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

13 February, 2026

The Twenty-Six Mediæval Cathedrals Of England (Part Seventeen).



Canterbury Cathedral.
Photo: September 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Hans Musil
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Worcester Cathedral, unlike Salisbury, has important parts of the building dating from every Century from the 11th-Century to the 16th-Century.

The earliest part of the building at Worcester is the multi-columned Norman Crypt, with Cushion Capitals remaining from the original Monastic Church begun by Saint Wulfstan in 1084. 

Also from the Norman period is the circular Chapter House of 1120, made octagonal on the outside when the walls were reinforced in the 14th-Century. 


Worcester Cathedral Crypt.
Photo: 23 February 2011.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Nave was built and re-built piecemeal and in different styles by several different architects over a period of 200 years, some Bays being a unique and decorative transition between Norman and Gothic styles. 

The Nave dates from 1170 to 1374. The East End was rebuilt over the Norman Crypt by Alexander Mason between 1224 and 1269, coinciding with, and in a very similar Early-English style to, the greater part of Salisbury Cathedral. 

From 1360, John Clyve finished off the Nave, built its Vault, the Great West Front, the North Porch, and the Eastern range of the Cloister. He also strengthened the Norman Chapter House, added Buttresses and changed its Vault. 


The history of Worcester Cathedral.
Available on YouTube


His masterpiece is the Central Tower of 1374, originally supporting a timber, lead-covered Spire, now gone. Between 1404 and 1432, an unknown architect added the North and South ranges to the Cloister, which was eventually closed by the Western range by John Chapman, 1435–1438. The last important addition is the Prince Arthur’s Chantry Chapel to the Right of the South Choir Aisle, 1502–1504.[2][4][10]

Bristol Cathedral.

Begun in 1140[b] and completed in 1888, Bristol Cathedral’s fame lies in the unique 14th-Century Lierne Vaults of the Choir and Choir Aisles, which are of three different designs and, according to Nikolaus Pevsner, “ . . . from a point of view of spatial imagination, are superior to anything else in England.”[4]

Canterbury Cathedral.

Founded as a Cathedral in 597 A.D., the earliest extant parts are from 1070, completed in 1505, except the North-West Tower of 1834.

Canterbury is one of the biggest Cathedrals in England, and is the Seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is famous for the Norman Crypt, with sculptured Capitals, the East End of 1175–1184 by William of Sens, the 12th-Century and 13th-Century Stained-Glass, the “supremely beautiful” Perpendicular Nave of 1379–1405 by Henry Yevele,[12] the Fan Vault of the Tower of 1505 by John Wastell, the tomb of the Black Prince, and the site of the murder of Saint Thomas Becket.[4][10]


The Great East Window,
Carlisle Cathedral.
Illustration: VISIT CUMBRIA


Carlisle Cathedral.

Founded in 1092 and completed in the Early-15th-Century, Carlisle Cathedral is one of England’s smallest Cathedrals since the demolition of its Nave by the Scottish Presbyterian Army in 1649.

Its most significant feature is its Nine-Light, Flowing Decorated, East Window of 1322, still containing Mediæval Glass in its upper sections, forming a “glorious termination to the Choir”[4] and regarded by many as having the finest Tracery in England.[4][10]

PART EIGHTEEN FOLLOWS.

Notre-Dame Cathedral, Bayeux, France.



Notre-Dame Cathedral, 
Bayeux, France.
Photo: 22 July 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Anton Bielousov.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Bayeux Cathedral, Normandy.
Cathédrale de Bayeux.
Photo: 21 July 2013.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


English: Bayeux Cathedral, France.
Deutsch: Kathedrale “Notre-Dame de Bayeux”.
Bayeux ist eine französische Gemeinde in der Normandie.
Photo: 1 May 2018.
Source: Own work.
Author: W. Bulach
(Wikimedia Commons)



Bayeux Cathedral.
Photo: 1 April 2011.
Author: James Woolley
(Wikimedia Commons)


Bayeux Cathedral.
Available on YouTube

Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Bayeux Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux), is a Roman Catholic Church located in the Town of Bayeux, in Normandy, France.

A National Monument, it is the Seat of the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux and was probably the original home of The Bayeux Tapestry, which is still preserved nearby. The Cathedral is in the Norman-Romanesque Architectural Tradition.

The site is an ancient one and was once occupied by
Roman sanctuaries. The present Cathedral was Consecrated on 14 July 1077 in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy, and King of England.

It was on this site that William may have forced Harold Godwinson to take an Oath of Support to him, the breaking of which led to The Norman Conquest of England – meaning that the Oath must have been made before 1066.

Following serious damage to the Cathedral in the 12th-Century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic-Style, which is most notable in the Crossing Tower, Transepts, and the East End. However, despite the Crossing Tower having been started in the 15th-Century, it was not completed until the 19th-Century.



