“Te Matrem Predicamus”. Zephyrinus’s School Hymn To Our Lady Saint Mary, Patroness Of The School.

“Queen Of The Angels”.

“Regina Angelorum”.

Artist:

William-Adolphe Bouguereau

(1825–1905).

Date: 1900.

Collection: Petit Palais.

Source/Photographer:

Art Renewal Center.

(Wikimedia Commons)

“Te Matrem Predicamus”.

Zephyrinus’s School Song.

Available On YouTube

HERE

The School’s Verses 

(to be sung to the same tune as above).

Te Matrem prædicamus,

Cum tuo Filio,

Lætantes exultamus

Ejus servitio.

Exaudi nos, Maria,

Patrona, Mater pia !!!

Fideles redde nos

Tuo Filio.

Enludos atque studia,

Tibi concredimus;

Sub dulci tuo nomine,

Semper gaudebimus.

Exaudi nos, Maria,

Patrona, Mater pia !!!

Fideles redde nos

Tuo Filio.

We proclaim you as Mother, 

With your Son, 

Rejoicing, we exult in His service.

Hear us, Mary, 

Patroness, pious Mother !!! 

Make us faithful to Your Son.

In all our trials and tribulations, 

We entrust ourselves to You; 

Under Your sweet name, 

We will always rejoice.

Hear us, Mary, 

Patroness, pious Mother !!! 

Make us faithful to Your Son.

“Let The Little Children Come Unto Me”.

“Let The Little Children Come Unto Me”.

Saint Matthew 19:14-16. 

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA).

Candlemas. Saint Mary Church, Norwalk.

3 February 2026.

Illustration: 

THE SOCIETY OF ST. HUGH OF CLUNY

(The following Text is from Google AI Overview).

“Let the little children come to me” is a well-known 

Biblical passage, where Jesus welcomes children, 

rebuking his Disciples for trying to hinder them. 

He states that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those 

who are like them, emphasising Child-like Faith, 

Humility, Trust, and Dependence on God.

A Corpus Christi Procession In York (2026) And, Also, A Corpus Christi Procession In Durham (1403).

Illustration: DIOCESE OF MIDDLESBROUGH

The following Text is from DIOCESE OF MIDDLESBROUGH

The York Oratory has given information on its Facebook page about Corpus Christi, and clearly intends that its Public Procession through the Streets of York will make a big impression. 

The date given on the Poster is Sunday 7 June 2026, which is when Corpus Christi is Celebrated in the Novus Ordo. 

Bishop Marcus Stock will be leading the Procession, which will be departing from Saint George’s Church at 1500 hrs. 

It will conclude with Benediction at 1630 hrs at the York Oratory.

No doubt, there will also be Celebrations on Thursday, 4 June 2026, for Traditionally-minded folk.

The following Text is from “The Rites Of Durham”, by William Claxton (The Surtees Society and The Catholic Record Society). Printed by: The Boydell Press.

[Editor: It can be safely assumed that the Text, herewith, is in Early-15th-Century English].

“The Auncient Solemnytie of Prosession vpon Corpus Christi Daie within the Churche and Cytie of Durham before the Suppression of the said Abbey Church”.

“There was a goodly prosession vpon the Place Grene on the Thursdaie after Trinity Sonday in the honour of Corpus Christi daie, the which was a principall feast at that tyme.

“The baley [Bailiffe] of the towne did stand in the towle 

bowthe [Toll Booth] and did call all the occupacions that was inhabyters within the towne, every occupacion in his degree, to bring forthe ther banner, with all there lighte apperteyninge to there seuerall banners [Several Banners], and to repaire to the abbey churche dour to Wyndshollyett [Windishole Gate].

“On the west syde of the way did all the banners stand, and 

on the east syde of the way did all the torges [Torches] stand perteyninge to the sayd banners.

“Also there as a goodly shryne in Sancte Nicholas churche, ordeyned to be caryed the said daie in prosession cauled Corpus Christi shryne, all fynly gilted, a goodly thing to behould.

