occurs around the Arches of the Nave and along the horizontal course separating Arcade and Clerestory. Combined with the pierced carving of the Capitals, this gives a delicacy and refinement to the Interior.

In England, such decoration could be discrete, as at Hereford and Peterborough Cathedrals, or have a sense of massive energy, as at Durham, where the Diagonal Ribs of the Vaults are all outlined with Chevrons, the Mouldings of the Nave Arcade are carved with several layers of the same and the huge Columns are deeply incised with a variety of geometric patterns, creating an impression of directional movement. These features combine to create one of the richest and most dynamic Interiors of the Romanesque period.


File:Monreale-bjs-17.jpg

Polychrome Blind Arcading of the Apse 
of Monreale Cathedral, Sicily, Italy (1174-82). 
The decoration indicates Islamic influence in both the motifs 
and the fact that all the Arches, including those 
of the windows, are pointed.
Photo: August 2004.
Source: Own work.
Author: Bernhard J. Scheuvens aka Bjs/.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Although much sculptural ornament was sometimes applied to the Interiors of Churches, the focus of such decoration was generally the West Front, and, in particular, the Portals. Chevrons and other geometric ornaments, referred to by 19th-Century writers as "barbaric ornament", are most frequently found on the Mouldings of the central door. 

Stylised foliage often appears, sometimes deeply carved and curling outward, after the manner of the acanthus leaves on Corinthian Capitals, but also carved in shallow relief and spiral patterns, imitating the intricacies of manuscript illuminations. In general, the style of ornament was more classical in Italy, such as that seen around the door of San Giusto in Lucca, and more "barbaric" in England, Germany and Scandinavia, such as that seen at Lincoln and Speyer Cathedrals. France produced a great range of ornament, with particularly fine interwoven and spiralling vines in the "manuscript" style occurring at Saint-Sernin, Toulouse.


File:Aiguilhe - Chapelle St-Michel - JPG3.jpg

Français: Aiguilhe (Haute-Loire - France), porche polychrome sculpté 
de la chapelle Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe (XIe siècle).
English: Aiguilhe (Haute-Loire - France), carved polychrome 
Porch of the Saint-Michel-D'aiguilhe Chapel (11th-Century).
Photo: 22 June 2003.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Aiguilhe - Chapelle St-Michel - JPG1.jpg

Français: Aiguilhe (Haute-Loire - France), la chapelle Saint-Michel (XIe siècle).
English: Aiguilhe (Haute-Loire - France), the Chapel of Saint Michel (11th-Century).
Español: Aiguilhe (Alto Loira - Francia), la capilla di San Michele (siglo XI).
Italiano: Aiguilhe (Alto Loira - Francia), la capella di San Michele (XI secolo).
Português: Aiguilhe (Haute-Loire - França), a capela de São Miguel (Século XI).
Nederlands: Aiguilhe (Haute-Loire - Frankrijk), de kapel van Sint-Michiel (XIde eeuw).
Photo: 22 June 2003.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe is a Chapel in Aiguilhe, near Le Puy-en-Velay, France, built in 962 A.D., 
on a volcanic formation 85 metres (279 ft) high. The Chapel is reached by 268 steps 
carved into the rock. It was built to celebrate the return from the 
In 1429, the mother of Joan of Arc, Isabelle Romée, was said to have come to the site to pray.


With the fall of the Roman Empire, the tradition of carving large works in stone, and sculpting figures in bronze, died out. The best-known surviving large sculptural work, of Proto-Romanesque Europe, is the life-size wooden Crucifix, commissioned by Archbishop Gero of Cologne, in about 960 A.D. - 965 A.D.

During the 11th- and 12th-Centuries, figurative sculpture flourished in a distinctly Romanesque style that can be recognised across Europe, although the most spectacular sculptural projects are concentrated in South-Western France, Northern Spain and Italy.


File:Portal moissac.jpg

English: The Portal of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France.
Français: Portal da Abadia Saint-Pierre de Moissac.
Author: Original file by Josep Renalias.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Portal of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France, has unusual features, including the Frieze of Roundels on the Lintel, the scalloped Jambs and figures of Prophets on the Central Jamb.


Major figurative decoration occurs particularly around the Portals of Cathedrals and Churches, ornamenting the Tympanum, Lintels, Jambs and Central Posts. The Tympanum is typically decorated with the imagery of Christ in Majesty, with the symbols of the Four Evangelists, drawn directly from the gilt covers of Mediaeval Gospel Books

This style of doorway occurs in many places and continued into the Gothic period. A rare survival in England is that of the "Prior's Door" at Ely Cathedral. In France, many have survived, with impressive examples at the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, the Abbey of Sainte-Marie, Souillac, and Abbey of la Madaleine, Vézelay – all Daughter Houses of Cluny, with extensive other sculpture remaining in Cloisters and other buildings. 

Nearby, Autun Cathedral has a Last Judgement of great rarity, in that it has uniquely been signed by its creator, Gislebertus (who was perhaps the patron, rather than the sculptor). The same artist is thought to have worked at la Madaleine Vezelay, which uniquely has two elaborately-carved Tympanum, the early inner one representing the Last Judgement, and that on the outer Portal of the Narthex, representing Jesus sending forth the Apostles to preach to the nations.


PART ELEVEN FOLLOWS.


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...