Bayeux Cathedral.
Photo: 22 August 2016.
Source: Own work.
Attribution: Andreas F. Borchert.
This file is licensed under the
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from BAYEUX MUSEUM

Bayeux’s origins go back to the Gallo-Roman period. In 
924 A.D., it was incorporated into the lands of Rollo, Viking warrior and first Duke of Normandy. At that time, Bayeux was the second largest City in Normandy, after Rouen.

The Romanesque Cathedral was completed during the Reign 
of William the Conqueror. It was built in less than fifty years, and for several Centuries it housed the famous Bayeux Tapestry, commissioned by Odon de Conteville, Bishop of Bayeux and half-brother of William.


English: Bayeux Cathedral Choir Stalls.
Français: Stalles du chœur de la cathédrale 
Photo: 10 July 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Roi.dagobert
(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1204, when Normandy became part of the Kingdom of France, it was a prosperous City, dominated by the Church. In the 18th-Century, the Town began to modernise and the Castle and Walls were dismantled.

The Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux, a masterpiece of Norman Romanesque and Gothic Architecture, is at the heart of the Old Town’s conservation area. Its history is as grand as the two Towers which flank its facade.

The Cathedral was Consecrated on 14 July 1077, in the presence of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England, and his wife, Matilda. All that survives from the construction of this period is the Crypt, the Towers at the Western End, and the first level of the Nave.

British Indian Army Regiments: 4th Bengal Cavalry; 2nd Bengal Lancers; 7th Bombay Lancers; 6th Bombay Cavalry.



Officer.
British Indian Army,
4th Bengal Cavalry.
1897.
Illustration: FRONTISPIECE


at Kohat, with their Regimental Colours.
Date: 1905.
Source: 
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Officer.
British Indian Army.
2nd Bengal Lancers.
1897.
Illustration: FRONTISPIECE


19th Hyderabad Regiment.
British Imperial Indian Army.
Cap Badge.


Officer.
British Indian Army.
7th Bombay Lancers.

1897. Pencil note identifies him as
Risaldar Mir Haider Shah Khan.
Illustration: FRONTISPIECE


Indian Order of Merit.
Single Class 1944.
Photo: 24 June 2012.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
(Wikimedia Commons)


Officer.
6th Bombay Cavalry.
Illustration: FRONTISPIECE

This Article is one of an occasional series
on Uniforms of The British Indian Army.

“Oh, My Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Object Of My Desires”. “Oh, Mon Sauveur, Jesus Christ, Unique Objet De Mes Désirs”. “Obsecro Te”. “I Beseech Thee”.



“Oh, My Saviour, Jesus Christ,
the only object of my desires”.
Illustration: HOLY CARD HEAVEN


“Obsecro Te”.
(I Beseech Thee).


Priests, who say this Prayer In Thanksgiving after Mass, gain an Indulgence of three Years applicable to The Souls in Purgatory (Blessed Pope Pius IX, 1846).

He who says it, if possible kneeling, may obtain the pardon of any faults or mistakes of which he may have been guilty, as the result of human frailty, during The Celebration of Mass (Pope Saint Pius X, 1912).


I beseech Thee, most sweet Lord Jesus Christ,
grant that Thy Passion may be to me a power
by which I may be strengthened, protected and defended.

May Thy wounds be to me food and drink,
by which I may be nourished, inebriated and overjoyed.
May the sprinkling of Thy Blood be to me
an ablution for all my sins.

May Thy Death prove to me life everlasting,
and Thy Cross be to me an eternal glory.
In these, be my refreshment, my joy,
My preservation and sweetness of heart.

Who livest and reignest
World without end.

Amen.


The following Text is taken from PRECES-LATINA

This Prayer was a favourite during the latter part of The Middle Ages, and invariably appeared in Books of The Hours from the 15th-Century, onwards. Books of The Hours were Prayer Books intended for The Laity and were based upon the much longer Liturgy of The Hours recited by Clergy and Religious.

Often, these books would contain three Sets of Hours:
The Hours of The Blessed Virgin;
The Hours of The Cross;
The Hours of The Holy Ghost.

In addition to The Hours, a number of other Prayers and popular Devotions were often included, such as this one, “Obsecro Te”, and “Oh, Intemerata” (listen, below).


A.Grandi, O Intemerata 
(Il Secondo Libro De Motetti -
Ph.Jaroussky & Marie-N. Lemieux.
Available on YouTube

12 February, 2026

“The State of Education”. “Yes, Prime Minister”.



“The State of Education”.
“Yes, Prime Minister”.
BBC Studios.
Available on YouTube

The Forty Hours Devotion. 11 February 2024. Sainte Messe d'Ouverture des Quarante-Heures. Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile, Paris.



