This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at, CANTICUM SALOMONIS
Rouen Cathedral.
Illustration: SHUTTERSTOCK
The Cathedral Church of Notre-Dame, Rouen, France.
Illustration: CANTICUM SALOMONIS
Illustration: CANTICUM SALOMONIS
Rouen Cathedral.
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Jean-Baptiste Le Brun des Marettes (1651-1731), also known as Sir de Moléon, was a Rouennais editor attached to The Abbey of Port-Royal.
After his Father was imprisoned for his support of The Jansenists, de Moléon and the rest of the family were taken in by the Community of Port-Royal. He pursued a minor career in editing, wrote also a Life of Saint Paulinus and translated The Works of Lactantius and Saint Prosper. But we are most indebted to him for his Work "Voyages Liturgiques de France, Paris", 1718, reprinted 1757, a lengthy account of the author’s observations of Liturgical Ceremonies in the Major Churches and Monasteries of The Gallican Church.
The Text is a valuable eye-witness source for Gallican Liturgical practices in the 17th-Century, cited by Jungmann more than fifty times, as De Moléon notes both what he sees being practiced and what he finds in the most ancient Ordinaries of the Communities he visits.
One of the most remarkable objects to behold, in these accounts, is the richness and integrity of The Life of The Cathedral Chapters, the large Clerical Communities of The Great Cathedrals, who, alone, made it possible to execute The Solemn Liturgical Services of The Church, in all their fullness, on every Day of the Year. It is largely to the passing of such Communities that the diminution of the splendour of Western Liturgical Life in the intervening Centuries can be attributed. [1]
“The taste I have always had,
for the Rites and Ancient Customs of The Churches
of France, has led me to undertake many journeys
throughout the Provinces of France.
“I have visited the greater part of the most-
well-known Churches and Cathedrals, and
I believe that, in the course of these journeys,
I have made some discoveries in Ecclesiastical and Pagan Antiquity that may be of some use
to the public and, especially, to The Church.”
English: Rouen Cathedral, Seine-Maritime, Normandie, France.
Two 16th-Century Stained-Glass Windows, in The South Transept,
telling the story of Saint Romain.
telling the story of Saint Romain.
Français: Notre-Dame de Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandie, France.
Deux vitraux du XVIè siècle dans le bras sud du transept,
relatant l'histoire de Saint Romain.
relatant l'histoire de Saint Romain.
Photo: 4 September 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174
(Wikimedia Commons)
Rouen, the Capital City of The Second Lyonnaise, also known as The Province of Neustria, called "Normandy", ever since The Normans made themselves its masters, is situated on The Bank of The River Seine (ad Sequanam). It is one of the most beautiful Cities of The Realm. In Latin, it is called Rotomagus and, sometimes, the Ancients called it "Rotomus" and "Rodomus".
In the City of Rouen, France, and its outskirts, there are thirty-six Parish Churches and about Fifty Religious Houses, of both sexes, and, in the Diocese, twenty-six Abbeys, a number of Priories, Chapels, and Sick-Houses; ten Collegiate Churches of Canons, and 1,388 Parishes, or Curacies, distributed among six Archdeacons and twenty-seven Rural Deans, all under the Dean of the Curates of the City and Suburbs, who is called The Dean of Christendom (Doyen de la Chrétienté), in Latin, "Decanus Christianitatis". He is named by the Archbishop and must be a Curate of the City, "intra muros", and not from the outskirts. He does not have a Seat in Choir among the Canons of the Cathedral, but he has the right to wear the Habit of a Canon.
The Church of Rouen has always been highly distinguished. From the 4th-Century A.D., onward, it flourished in piety, according to the testimony of Saint Paulinus in his Letter to Saint Victrix, where he speaks very highly of the people of Rouen. In the 12th-Century, it was the most famous of all the Churches, not only in Normandy but even of England and Aquitaine, according to Richard II, King of England and Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine.
The Church of Rouen has always been highly distinguished. From the 4th-Century A.D., onward, it flourished in piety, according to the testimony of Saint Paulinus in his Letter to Saint Victrix, where he speaks very highly of the people of Rouen. In the 12th-Century, it was the most famous of all the Churches, not only in Normandy but even of England and Aquitaine, according to Richard II, King of England and Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine.
Rouen was called Holy, "Sancta Rotomagensis Ecclesia", by the Kings of France and England and many Prelates. One more sign, that it was so impressive for its piety in the 12th-Century, is that Saint Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, recommended himself to the Prayers, Fastings, and other Good Works, of this Church and of the whole people of Rouen.
The Nave of the Cathedral Church is quite large and stately, with Galleries that run all the way across under Stained-Glass Windows. In total, it is four hundred and eight feet long; the Nave is two hundred and ten feet long; the Choir is one hundred and ten feet long; and the Chapel of The Virgin Mary is eighty-eight feet long.
The Nave of the Cathedral Church is quite large and stately, with Galleries that run all the way across under Stained-Glass Windows. In total, it is four hundred and eight feet long; the Nave is two hundred and ten feet long; the Choir is one hundred and ten feet long; and the Chapel of The Virgin Mary is eighty-eight feet long.
The Nave of Notre-Dame de Rouen Cathedral
Photo: 14 May 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: DXR
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Crossing is 164 feet long; The whole Cathedral is very well proportioned and paved with large Liais Stones. There is one Aisle on each side of The Choir and Nave, and, beside it, another Aisle, which is entirely occupied by Chapels on each side. They are very beautiful and well-kept, and were decorated and furnished thirty or forty years ago through the generosity of many Canons, who also took pains to make the Church much more clear than it had been.[2]
Currently, the Chapels are used for Low Masses. Since Low Masses were never said in the time when this Church was built, these places were probably once used for those who wanted to Pray and meditate, alone, outside the time of The Divine Offices, as well as to bury persons who were important for their piety or rank, as we see in the thirty-second Letter of Saint Paulinus, who had several Churches built in Nola, Italy, which bear a very close resemblance to our own. There we see that The High Altar was under a large "Conque", or, "Cupola", and that on each side there were two smaller Cupolas, one serving as a Sacristy, as it still does in the Cathedral Church of Rouen, and the other for keeping the Holy Books and Writings of The Fathers.