“And on the hight of the said shrine was a faire foure squared box all of christall wherein was enclosed the holy sacrament of thalter [The Altar], and was caryed the said daie with iiij mounckes [Four Monks] vp to the Place Grene [Palace Green] and all the whole prosession of all the churches in the said towne goyng before ytt.

“And whene it was a little space within Wyndishole yett [Windishole Gate] it did stand still. Then was Sancte Cuthbert’s banner broughte fourthe, with two goodly faire crosses to meat it, and the Prior and covent [Convent], with all the holl company of the quere [Quire], all in there beast copes, did meat the said shryne, sitting on there knees [Kneeling] and prayinge.

“The Prior did sens it [Incense It], and then, caryinge it forward into the abbay churche, the Prior and covent [Convent] with all the quere [Quire] following yt, was sett in the quere and solemne service don before it, and “Te Deum” solemply song and plaide of the orgaines, euery man praising God.

“And all the banners of the occupacions did followe the said shryne into the church, goyng rownd about Saynt Cuthbert Ferter, lighting ther torges and burninge all the service tyme.

“Then yt was caryed frome thence with the said prosession of the towne backe againe to the place frome whence yt came, and all the banners of the occupacions following it.

“And, settinge it againe in the churche, euery man makeing his praiers to God, did depart. And the said shryne was caryed into the revestrie [Vestry], where yt remayned vnto that tyme twelvemonthe”.

The following Text is taken from “The Sequence Of The Sacrament At Durham”, which can be found 

HERE

“It has long been known that there was a Corpus Christi Procession in Durham in the Late-Middle Ages, and that some Plays performed by the Trade Companies of the City were associated with it,(1)  but the surviving records are disappointingly sparse. 

“In this Paper, I want to suggest that a broader consideration of Ceremonies in Durham connected with the Sacrament may make it possible to arrive at a better understanding of the context and probable subjects of the Plays.

“The earliest evidence for Corpus Christi Plays at Durham is a transcript of a Butchers’ and Fleshers’ Ordinary, dated 1403”.(2)

The Saturday Of The Second Week In Lent. The Lenten Station Is At The Basilica Of Saint Marcellinus And Saint Peter. Violet Vestments.

Peterborough Cathedral.

© Chel@SweetbriarDreams

www.sweetbriardreams.blogspot.co.uk

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

Saturday of The Second Week in Lent.

Station at Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter.

Italiano: Basilica Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano.

Photo: 23 March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is in the Basilica Founded by Saint Helen, where were buried the bodies of Saint Marcellinus, Priest, and Saint Peter, Exorcist, Martyred at Rome during The Diocletian Persecution. Their names are mentioned in The Canon of The Mass. This Church was one of the twenty-five Roman Parish Churches in the 5th-Century A.D.

As yesterday, the Epistle and Gospel repeat, in figure and Parable, lessons to The Catechumens and Public Penitents.

Isaac had two sons. Esau represents The People of God who sell their birthright to gratify their carnal appetite. Jacob represents the Gentiles, who check their passions and are Blessed by Heaven.

English: Church of Saints Marcellino and Peter,

Cremona, Italy.

Italiano: Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro.

Location: Cremona, Lombardy, Italy.

Photo: 26 September 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana

(Wikimedia Commons)

Jesus, in the same way, said: A man had two sons: The elder 

is the Jewish element of the primitive Church, which is scandalised at the vocation of the Gentiles and is loathe to associate with them; the Prodigal is the pagan element.

After having wasted all The Gifts of God, these unhappy people mourn their sins and atone for them; they come to Jesus, Who opens His Arms to them, presses them to His Heart, and satisfies their hunger with His Sacred Body and Precious Blood in The Eucharistic Feast.

Let us ask God to Bless our Lenten Fast, so that the mortification of our flesh may bring health to our Souls (Collect).

Mass: Lex Dómine.
Preface: Of Lent.

Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter, Rome.

Photo: October 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano is a Roman Catholic Parish and Titular Church in Rome. It is dedicated to Saints Marcellinus and Peter, 4th-Century A.D. Roman Martyrs, whose Relics were brought here in 1256.