The Forty Hours Devotion.
11 February 2024.
Sainte Messe d’Ouverture des Quarante-Heures. 
Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile, Paris.
Available on YouTube

The Mass Booklet is available

Pope Alexander II (1010 - 1073). Authorised The Norman Invasion Of Britain In 1066. (Part Three).



Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

The new Pope, Alexander II, was Crowned on 1 October 1061 in the Basilica of San Pietro-in-Vincoli, because opposition to the Election on the part of the Romans and German sympathisers made a Coronation in St. Peter's Basilica impossible.[17]


The German Court nominated another candidate, Cadalus, Bishop of Parma, who was proclaimed Pope (he became an Anti-Pope) at a Council held at Basel, Switzerland, under the name of Honorius II. He marched to Rome and for a long time threatened his rival’s position.

At length, after a Palace Coup, which replaced Empress Agnes as Regent with Archbishop Anno II of Cologne, Honorius was forsaken by the German Court. He was deposed by a Council held at Mantua on 31 May-1 June 1064.[13][19]



Honorius continued to challenge Alexander II’s position until he (Honorius) died in 1072. The next sixty years exhibited one Schism after another.[20]

As early as 1063, the Normans, taking advantage of the Schism, successfully expanded their empire by attacking and seizing the city of Gaeta, an important port leading into the Southern part of the Roman Campagna.

In 1066, Richard of Capua, who had helped Alexander enter Rome and secure a Coronation in October 1061, suddenly changed sides. With the Germans abandoning Cadalo and embracing Alexander, the Normans were no longer the mainstay and support of the Papacy, and were faced with a competitor which had designs on the same territories as the Normans.


The Barons of the Roman Campagna, too, saw an advantage to be gained (or at least revenge to be extracted) by joining the Normans against Alexander and the reform party of Hildebrand, which had robbed them of their Rights in Papal Elections and the Civil Government of The Church.

Moving North, Prince Richard seized Ceprano, devastated Lazio, and encamped outside Rome, from which he demanded the Title of “Patricius”.[21]


In the meantime, the frantic Cardinal Hildebrand repeatedly called upon Marquis Godfrey of Tuscany, who was with King Henry in Germany, to come to the aid of Rome.[22]

In Spring 1067, he collected an army, lifted the siege of Rome, and caused Prince Richard to withdraw to Capua. Richard left his son, Jordan, in charge of the army in the Plain below Aquino, to bar the way of the forces of Godfrey.


PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Aelred Of Rievaulx. (Part Eleven).



Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire.
Date: 2011.
This file is licensed under the
Attribution: WyrdLight.com
Author: Antony McCallum
(Wikimedia Commons)



Dr. Marsha Dutton.
“The Historical Works Of Saint Aelred Of Rievaulx”.
“Part Three: The Genealogy Of The Kings Of England”.
Available on YouTube

PART TWELVE FOLLOWS.

Lent Is On Its Way !!! Go To Confession. “ Prepare For Battle !!! ”


“Prepare For Battle”.
Available on YouTube

Lent is on its way !!!

Go to Confession.

Prepare for Battle.

With acknowledgement to Fr. Z at 

The Album: “Compostela: Ad Vesperas Sancti Iacobi". Sung By: Ensemble Organum. The Director Of Music Is Marcel Pérès.




“Ad Vesperas Sancti Iacobi”.
From the Album:
“Compostela: Ad Vesperas Sancti Iacobi".
Sung by: Ensemble Organum.
Director of Music: Marcel Pérès.
Available on YouTube

Sarum Use “First Vespers” On Candlemas Eve. Largest Sarum Use Liturgy Ever Offered Since The Reign Of Queen Mary I of England (1553-1558). Over Seven Hundred People Attended.



Illustration: MODERN MEDIEVALISM


First Vespers.
The Sarum Use.
Candlemas Eve.
1 February 2020.
Saint Patrick's Church,
Philadelphia.
Available on YouTube

This Article was first published in February 2020.

You are encouraged to follow the Video with The Congregational Service Booklet, which was designed and posted HERE.

Additionally, an official Photo Album may be found at THIS LINK.


This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,

While posting on MODERN MEDIEVALISM has been slow, the Modern Medievalist has been hard at work. Today
(12 February 2020), the Modern Medievalism Facebook page exceeded 4,000 "likes".

This has been partly due to new exposure over what many of you already know: The Sarum Vespers which were Celebrated last weekend at St Patrick’s Church in Philadelphia.

This historic occasion was attended by over 700 people, making it almost certainly the largest Sarum Use Liturgy ever offered since the Reign of Queen Mary I of England. Yours truly was the principal organiser of the event.

I'm happy to say that its success has introduced me to deeper obligations: Namely, the Foundation of a new Liturgical Institute devoted to all forms of Catholic Liturgy, but with special focus on The Medieval Uses, and those of The Religious Orders. The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music will likely demand more and more of my time; yet I hope to maintain this Blog for more casual observations, here and there.