Only Major Canons can Serve as Sub-Deacon and Deacon, and say Mass at The High Altar; not even The King’s Almoner could say a Low Mass there in the presence of His Majesty, unless he were a Bishop that The Chapter had invited.
The Chapter is composed of ten Dignitaries and fifty one Canons, counting the Archbishop, who is also a Canon, and, in this capacity, has a voice in The Chapter, where he holds the first place and presides. All the Canonries and all the Dignitaries of the Cathedral Church are his to nominate, except the High-Dean, who is elected by The Chapter.
In addition, there are eight Minor Canons, who receive fifteen Marks and fifteen Pounds, have no voice in Chapter, and sit in The Second Row of Stalls, with the Chaplains, Cantors, and Musicians.
There are also four Colleges of Chaplains and Cantors. One of them, called Alban, was Founded by Pierre de Colmieu, Cardinal of Albano (and, formerly, Archbishop of Rouen) for ten Cantors, of which four are Priests, three Deacons, and three Sub-Deacons, all of whom must live together in the same house or under the same roof and live in community. Only fifty years ago, they were still living this way and doing Table Readings.[3]
The Statutes forbid them to frequent Taverns, jeux de paume,[4] boules,[5] and other public places, or to play "brelans" or "berlans" [6]; to bring dogs into the Church, under pain of monetary fine; to rent their rooms in the college; to carry Breviaries or other books to Choir [7], nor to read during The Office, or to begin a Verse until the other side [Editor: Of The Choir] had entirely finished singing its own.[8]
They are obliged to know The Psalter and Chant, by heart, for the Chanting is done from memory in this illustrious Church, as in Lyon. There is only one Book for The Lessons, and another for The Short Chapters and Collects.
The Major Canons, even those who Chant four or five Responsories on Semi-Double and Greater Feasts, and who wear Copes on Double and Triple Feasts, are obliged to know by heart everything they Chant, and the Musicians, as well, unless they are Chanting a Mass "Sur Le Livre" [9]
In the Church of Rouen, Second Vespers are always less Solemn than First Vespers, no matter The Feast. Apparently, this is because, immediately after Second Vespers, the Solemnity of The Feast ended, and, afterwards, it was permitted to do servile labour, again. This was the practice already at the end of the 11th-Century, as I gather from The Benedictine Scholar, Dom Godin, in his "Notes On A Council of Rouen [10], held in 1072, from The Councils of Compiègne, and Lyon, from The Capitularies of Charles the Bald and Louis the Fair, which made it obligatory to stop manual labour, beginning with First Vespers, in imitation of God’s command to the Jews "A vespera ad vesperam celebrabitis Sabbata vestra (Lev. 23:32).
Though this policy, with regard to ceasing from manual labour, has changed, and is now only observed from midnight to midnight, nevertheless, this Church has always retained its ancient practice in the Celebration of Sundays and Feasts, beginning to Celebrate them with First Vespers [11]
I do not know precisely when this practice changed as a public expression in Normandy. It could not have been very long ago, because the very old women in The Norman Countryside still refrain from spinning on Saturday afternoon. Moreover, in Rouen, even the Artisans of most Trades do not dare to work on the evenings of Solemn Vespers after the first sounding of First Vespers, according to their statutes.
Only Major Canons can Serve as Sub-Deacon and Deacon, and say Mass at The High Altar; not even The King’s Almoner could say a Low Mass there in the presence of His Majesty, unless he were a Bishop that The Chapter had invited.
The Chapter is composed of ten Dignitaries and fifty one Canons, counting the Archbishop, who is also a Canon, and, in this capacity, has a voice in The Chapter, where he holds the first place and presides. All the Canonries and all the Dignitaries of the Cathedral Church are his to nominate, except the High-Dean, who is elected by The Chapter.
In addition, there are eight Minor Canons, who receive fifteen Marks and fifteen Pounds, have no voice in Chapter, and sit in The Second Row of Stalls, with the Chaplains, Cantors, and Musicians.
There are also four Colleges of Chaplains and Cantors. One of them, called Alban, was Founded by Pierre de Colmieu, Cardinal of Albano (and, formerly, Archbishop of Rouen) for ten Cantors, of which four are Priests, three Deacons, and three Sub-Deacons, all of whom must live together in the same house or under the same roof and live in community. Only fifty years ago, they were still living this way and doing Table Readings.[3]
The Statutes forbid them to frequent Taverns, jeux de paume,[4] boules,[5] and other public places, or to play "brelans" or "berlans" [6]; to bring dogs into the Church, under pain of monetary fine; to rent their rooms in the college; to carry Breviaries or other books to Choir [7], nor to read during The Office, or to begin a Verse until the other side [Editor: Of The Choir] had entirely finished singing its own.[8]
They are obliged to know The Psalter and Chant, by heart, for the Chanting is done from memory in this illustrious Church, as in Lyon. There is only one Book for The Lessons, and another for The Short Chapters and Collects.