The first Church on the site was built by Pope Siricius in the 4th-Century A.D., close to the Via Labicana’s Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter, with an adjoining Hospice, which became a Centre for Pilgrims. This Church was restored by Pope Gregory III in the 8th-Century A.D.

[Ever since these early Centuries, it has been among Rome’s Stational Churches (for Saturday of the Second Week in Lent). In the 9th-Century A.D., when Christian Churches began to be built in Germany and were in need of Relics, the Remains of Saints Marcellinus and Peter were Transferred from the Catacomb, where they still rested, to Seligenstadt, Germany.]

Church of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter,

Seligenstadt, Germany.

Photo: 5 September 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Agridecumantes.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter,

Seligenstadt, Germany.

Deutsch: Basilika St. Marcellinus und Petrus,

Seligenstadt

Photo: 15 November 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: © 1971markus

Attribution: © 1971markus@wikipedia.de

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church was again restored in 1256 [by Pope Alexander IV, and the Martyrs’ Relics were returned.] (Also, under The High Altar is an urn containing Relics of Saint Marcia.)

On the Left Side, is an Altar dedicated to The Blessed Virgin, with a Copy of Guido Reni’s “The Virgin in Glory with Angels, Saint Joseph and Saint Rita”. Next to it is the Chapel of Reconciliation.

English: My parents’ wedding. Inside the “Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro” [Church of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter], Imbersago, Lombardy, Italy.

Italiano: Matrimonio dei miei genitori. Interno della “Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro” a Imbersago, Italia (prima del restauro).

Photo: 12 September 1972.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jalo

(Wikimedia Commons)

An image of the dedicatees was placed on the first Column on the Left, from the Entrance, during this Restoration, with an Inscription recording the Restoration. The Hospice and Church were then given, in 1276, to the Confraternity of those Commended to The Saviour.

The present Church is the result of Pope Benedict XIV’s 1751 rebuild, leaving it with its present cube-shaped Exterior, divided by Pilaster Strips in a style close to Neo-Classicism, Borromini-influenced Dome, façade by Girolamo Theodoli, and Altarpiece by Gaetano Lapis, depicting the dedicatees’ Martyrdom.

After that Restoration, the Church was given to the Discalced Carmelites, who Served it until 1906. A small Chapel to Our Lady of Lourdes was dedicated at the South-East (next to a Chapel of Saint Gregory The Great), with a new Ceiling painting of Our Lady, by N. Caselli, in 1903. 

Since 1911, it has been a Parochial Church, Served by Diocesan Clergy.

Our Lady Of The Atonement Cathedral,

Baguio, Philippines.

Photo: 29 March 2024.

Source: Own work.

This file is made available under the

Creative Commons CC0 1.0

Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Author: Galaxiaria

(Wikimedia Commons)

Wells Cathedral.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: Own work.

This File is licensed under the

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence.

Author: Steinsky

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Thomas Aquinas. Confessor. Doctor Of The Church. Feast Day 7 March. White Vestments.

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

Saint Thomas Aquinas.
   Confessor.
   Doctor Of The Church.
   Feast Day 7 March.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: Altarpiece, depicting Saint Thomas Aquinas, from Ascoli Piceno, Italy.

Deutsch: Altar von San Domenico in Ascoli, Polyptychon, 

linke äußere Aufsatztafel: Hl. Thomas von Aquin.

Artist: Carlo Crivelli.

Date: 1476.

Current location: National Gallery, London.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project (2002)

10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM),

distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

ISBN: 3936122202.

(Wikimedia Commons)

His intelligence, aided by a Supernatural Light, henceforth sounded the depths of Divine Mysteries (Introit). Wherefore, The Church, comparing him to the Spirits of the Blessed, as much for his innocence as for his genius, awarded him the Title of “Angelic Doctor”.

“A light of the World” (Gospel), his teaching is such a faithful echo of the “Words of True Doctrine” of Christ (Epistle), that the Council of Trent placed “The Theological Summa” next to the Bible in the Hall of Session.

He died in the Cistercian Monastery of Fossa Nuova, Campania, Italy, on his way to the Council of Lyon, 7 March 1274.