A more detailed write-up of The Sarum Vespers will be posted on The New Liturgical Movement Blog, soon. In the meantime, I encourage you to watch the video of The Sarum Vespers (see, above). If you open the Link to YouTube, you'll find a detailed description with convenient timestamps for finding various sections of interest.


 The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy & Music.
YouTube Channel: HERE

The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music
aims to evangelise through beauty: By organising Solemn Liturgical Celebrations through the year, as well
as providing Workshops and Consultations for Parishes and other local groups in the Philadelphia Metropolitan and surrounding regions.

The Institute takes its name from Giullaume Durand (circa 1230-1296), also known as Durandus: A Mediæval French Bishop and Liturgical Author.

His important Liturgical Work was the “Rationale Divinorum Officiorum”, a Treatise on the Symbolism and Spiritual Significance of Church Architecture and Ceremonies of
The Mass and Divine Office.

The “Rationale” was among the first books 
reproduced by Gutenberg or associates after
the invention of the printing press.

Some More Levity To Get You Through The Day.



“Yes, Prime Minister”.
Bernard Woolley On “Defence Capabilities”.
Available on YouTube

A Little Levity To Get You Through The Day.


The Seven Holy Founders Of The Servite Order. Confessors. Feast Day 12 February. White Vestments.


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

The Seven Holy Founders of The Servite Order.
Confessors.
   Feast Day 12 February.

Double.

White Vestments.


Chicago, Illinois.
A Servite Church.
Date: 2 February 2008.
Author: Original by User:JeremyA ,
edited version by User:Capital photographer.
Permission: From Source: Permission is granted for re-use under the terms of The Creative Commons licence specified below. The required attribution is: © 2008, Jeremy Atherton.
This work is licensed under the
(Wikipedia)


Cupola in The Servite Mother Church,
Photo: 10 June 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: sailko
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Servite Order.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Today, The Liturgy honours seven noble Florentines, who, 
“in 1223, enriched The Church with a new Religious Family” (Collect). They received, by a providential circumstance, from the mouth of little children (Introit) the name of “Servants of Mary”.

Illustrious by their birth, these Founders became still more so by the salutary influence of their Order (Communion) in France, Germany, and Poland. “Their Race endures for ever and their glory shall never be dimmed” (Epistle), for they survive in their Disciples.


English: Servite Church, InnsbruckAustria
Deutsch: Servitenkirche, InnsbruckÖsterreich
Photo: 11 July 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Andrew Bossi
(Wikimedia Commons)

Leaving everything, they retire to Monte Senario, near Florence, Italy, atone by their austerities for the sins of guilty men [Hymn at Matins] and, clothed in mourning Habit, shown to them by The Virgin, they constantly meditate on The Passion of Jesus and The Dolours of Mary at the foot of The Cross (Collect, Postcommunion).

“Burning with love for The Sorrowful Mother of Jesus” (Secret), “let us join in the tears” (Collect) of the Saints whom we honour, today, in order that “deserving to enjoy the Fruits of Christ’s Redemption” (Postcommunion), “we may also have a share in their joys” (Collect).

Mass: Justi decantavérunt.
Commemoration: Of the Feria in Lent.
Last Gospel: Of the Feria in Lent.


Alexis Falconieri ( 1310),
one of The Seven Founders of The Servite Order.
Date: 2 October 2008.
Author: D0bermalek
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

The Servite Order is one of the five original Catholic Mendicant Orders

Its objects are the Sanctification of its Members, Preaching the Gospel, and the propagation of Devotion to The Mother of God, with special reference to her Sorrows.

The Members of the Order use O.S.M. (Ordo Servorum Beatæ Mariæ Virginis) as their Post-Nominal Letters. The male Members are known as Servite Friars, or, Servants of Mary.

The Order of Servants of Mary (The Servites) is a Religious Family that embraces a Membership of Friars (Priests and Brothers), Contemplative Nuns, a Congregation of Active Sisters and Lay Groups.

11 February, 2026

Thanksgiving During And After Mass.



The High Altar,
Saint John Cantius Church,
Chicago, United States of America.
Photo Credit: www.pinterest.com



Text is from Saint Mary Immaculate Parish,
Plainfield, Illinois.

Their Web-Site can be found



Prayers Before Mass.

Almighty and ever-living God, I approach 
the Sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, 
Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain 
of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and 
poor and needy to the Lord of Heaven and Earth.

Amen.



Prayer After Mass.

Lord Jesus Christ, take all my freedom, my memory,
my understanding, and my will. All that I have 
and cherish You have given me.

I surrender it all to be guided by Your will.

Your Grace and Your Love are enough for me.
Give me these, Lord Jesus, and I ask for nothing more.

Amen.
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