The Major Canons, even those who Chant four or five Responsories on Semi-Double and Greater Feasts, and who wear Copes on Double and Triple Feasts, are obliged to know by heart everything they Chant, and the Musicians, as well, unless they are Chanting a Mass "Sur Le Livre" [9]
In the Church of Rouen, Second Vespers are always less Solemn than First Vespers, no matter The Feast. Apparently, this is because, immediately after Second Vespers, the Solemnity of The Feast ended, and, afterwards, it was permitted to do servile labour, again. This was the practice already at the end of the 11th-Century, as I gather from The Benedictine Scholar, Dom Godin, in his "Notes On A Council of Rouen [10], held in 1072, from The Councils of Compiègne, and Lyon, from The Capitularies of Charles the Bald and Louis the Fair, which made it obligatory to stop manual labour, beginning with First Vespers, in imitation of God’s command to the Jews "A vespera ad vesperam celebrabitis Sabbata vestra (Lev. 23:32).
Though this policy, with regard to ceasing from manual labour, has changed, and is now only observed from midnight to midnight, nevertheless, this Church has always retained its ancient practice in the Celebration of Sundays and Feasts, beginning to Celebrate them with First Vespers [11]
I do not know precisely when this practice changed as a public expression in Normandy. It could not have been very long ago, because the very old women in The Norman Countryside still refrain from spinning on Saturday afternoon. Moreover, in Rouen, even the Artisans of most Trades do not dare to work on the evenings of Solemn Vespers after the first sounding of First Vespers, according to their statutes.
English: Rouen Cathedral
The Church was the tallest building in the World
(1876-1880), with a height of 151 metres (495 feet).
Français: La cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen vue du Gros-Horloge
Photo: 15 February 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: DXR
(Wikimedia Commons)
If they are found working by the guards or judges of their Trade, who purposely make their visits on those days, they are charged a fine. I have observed this many times in Rouen. On the principal Feasts, The City Gates are closed, except for a little gate.Here are some Customs and Ceremonies taken from the ancient Ordinal and Ceremonial of Rouen, which is nearly six hundred and fifty years old.[12]
The Canons of Rouen lived in Community, at least around the year 1000 A.D., and were called Brothers (Frères). From the epitaph of Guillaume Bonne-ame (+ 1110), we can see that they had a Cloister, "Fratribus hanc aedem cum claustro composuisti".
They said Vespers at the beginning of Night, "imminente nocte", as, formerly, in The Church of Paris. Hence, this Office is called "Lucernarum" or, "Lucernalis Hora", because, in fact, they made use of light to Chant the Prayers. (See “Bourges” and “Lyon.”). For the same reason, they bring Candlesticks, Lighted Candles, or "Bougies". This Office is when they light their Candles.
The Altar was Incensed during the Versicle before The Magnificat. The Versicle "Dirigatur oratio mea sicut incensum" is, apparently, the literal reason for this. Furthermore, this Versicle is not said on Ferial Days, when there is no Incensation.
They said Vespers at the beginning of Night, "imminente nocte", as, formerly, in The Church of Paris. Hence, this Office is called "Lucernarum" or, "Lucernalis Hora", because, in fact, they made use of light to Chant the Prayers. (See “Bourges” and “Lyon.”). For the same reason, they bring Candlesticks, Lighted Candles, or "Bougies". This Office is when they light their Candles.
The Altar was Incensed during the Versicle before The Magnificat. The Versicle "Dirigatur oratio mea sicut incensum" is, apparently, the literal reason for this. Furthermore, this Versicle is not said on Ferial Days, when there is no Incensation.
English: Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Rouen, France.
The entrance to The Libraries.
Français: Notre-Dame de Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandie, France.
Portail des libraires.
Photo: 4 September 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174
(Wikimedia Commons)
Outside of Sundays and Feasts, after The Magnificat Antiphon, they always said The Preces before the Collect, as The Carthusians still do, and the famous Church of Lyon. After Vespers, they still busied themselves with manual labour.
Before Compline, they had a Reading from The Conferences of Cassian, or, The Dialogues of Saint Gregory, or other works containing examples of The Saints suitable to encourage one to good actions. "In Completorii hora nos contra noctis insidias munientes . . . quam lectio praecedit de exemplis Sanctorum Patrum excitandas in in bono animas fratrum".
They rose at Midnight (as they still do in Paris) to say The Vigils, or Nocturns, later called Matins. This lasted in Rouen until 1325, when they began to be said later on account of certain night terrors which troubled them at that time, according to The Chronicle of Saint Lô. In other manuscript memoirs, however, one finds that in 1324 there was a Statute made in the Church of Rouen decreeing that Matins would no longer be said at Midnight because one Canon had been killed by a thief on his way to Matins.
They began with "Domine labia mea aperies", according to the ancient Ordinal of Rouen "Quia somno dominante hucusque conticuimus, Dominum deprecamur, ut labia nostra ad laudem suam pronuntiandam aperire dignetur". I also read, in Amalarius: "Congrue juxta consuetudinem Romanae Ecclesiae, a somno surgentes dicimus primo, Domine labia mea aperies"". Elsewhere, this Verse is called "Versus apertionis", because it is with this Verse that they first opened their mouths immediately after rising to sing God’s praises.
Properly speaking, the "Domine labia mea aperies" is a preparation for saying The Office. What certain devout people think should be said before this is nothing but a preparation for the preparation, which is against the axiom of philosophy "non datur dispositio dispositionis [13] Lauds has the same Ritual as Vespers.
Every time they Chanted "The Gloria Patri", The Canons and other Ecclesiastics turned toward the Altar and bowed, as The Canons of Lyon and The Choir Boys in all Cathedral Churches still do.
The Antiphon of Prime was taken from one of the Psalms, like that of Compline, no matter what Feast Day it might be. This was changed only one hundred years ago.