Pope Leo XIII, by Letters Apostolic, declared him the Patron of all Catholic Schools. At this Season, when the Liturgy recalls the Public Ministry of Jesus, let us ask Saint Thomas so to penetrate us with the Spirit of Penance that we may have a clear vision of the Teachings of The Master, and put them into practice (Collect), as he did.

Mass: In médio.

Commemoration: In Lent. Of the Feria.

Last Gospel: In Lent. Of the Feria.

“Summa Theologica”.

Available on YouTube

HERE

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

Thomas Aquinas (Italian: Tommaso d’Aquino, literally “Thomas of Aquino”; 1225 – March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Friar, Philosopher, Catholic Priest, and is a Doctor of The Church.

An immensely influential Philosopher, Theologian, and Jurist in the Tradition of Scholasticism, he is also known within the latter as The Doctor Angelicus and The Doctor Communis.

The name “Aquinas” identifies his ancestral origins in the County of Aquino, in present-day Lazio, Italy. He was the foremost Classical proponent of Natural Theology and the father of Thomism; of which he argued that Reason is found in God.

His influence on Western Thought is considerable, and
much of Modern Philosophy developed or opposed his ideas, particularly in the areas of Ethics, Natural Law, Metaphysics, and Political Theory.

“Adore Te Devote”.

Composed by: Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Unlike many currents in The Church of the time, Thomas embraced several ideas put forward by Aristotle — whom he called “The Philosopher” — and attempted to synthesise Aristotelian Philosophy with the principles of Christianity.

His best-known works are the “Disputed Questions on Truth” (1256–1259), the “Summa Contra Gentiles” (1259–1265), and the unfinished, but massively influential, “Summa Theologica”, also known as “Summa Theologiæ” (1265–1274).

His commentaries on Scripture, and on Aristotle, also form an important part of his Body of Work. Furthermore, Thomas is distinguished for his Eucharistic Hymns, which form a part of The Church’s Liturgy.

The Catholic Church honours Thomas Aquinas as a Saint, and regards him as the model teacher for those studying for the Priesthood, and, indeed, the highest expression of both Natural Reason and Speculative Theology.

In modern times, under Papal Directives, the study of his Works was long used as a core of the required programme of study for those seeking Ordination as Priests or Deacons, as well as for those in Religious Formation and for other students of The Sacred Disciplines (Philosophy, Catholic Theology, Church History, Liturgy, and Canon Law).

“Adore Te Devote”.

Composed by: Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Thomas Aquinas is considered one of The Catholic Church’s greatest Theologians and Philosophers.

Pope Benedict XV declared: “This (Dominican) Order . . . acquired new lustre when The Church declared the Teaching of Thomas to be her own, and that Doctor, honoured with the special praises of the Pontiffs, the Master and Patron of Catholic Schools.”

The English Philosopher, Anthony Kenny, considers Thomas to be “one of the dozen greatest Philosophers of the Western World”.

“Adoremus In Aeternum” - Catholic Renaissance Hymn Of Benediction For The Blessed Sacrament.

“Adoremus in Aeternum”.

Catholic Renaissance Hymn Of Benediction

For The Blessed Sacrament.

Available on YouTube

HERE

“Adoremus in Aeternum”.

“Laudate Dominum”.

Closing Procession.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Adoremus in æternum,

Sanctissimum Sacramentum.

Laudate Dominum Omnes Gentes,

Laudate Eum Omnes Populi.

Quoniam confirmata est

super nos misericordia eius,

Et veritas Domini manet in æternum.

Gloria Patri Et Filio,

et Spiritui Sancto,

Sicut erat in Principio et Nunc et Semper,

et in sæcula sæculorum.

Amen.

Adoremus in æternum,

Sanctissimum Sacramentum.

“We will adore for Eternity

The Most Holy Sacrament.

Praise The Lord, all ye Nations:

Praise Him all ye peoples.

Because His Mercy is confirmed upon us:

And the truth of The Lord remains forever.

Glory be to The Father,

and to The Son,

and to The Holy Ghost:

As it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be,

World without End.

Amen.

We will adore for Eternity

The Most Holy Sacrament.