After Prime, during the year, and after Terce, in Lent, The Canons went to Chapter, where they held The Reading of The Martyrology (they still do this currently outside of Solemn Feasts), then The Necrology, or Obituary, and, finally, The Rule of Canons [14] "Inde recitetur lectio Regulae Canonicalis. Deiinde culpae examinentur, examinatio canonicaliter exerceatur". They held an examination of faults and punished them as they deserved, as we still find in a 450-year-old Ordinal, where it is written "Post hæc solent recitari marantiæ [15] et offensæ diei et horarum præcedentium, et ibi puniri".
The Canons did not venture to leave The Choir without The Dean’s permission, nor the other Ecclesiastics without the permission of The Cantor.
THE DIVINE MASS.
At that time in Rouen, The Mass was said almost exactly as at Lyon. On Ferial Days, there was only one Candle-Bearer, as at Tours, Orléans, etc. On Feast Days, there were two Candle-Bearers. The Celebrant, with his Ministers, left the Sacristy at the Gloria Patri of the Introit, as in Lyon. After the Confiteor, the Celebrant kissed the Deacon and Sub-Deacon. After a Collect, the Celebrant bowed to the deacon, the Deacon to the Sub-Deacon, and the Sub-Deacon to the Choir, with reciprocal inclinations.
Then, the Celebrant went up to the Altar, and the Deacon, as well, who, after kissing the two corners of the Altar, presented the Gospel Book to the Celebrant to be kissed. The Celebrant also kissed the middle of the Altar. Then, the Priest went to The Right Side of the Altar, followed by the Deacon, who remained standing until the Priest gave the sign to sit. They sat when the Kyrie Eleison began. Note that the Celebrant did not read the Introit, nor the Kyrie, at the Altar.
The Candle-Bearers, placed at the Southern corner, held their Candles up toward the North. At the beginning of the Kyrie, they put them down in the same place. They held them up in the same place while the Priest Chanted the Collects, and very probably faced that direction to give light to the Celebrant.
Sometimes, they added a third Candle, apparently on Double Feasts. On Major Feasts, there were seven Candle-Bearers. After the Collect, they placed the Candles from East to West.
When the Deacon was not performing a function at the Altar, he was in the Choir, as in The Church of Lyon.
At the Gloria In Excelsis, the Celebrant Incensed the Altar. Currently, he does it during the Kyrie (while the Acolyte Incenses the Clergy during the Gloria In Excelsis and Credo).
When the Sub-Deacon began the Epistle, the Celebrant sat and made the sign to the Deacon to sit, as well "Incipiente subdiacono Epistolam, sacerdos iuxta altare sedeat, et diacono in loco suo sedere innuat". From this, we can tell that the Priest did not read it at the Altar (nor elsewhere, since there is no mention of it). The Epistle and Gospel were Chanted from the Jubé on Feast Days, as well as the Gradual and Alleluia, which were Chanted ""per rotulos" as in Lyon, on Ivory Tablets [16] This may be what the ancient Ordinal calls "tabulas osseas quas tenent in manibus".
When the Deacon and Sub-Deacon use Folded Chasubles, i.e. on Ember Saturdays and during all of Advent and Lent (except Feast Days), the Sub-Deacon took off his Chasuble before reading the Epistle and put it on again after reading. Immediately before reading the Gospel, the Deacon wrapped his Chasuble around over his Left Shoulder, tying it under his Right Arm. He wore it this way until the Communion, when he put it back on as at the beginning of Mass. (This is also the practice observed currently.)
When it was time to go to the Jubé, the Celebrant put Incense in the Thurible and incensed the Altar. Then the Deacon, having asked and received the Priest’s Blessing, went to the Jubé, carrying the Gospel Book resting on his Left Shoulder, preceded by a Sub-Deacon, who held a Pillow, by Candle-Bearers, and a Thurifer. (It is the same, today, except that the Sub-Deacon does not carry a Pillow). The Deacon, standing in the highest part of the Jubé, between two Candles, Chanted the Gospel, toward the North, after having Incensed it. They came back from the Jubé in the same order they went to it.
After the Gospel, they extinguished the Candles.
The Celebrant was Incensed after the Sub-Deacon had presented the Gospel Book for him to kiss. The Deacon kissed it, thereafter, and, on Sundays and Feasts, the Sub-Deacon would then take it to be kissed by the Clergy. This is still done, today, except that the Deacon does not kiss it. I do not see the reason for this: He used to kiss it, before. The Sub-Deacon kissed it last of all.
The Offertory Antiphon always had Verses, as at Lyon, and they are still preserved in some Sunday Masses, and especially in Masses of The Dead. A more modern Ordinal of The Church of Rouen forbade their omission under pain of Anathema, unless the Priest was ready to say the Preface "Statutum est in ecclesia Rotomagensi per totum annum versus Offerendarum secundum suum ordinem cantare, et sub anathemate jussum ne dimittantur propter cleri negligentiam, nisi presbyter fuerit promptus ad Per omnia". And so some [viz. the longer ones] were omitted.. When this happens in Lyon, the Verses are not omitted. Instead, the last Verses are sung more quickly, as I have seen done on The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, when there were four Verses to the Offertory with the repetition of the Antiphon, or first Verse only, after the asterisk, as they do for the Offertory of The Mass for The Dead [17]
The Sub-Deacon gave the Bread and Wine to the Deacon, and the Deacon to the Priest, like today. On Major Feasts, the Cantor gave the Water, covered with a Towel, to the Deacon, who poured it into the Chalice, as the Cantor still does in Angers on the most Solemn Feasts, which they call "Jours de Fêtage.[18] On other days, it was the Acolyte who gave the Water, as he still does at present.
The Chalice was not placed in the middle of the Corporal, as today, but to the Right of the Host, and on the same line. The same arrangement is found in the Ordo Romanus, Amalarius, the Micrologus, and Radulphus of Rivo. The Chalice was covered, not by a Pall, but by the Corporal, just as they do today in Lyon and among the Carthusians, who have not innovated in this matter.
Next, the Priest Incensed the Offerings and gave the Thurible to the Deacon, who, after Incensing around the Altar, Incensed the Celebrant, then gave the Thurible to the Acolyte, who proceeded to Incense the Clergy and the People.
The Deacon took the Paten from the Altar and gave it to the Sub-Deacon, and the Sub-Deacon gave it, wrapped in a Veil, to an Acolyte, if there was one,[19] as in Paris and Tours. Otherwise, he held it himself, as is done in Rouen, today.
I have said that it was the Deacon who took it from the Altar, because the Sub-Deacon was not allowed to take anything Sacred from the Altar. "Non licet enim", says the ancient Ordinal, "quidquam sacri ab altari auferre alicui nisi Diacono vel Sacerdoti". This is still diligently observed in the Cathedral Church, where the Sub-Deacon even brings the Chalice with both his hands covered by a Veil, and takes it back to the Sacristy, during the last Collects of The Mass, in the same way, after the Deacon has purified it and helped him place it in the large Veil. Thus, the Sub-Deacon never touches it at all, which he was prohibited from doing by Canon 21 of The Council of Laodicea.
Everything else, until the Canon, has nothing particular.
During the Canon, the Deacon, Thurifer, and Candle-Bearers, stood bowing behind the Celebrant, but the Sub-Deacon was bowed in front of the Priest, facing him, as at Lyon. Note that, at that time, there was no Retable, or Altarpiece, above the Altar, which was a simple Table, entirely unattached to anything else, without a Retable, like the arrangement today in the Cathedral Churches of Lyon, Chalon-sur-Saône, and Blois, and the Morning Mass Altar in Bourges, and Mâcon. On Solemn Feasts with seven Sub-Deacons, they stood in a line behind the Altar, facing the Priest; the seven Deacons stood also in a line behind the Priest.
Neither in the ancient Ordinal of Rouen, nor in the Ordo Romanus, nor in any of the ancient authors or interpreters of The Divine Offices, is there any mention of The Elevation of The Host and Chalice, separately, but only of one Elevation immediately before the Pater or during the Pater.
It is marked in the 1516 Missal of Rouen that, at the Prayer "Supplices te rogamus", the Priest bowed profoundly before the Altar, his hands not joined, like today, but crossed (Right over Left) until "ex hac altaris participatione". The same is found in the three Missals of England and Scotland, before their separation from The Catholic Church, in the Missals of Orléans (1504), Vienne (1519), Lyon (1530), and (I believe) in all the Missals of France until the time of Pope Saint Pius V, who made this change in his Missal that has been followed almost everywhere.
At "Per quem haec omnia, Domine", the Deacon approached the Altar and took the Corporal from the Chalice, which he uncovered with the Priest.
There is a note that the Priest touched the four sides of the Chalice with the Host: Oblata quatuor partes calicis tangat. This is also found in the ancient Ordo Romanus and in Ivo of Chartres, Letter 233. (The new Rubricists make it a matter of great scruple for the Priest, and insist that he must take care that the Host does not touch the Chalice while he says "Sanctitas", and the rest. This is certainly because they do not know the real reason for this practice.)
After breaking the Host in three parts, the Priest puts the smallest particle in the Chalice and the two others on the Paten, as today. He, the Deacon, and the Sub-Deacon, took Communion from the larger of the two particles, while the other was reserved for the "Viaticum Of The Dying", "Tertia, Viaticum Morientis. [ . . . ]
The Priests and Ministers of the Altar received Communion under the two Species, separately. The Priest received, as Priests do, today. The Deacon and Sub-Deacon received the Priest’s kiss, they kissed his hand when he presented them a particle of The Sacred Host. Then the Priest took a bit of The Precious Blood, with a small particle of The Host, and gave the rest to the Deacon and Sub-Deacon to drink, as they do today at Cluny and Saint-Denys, in France, [20] [ . . . ]
After Communion, the Priest did not effect an Ablution. Rather, while the Ministers took Communion from the Chalice, an Acolyte brought another Vessel to wash the Priest’s hands, as observed today in Lyon, Chartres, and among the Carthusians, and as they did in Rouen until a Century ago. The purpose of this form of Ablution is so that the Priest is not obliged to drink what is rinsed from his fingers
The Sub-Deacon helped the Deacon purify the Chalice and Paten. (Only the Deacon does this, today, in the Cathedral Church of Rouen, and in Lyon, while the Sub-Deacon carries the Book to the other side of the Altar.) An Acolyte received the Chalice and Paten, wrapped in a large Veil.
It is not said that the Priest read the Communion Antiphon, but only the [Post-Communion] Prayer, preceded and followed by "Dominus vobiscum" and then the "Ite, missa est" or "Benedicamus Domino", chanted by the Deacon. "Clero respondente Deo gratias, officium finiat". The Mass and all The Divine Offices finished in this way. What has been added on later [i.e. The Last Gospel] is very modern, from a Century, or Century and a half, ago, as we can see in the old Books. The people of Rouen are not even accustomed to it, yet. When the Priest has given the Blessing, everyone leaves. Finally, if Sext is to be said, the Choir begins the "Deus in adjutorium", immediately, without any regard for the Priest if he is reciting The Last Gospel. We have already seen that the Celebrant does not recite it at High Masses in most Churches of France.
NOTES:
[1] Letter 18. Des Marettes edited a Collection of Saint Paulinus’ Writings.
[2] Perhaps referring to the removal of Altars and other elements in the Nave, which accelerated in the Late-17th-Century. The appeal to “clarity” was often used to justify clearing away objects, such as Rood Screens, that impeded a clear view of the Choir and Nave. See Fr. Thiers’ Work on The History Of Jubés In France.