Praise The Lord, all ye Nations:

Praise Him all ye peoples”.

“Leave Right Now”. Sung By: Will Young.

“Leave Right Now”. 

Sung By: Will Young.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Friday Of The Second Week In Lent. The Lenten Station Is The Basilica Of Saint Vitalis. Violet Vestments.

Peterborough Cathedral.

© Chel@SweetbriarDreams

www.sweetbriardreams.blogspot.co.uk

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

Friday of The Second Week in Lent.

Station at Saint Vitalis’s.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

The High Altar,

Santi Vitalis, Rome.

Photo: November 2006.

Photo taken by BruceJWebber.

Transferred from en.wikipedia;

description page is/was HERE

Author: Bruce J Webber.

Original uploader:

BruceJWebber at en.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Station is made in the Basilica, one of the twenty-five Roman Parishes in the 5th-Century A.D., which was dedicated to Saint Vitalis by Pope Innocent I. Saint Vitalis shed his blood at Ravenna, Italy. He was the father of the glorious Milanese Martyrs, Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius.

The Epistle and Gospel describe to us, the one in figure, the other in Parable, the destiny of the heathen and that of the Jews. The Catechumens saw in Joseph, Christ, denied by His own people, transferring to The Church, formed henceforth by all peoples, the abundance of His Blessings. They, likewise, saw in the Parable of The Rebellious Workers in the Vineyard, the reprobation of the Jews and the election of the Gentiles.

The brothers of Joseph and the Unfaithful Workers of the Vineyard uttered the same death cries: “Come, let us kill him.” But, whilst the first repented and obtained the pardon of their victim, the second persisted in rejecting Christ, the Corner Stone, and were crushed by it (Gospel).

Let us purify ourselves by the salutary Fast of Lent, in order that we may prepare ourselves to Celebrate, in a Holy Way, the coming Easter Festivals (Collect).

Mass: Ego autem.
Preface: Of Lent.

The Basilica of San Vitalis,

with a Christmas Crib set up in the Nave.

This Church is 5th-Century A.D. in origin,

but underwent renovations in the 15th-Century.

Photo: January 2006.

Source: s. vitale, interior

Author: Anthony M. from Rome.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is taken from

http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/San Vitale

San Vitalis is a Minor Basilica, as well as a Parish and Titular Church, Dedicated to the legendary Martyrs, Saint Vitalis, his wife, Saint Valeria, and his sons, Saint Gervase and Saint Protase. It is located at Via Nazionale 194/B, in the rione Monti, Rome, and amounts to a fragment of an Early-5th-Century A.D. Basilica.

The full name of the Church is Santi Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio or, alternatively, Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea, which is its official name.

The Church used to stand on the ancient Roman street 

known as the Vicus Longus, which ran between the Forum of Augustus and the Baths of Diocletian. It arrived at the latter establishment just where the Church of San Bernardo alle Terme now stands, and ran down the valley between the Quirinal and Viminal hills. There were two Tituli on it, this Church and San Ciriaco, which was near the Baths.

In the Middle Ages, the area became completely de-populated and amounted to a pocket of Countryside, right up to the Late-19th-Century. The Vicus Longus became the Via di San Vitale, which only ran from Via Mazzarino near Sant'Agata dei Goti to Via delle Quattro Fontane and on which the Church was the only building. 

However, when the Via Nazionale was built, this street was mostly destroyed. A short length survives at the Eastern end, and also towards the West, where it is known as Vicolo dei Serpenti.

English: Entrance to the Basilica of San Vitalis, Rome.

Italiano: Roma, porta d'accesso alla basilica di San Vitale.

Photo: June 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gregorovius

(Wikimedia Commons)

It seems that a small Church was built on the site at the end 

of the 4th-Century A.D., perhaps for Milanese expatriates 

(the City was the Western Capital of the Roman Empire at 

the time). As a result of a benefaction by a lady called 

Vestina, who gave her name to the Titulus, it was rebuilt about 400 A.D., as a Basilica with Nave and Aisles. This was Consecrated by Pope Innocent I in 402 A.D. The Dedication to Saint Vitalis was first recorded in 499 A.D., when it was referred to as Titulus Sancti Vitalis.