[3] By The High Middle Ages, most Cathedral Chapters no longer observed the full Community Life. Canons lived in their own houses in Town (with other Clerics and Choir Students) or within the Cathedral compound, attending Offices, but not Dining or Reading "In Common". Their Vicars and the Chaplains of the Cathedral, however, often organised into Chapters, to live The Community Life that the Canons themselves were failing to uphold. To observe, that the Alban Chapter was “doing Table Readings”, is to say that they were not only eating together but keeping the ancient Monastic Rule of Silence during meals.
[4] A Ball-and-Court game, precursor of Tennis.
[5] Any of a number of games, like Bocce, that involve throwing Balls at small targets.
[6] Three-person Card games
[7] Perhaps because they were to have the Office memorised.
[8] Another sign of careful observance: As less-than-enthusiastic Communities would have sped through the required Psalms.
[9] Abbé Jean Prim, “Chant sur le Livre” in French Churches in the 18th-Century,” Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 14, No. 1 (Spring, 1961), pp. 37-49; Jean-Paul Montagnier, “Le Chant sur le Livre au XVIIIe siècle: les Traités de Louis-Joseph Marchand et Henry Madin,” Revue de Musicologie, T. 81, No. 1 (1995), pp. 37-63.
[10] Recueil des décrets des Conciles et des Synodes de l’église de Rouen; actually published by Dom Pommeraye.
[11] Under Canon Law, Liturgical Days began to be considered to take place from Midnight to Midnight, so it was licit to continue working after First Vespers. Similarly, Pre-Vatican II Fasts were Midnight-to-Midnight.
[12] Several Liturgical Books from the period survive. See the Usuarium database.
[13] He is criticising the Prayer “Aperi, Domine, os meum . . .” which was never obligatory, but extremely common, until Pope Saint John XXIII removed it from the "Editio Typica" of The Breviary and suppressed the Indulgences attached to its recitation.
[14] i.e., The Rule of Saint Augustine.
[15] Du Cange; MARANCIA, Dolor, qui concipitur ex aliquo damno, vox a Marrire, et Marritio deducta : unde postmodum traducta ad ipsas mulctas aut pœnas, quæ præ levioribus delictis, vel pro defectibus seu absentia irrogatur : nostris vulgo Marance.
[16] See The Post on Vienne.
[17] The issue is long Offertories that lasted longer than the Offertory Ritual. In Rouen, the Verses are dropped if the Priest was ready. In Lyons, they just sang the Verses more quickly, and repeated part of the Response (after the asterisk) rather than the whole Response. There were always varied customs about what Response to sing; all of it, or part of it, and which part. Different MSS say different things, or do not mark it at all.
[18] This is an ancient aspect of the Roman Rite, as seen in the Ordo Romanus I. See also Gemma animae 1.38.
[19] In the Ordo Romanus I, the Acolyte holds the Paten.
[20] On the Greek Mass of Saint Denis.
They rose at Midnight (as they still do in Paris) to say The Vigils, or Nocturns, later called Matins. This lasted in Rouen until 1325, when they began to be said later on account of certain night terrors which troubled them at that time, according to The Chronicle of Saint Lô. In other manuscript memoirs, however, one finds that in 1324 there was a Statute made in the Church of Rouen decreeing that Matins would no longer be said at Midnight because one Canon had been killed by a thief on his way to Matins.
Illustration: SHUTTERSTOCK
They began with "Domine labia mea aperies", according to the ancient Ordinal of Rouen "Quia somno dominante hucusque conticuimus, Dominum deprecamur, ut labia nostra ad laudem suam pronuntiandam aperire dignetur". I also read, in Amalarius: "Congrue juxta consuetudinem Romanae Ecclesiae, a somno surgentes dicimus primo, Domine labia mea aperies"". Elsewhere, this Verse is called "Versus apertionis", because it is with this Verse that they first opened their mouths immediately after rising to sing God’s praises.
Properly speaking, the "Domine labia mea aperies" is a preparation for saying The Office. What certain devout people think should be said before this is nothing but a preparation for the preparation, which is against the axiom of philosophy "non datur dispositio dispositionis [13] Lauds has the same Ritual as Vespers.
Every time they Chanted "The Gloria Patri", The Canons and other Ecclesiastics turned toward the Altar and bowed, as The Canons of Lyon and The Choir Boys in all Cathedral Churches still do.
The Antiphon of Prime was taken from one of the Psalms, like that of Compline, no matter what Feast Day it might be. This was changed only one hundred years ago.
After Prime, during the year, and after Terce, in Lent, The Canons went to Chapter, where they held The Reading of The Martyrology (they still do this currently outside of Solemn Feasts), then The Necrology, or Obituary, and, finally, The Rule of Canons [14] "Inde recitetur lectio Regulae Canonicalis. Deiinde culpae examinentur, examinatio canonicaliter exerceatur". They held an examination of faults and punished them as they deserved, as we still find in a 450-year-old Ordinal, where it is written "Post hæc solent recitari marantiæ [15] et offensæ diei et horarum præcedentium, et ibi puniri".
The Canons did not venture to leave The Choir without The Dean’s permission, nor the other Ecclesiastics without the permission of The Cantor.
THE DIVINE MASS.
At that time in Rouen, The Mass was said almost exactly as at Lyon. On Ferial Days, there was only one Candle-Bearer, as at Tours, Orléans, etc. On Feast Days, there were two Candle-Bearers. The Celebrant, with his Ministers, left the Sacristy at the Gloria Patri of the Introit, as in Lyon. After the Confiteor, the Celebrant kissed the Deacon and Sub-Deacon. After a Collect, the Celebrant bowed to the deacon, the Deacon to the Sub-Deacon, and the Sub-Deacon to the Choir, with reciprocal inclinations.