Pope Saint Innocent I (401 A.D. - 417 A.D.).

Consecrated the Basilica of San Vitalis in 402 A.D.

Date: 5th-Century A.D.

Source: http://cckswong.tripod.com/pope1_50.htm

(“Pope’s Photo Gallery”)

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church has been restored several times. The first restoration on record was that of Pope Leo III, about 800 A.D., during which he donated many precious items to the Basilica.

The most comprehensive rebuilding was that of Pope Sixtus IV, before the 1475 Jubilee. The Aisles of the Nave were demolished and the Arcades walled up, to create the rather elongated Single-Nave Church which exists now. The Apse was left untouched, but the ancient Narthex was also enclosed and converted into a Vestibule.

After this, the Church was then granted to the Theatines after they were Founded in 1525. However, it was then transferred to the Jesuits, in 1598, by Pope Clement VIII. They carried out a complete restoration, and used it mainly as a subsidiary Church for their Novitiate, based at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale. It is clear that the Church lacked a Pastoral Function at the time.

English: The Basilica of Saint Vitalis, Rome.

Italiano: Roma, interno della basilica d San Vitale.

Photo: 23 May 2016.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gaux

(Wikimedia Commons)

It was restored again in 1859 and has been served by Diocesan Clergy since 1873. 

After the construction of the Via Nazionale, the previous, very quiet, area became rapidly and completely built-up and, as a result, the Church was made Parochial by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.

The new road was actually the result of a proposal by Pope Pius IX, in response to the obvious need for proper access to the City Centre from the Train Station, but the Italian Government, after 1870, mutated this into a typical straight-and-level 19th-Century Civic Boulevard. 

As a result, the Church, in its valley, was left well below the new road level, and is now accessed by a rather alarming flight of steps.

The Church was renovated in 1937-1938, the Narthex being restored to its original condition, and was again renovated in 1960.

English: Basilica of SS. Vitalis, Valeris, Gervase and Protase.

Italiano: Basilica di Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea.

Latin: Basilica Ss. Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio.

Photo: September 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gobbler

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first Cardinal Priest of the Church was Gennaro Cardinal Celio, appointed in 494 A.D., by Pope Saint Gelasius I. 

Saint John Cardinal Fisher, Martyred by King Henry VIII of England during the Reformation, was the Titular of Saint Vitale in 1535 A.D. 

The current Titular (dated 5 February 2023) is His Eminence, Adam Joseph Cardinal Maida, Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit in the USA.

The Portico, or Narthex, is the most ancient part of the Church, possibly dating back to the 5th-Century A.D. It was altered at the end of the 16th-Century, but restored to its presumed original condition in 1938. The Inscription over the entrance, with the Coat-of-Arms of Pope Sixtus IV, was, however, preserved.

The façade is very simple. The Narthex is of brick, and has solid walls at the sides and corners. In front, there are five Arches with Voussoirs of tiles on edge, and these are separated by four Marble Columns. These have debased Composite Capitals, carved in Travertine when the Narthex was built, and above these are Imposts.

Armorial Bearings of His Eminence, Cardinal Maida,

Titular of Saint Vitale.

Date: January 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: SajoR

(Wikimedia Commons)

The two outer Arches have Imposts only where they meet the walls, which looks odd. The roof of the Narthex is pitched and tiled, and slopes up to the absolutely plain Nave frontage, which contains a rectangular window, the sill of which is in line with the upper roof line of the Narthex. This window was apparently once an Oculus.

The finely-carved wooden entrance doors have two relief panels depicting the Martyrdoms of Saints Cosmas and Damian, one on each door.

The Church has a single Nave, with no Arcades, but with two Pilasters, without Capitals, near the Triumphal Arch. There are two Side-Altars either side of the Nave, which are not recessed into Chapels, but are enclosed in Aedicules, formed of a pair of Marble Corinthian Columns, supporting an Entablature and Triangular Pediment. The modern Ceiling is flat and of varnished wood, and was inserted in 1938.

Saint John Cardinal Fisher,

Martyred by King Henry VIII of England during the Reformation, was Titular of Saint Vitalis in 1535 A.D.

Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger

Date: 1497 - 1543.

Source: Historical Portraits

(Original uploader Mwanner at en.wikipedia)

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Apse has been preserved from the original building. The painting it contains depicts the ascent to Calvary, and was executed by Andrea Commodi. To the Left, Saint Vitalis is depicted being Racked, and, to the Right, he is being buried alive. These frescoes are by Agostino Ciampelli.

The High Altar is decorated with the Arms of the Della Rovere Family, and a painting of the Saints to whom the Church is Dedicated.

Coat-of-Arms.

The House of Della Rovere.

Royal Family.

Rulers of Urbino, Italy.

Motto.

“Fortune Favours The Bold”

(Latin: “Audaces Juvat”).

English: The High Altar of the Basilica of Saint Vitalis is decorated with the Arms of the Della Rovere Family.

Français: la famille Della Rovere souverains d'Urbin en Italie

Italiano: famiglia Della Rovere, signori di Urbino, Italia

Blazon:

English:

Azure, a durmast oak Or, with the branches put in saltire.

Français:

D’azur au rouvre d’or aux rameaux passés en sautoir.

Italiano:

D’azzurro, al rovere d’oro con i rami passati in decusse.

Date: 18 March 2007.

Image created for the Blazon Project of French Wikipedia.

Source: Own work.

Author: ℍenry

(Wikimedia Commons)

The House of Della Rovere (literally “of the Oak Tree”) was a noble family of Italy. Coming from modest beginnings in Savona, Liguria, the family rose to prominence through nepotism and ambitious marriages arranged by two Della Rovere Popes, Francesco Della Rovere (Pope Sixtus IV) (1471–1484) and his nephew, Giuliano (Pope Julius II) (1503–1513). 

Pope Sixtus IV built the Sistine Chapel, which is named after him. The Basilica San Pietro-in-Vincoli, in Rome, is the Family Church of the Della Rovere.

Guidobaldo da Montefeltro adopted Francesco Maria I Della Rovere, his sister’s child and nephew of Pope Julius II.

Guidobaldo I, who was heirless, called Francesco Maria to his Court, and named him as heir of the Duchy of Urbino in 1504, this through the intercession of Pope Julius II. 

In 1508, Francesco Maria inherited the Duchy, thereby starting the Line of Rovere Dukes of Urbino. That dynasty ended in 1626, when Pope Urban VIII incorporated Urbino into the Papal Dominions.

As compensation to the last Sovereign Duke, the Title only could be continued by Francesco Maria II, and, after his death, by his heir, Federico Ubaldo.

Vittoria, last descendant of the Della Rovere family (she was the only child of Federico Ubaldo), married Ferdinando II de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. They had two children: Cosimo III, Tuscany’s longest reigning Monarch, and Francesco Maria de’Medici, a Prince of The Church.

The walls of the Basilica are painted with scenes of Martyrdoms, painted in the 17th-Century, which, when you first see them, appear to be merely bucolic landscapes with views and trees. The scenes are separated by trompe-l’oeil Columns painted on the flat wall. There are inscriptions on each scene, explaining whose Martyrdom is depicted. An amusing anachronism can be seen in the Martyrdom of Saint Ignatius of Antioch - he faces the lions in a meadow, with the Colosseum in ruins in the background. This cycle of frescoes is by Tarquinio Ligustri and Andrea Comodo.

The Feast of Saint Agnes is Celebrated on 21 January, 

with a Triduum starting on 19 January. Saint Vitalis and Companions are Celebrated on 28 April. Saint Giuseppe Cottolengo is Celebrated on 30 April - the new Calendar places his Feast on 29 April but, since that would mean Celebrating two major Feasts in a row, the old date is used.

Our Lady Of The Atonement Cathedral,

Baguio, Philippines.

Photo: 29 March 2024.

Source: Own work.

This file is made available under the

Creative Commons CC0 1.0

Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Author: Galaxiaria

(Wikimedia Commons)

Wells Cathedral.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: Own work.

This file is licensed under the

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence.

Author: Steinsky

(Wikimedia Commons)