Then, the Celebrant went up to the Altar, and the Deacon, as well, who, after kissing the two corners of the Altar, presented the Gospel Book to the Celebrant to be kissed. The Celebrant also kissed the middle of the Altar. Then, the Priest went to The Right Side of the Altar, followed by the Deacon, who remained standing until the Priest gave the sign to sit. They sat when the Kyrie Eleison began. Note that the Celebrant did not read the Introit, nor the Kyrie, at the Altar.
The Candle-Bearers, placed at the Southern corner, held their Candles up toward the North. At the beginning of the Kyrie, they put them down in the same place. They held them up in the same place while the Priest Chanted the Collects, and very probably faced that direction to give light to the Celebrant.
Sometimes, they added a third Candle, apparently on Double Feasts. On Major Feasts, there were seven Candle-Bearers. After the Collect, they placed the Candles from East to West.
When the Deacon was not performing a function at the Altar, he was in the Choir, as in The Church of Lyon.
At the Gloria In Excelsis, the Celebrant Incensed the Altar. Currently, he does it during the Kyrie (while the Acolyte Incenses the Clergy during the Gloria In Excelsis and Credo).
When the Sub-Deacon began the Epistle, the Celebrant sat and made the sign to the Deacon to sit, as well "Incipiente subdiacono Epistolam, sacerdos iuxta altare sedeat, et diacono in loco suo sedere innuat". From this, we can tell that the Priest did not read it at the Altar (nor elsewhere, since there is no mention of it). The Epistle and Gospel were Chanted from the Jubé on Feast Days, as well as the Gradual and Alleluia, which were Chanted ""per rotulos" as in Lyon, on Ivory Tablets [16] This may be what the ancient Ordinal calls "tabulas osseas quas tenent in manibus".
When the Deacon and Sub-Deacon use Folded Chasubles, i.e. on Ember Saturdays and during all of Advent and Lent (except Feast Days), the Sub-Deacon took off his Chasuble before reading the Epistle and put it on again after reading. Immediately before reading the Gospel, the Deacon wrapped his Chasuble around over his Left Shoulder, tying it under his Right Arm. He wore it this way until the Communion, when he put it back on as at the beginning of Mass. (This is also the practice observed currently.)
When it was time to go to the Jubé, the Celebrant put Incense in the Thurible and incensed the Altar. Then the Deacon, having asked and received the Priest’s Blessing, went to the Jubé, carrying the Gospel Book resting on his Left Shoulder, preceded by a Sub-Deacon, who held a Pillow, by Candle-Bearers, and a Thurifer. (It is the same, today, except that the Sub-Deacon does not carry a Pillow). The Deacon, standing in the highest part of the Jubé, between two Candles, Chanted the Gospel, toward the North, after having Incensed it. They came back from the Jubé in the same order they went to it.
After the Gospel, they extinguished the Candles.
The Celebrant was Incensed after the Sub-Deacon had presented the Gospel Book for him to kiss. The Deacon kissed it, thereafter, and, on Sundays and Feasts, the Sub-Deacon would then take it to be kissed by the Clergy. This is still done, today, except that the Deacon does not kiss it. I do not see the reason for this: He used to kiss it, before. The Sub-Deacon kissed it last of all.
The Offertory Antiphon always had Verses, as at Lyon, and they are still preserved in some Sunday Masses, and especially in Masses of The Dead. A more modern Ordinal of The Church of Rouen forbade their omission under pain of Anathema, unless the Priest was ready to say the Preface "Statutum est in ecclesia Rotomagensi per totum annum versus Offerendarum secundum suum ordinem cantare, et sub anathemate jussum ne dimittantur propter cleri negligentiam, nisi presbyter fuerit promptus ad Per omnia". And so some [viz. the longer ones] were omitted.. When this happens in Lyon, the Verses are not omitted. Instead, the last Verses are sung more quickly, as I have seen done on The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, when there were four Verses to the Offertory with the repetition of the Antiphon, or first Verse only, after the asterisk, as they do for the Offertory of The Mass for The Dead [17]
The Chalice was not placed in the middle of the Corporal, as today, but to the Right of the Host, and on the same line. The same arrangement is found in the Ordo Romanus, Amalarius, the Micrologus, and Radulphus of Rivo. The Chalice was covered, not by a Pall, but by the Corporal, just as they do today in Lyon and among the Carthusians, who have not innovated in this matter.
Next, the Priest Incensed the Offerings and gave the Thurible to the Deacon, who, after Incensing around the Altar, Incensed the Celebrant, then gave the Thurible to the Acolyte, who proceeded to Incense the Clergy and the People.
The Deacon took the Paten from the Altar and gave it to the Sub-Deacon, and the Sub-Deacon gave it, wrapped in a Veil, to an Acolyte, if there was one,[19] as in Paris and Tours. Otherwise, he held it himself, as is done in Rouen, today.
I have said that it was the Deacon who took it from the Altar, because the Sub-Deacon was not allowed to take anything Sacred from the Altar. "Non licet enim", says the ancient Ordinal, "quidquam sacri ab altari auferre alicui nisi Diacono vel Sacerdoti". This is still diligently observed in the Cathedral Church, where the Sub-Deacon even brings the Chalice with both his hands covered by a Veil, and takes it back to the Sacristy, during the last Collects of The Mass, in the same way, after the Deacon has purified it and helped him place it in the large Veil. Thus, the Sub-Deacon never touches it at all, which he was prohibited from doing by Canon 21 of The Council of Laodicea.
Everything else, until the Canon, has nothing particular.
During the Canon, the Deacon, Thurifer, and Candle-Bearers, stood bowing behind the Celebrant, but the Sub-Deacon was bowed in front of the Priest, facing him, as at Lyon. Note that, at that time, there was no Retable, or Altarpiece, above the Altar, which was a simple Table, entirely unattached to anything else, without a Retable, like the arrangement today in the Cathedral Churches of Lyon, Chalon-sur-Saône, and Blois, and the Morning Mass Altar in Bourges, and Mâcon. On Solemn Feasts with seven Sub-Deacons, they stood in a line behind the Altar, facing the Priest; the seven Deacons stood also in a line behind the Priest.
Neither in the ancient Ordinal of Rouen, nor in the Ordo Romanus, nor in any of the ancient authors or interpreters of The Divine Offices, is there any mention of The Elevation of The Host and Chalice, separately, but only of one Elevation immediately before the Pater or during the Pater.
It is marked in the 1516 Missal of Rouen that, at the Prayer "Supplices te rogamus", the Priest bowed profoundly before the Altar, his hands not joined, like today, but crossed (Right over Left) until "ex hac altaris participatione". The same is found in the three Missals of England and Scotland, before their separation from The Catholic Church, in the Missals of Orléans (1504), Vienne (1519), Lyon (1530), and (I believe) in all the Missals of France until the time of Pope Saint Pius V, who made this change in his Missal that has been followed almost everywhere.
At "Per quem haec omnia, Domine", the Deacon approached the Altar and took the Corporal from the Chalice, which he uncovered with the Priest.
There is a note that the Priest touched the four sides of the Chalice with the Host: Oblata quatuor partes calicis tangat. This is also found in the ancient Ordo Romanus and in Ivo of Chartres, Letter 233. (The new Rubricists make it a matter of great scruple for the Priest, and insist that he must take care that the Host does not touch the Chalice while he says "Sanctitas", and the rest. This is certainly because they do not know the real reason for this practice.)
After breaking the Host in three parts, the Priest puts the smallest particle in the Chalice and the two others on the Paten, as today. He, the Deacon, and the Sub-Deacon, took Communion from the larger of the two particles, while the other was reserved for the "Viaticum Of The Dying", "Tertia, Viaticum Morientis. [ . . . ]
The Priests and Ministers of the Altar received Communion under the two Species, separately. The Priest received, as Priests do, today. The Deacon and Sub-Deacon received the Priest’s kiss, they kissed his hand when he presented them a particle of The Sacred Host. Then the Priest took a bit of The Precious Blood, with a small particle of The Host, and gave the rest to the Deacon and Sub-Deacon to drink, as they do today at Cluny and Saint-Denys, in France, [20] [ . . . ]
After Communion, the Priest did not effect an Ablution. Rather, while the Ministers took Communion from the Chalice, an Acolyte brought another Vessel to wash the Priest’s hands, as observed today in Lyon, Chartres, and among the Carthusians, and as they did in Rouen until a Century ago. The purpose of this form of Ablution is so that the Priest is not obliged to drink what is rinsed from his fingers
The Sub-Deacon helped the Deacon purify the Chalice and Paten. (Only the Deacon does this, today, in the Cathedral Church of Rouen, and in Lyon, while the Sub-Deacon carries the Book to the other side of the Altar.) An Acolyte received the Chalice and Paten, wrapped in a large Veil.
It is not said that the Priest read the Communion Antiphon, but only the [Post-Communion] Prayer, preceded and followed by "Dominus vobiscum" and then the "Ite, missa est" or "Benedicamus Domino", chanted by the Deacon. "Clero respondente Deo gratias, officium finiat". The Mass and all The Divine Offices finished in this way. What has been added on later [i.e. The Last Gospel] is very modern, from a Century, or Century and a half, ago, as we can see in the old Books. The people of Rouen are not even accustomed to it, yet. When the Priest has given the Blessing, everyone leaves. Finally, if Sext is to be said, the Choir begins the "Deus in adjutorium", immediately, without any regard for the Priest if he is reciting The Last Gospel. We have already seen that the Celebrant does not recite it at High Masses in most Churches of France.
NOTES:
[1] Letter 18. Des Marettes edited a Collection of Saint Paulinus’ Writings.
[2] Perhaps referring to the removal of Altars and other elements in the Nave, which accelerated in the Late-17th-Century. The appeal to “clarity” was often used to justify clearing away objects, such as Rood Screens, that impeded a clear view of the Choir and Nave. See Fr. Thiers’ Work on The History Of Jubés In France.
[3] By The High Middle Ages, most Cathedral Chapters no longer observed the full Community Life. Canons lived in their own houses in Town (with other Clerics and Choir Students) or within the Cathedral compound, attending Offices, but not Dining or Reading "In Common". Their Vicars and the Chaplains of the Cathedral, however, often organised into Chapters, to live The Community Life that the Canons themselves were failing to uphold. To observe, that the Alban Chapter was “doing Table Readings”, is to say that they were not only eating together but keeping the ancient Monastic Rule of Silence during meals.
[4] A Ball-and-Court game, precursor of Tennis.
[5] Any of a number of games, like Bocce, that involve throwing Balls at small targets.
[6] Three-person Card games
[7] Perhaps because they were to have the Office memorised.
[8] Another sign of careful observance: As less-than-enthusiastic Communities would have sped through the required Psalms.
[9] Abbé Jean Prim, “Chant sur le Livre” in French Churches in the 18th-Century,” Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 14, No. 1 (Spring, 1961), pp. 37-49; Jean-Paul Montagnier, “Le Chant sur le Livre au XVIIIe siècle: les Traités de Louis-Joseph Marchand et Henry Madin,” Revue de Musicologie, T. 81, No. 1 (1995), pp. 37-63.
[10] Recueil des décrets des Conciles et des Synodes de l’église de Rouen; actually published by Dom Pommeraye.
[11] Under Canon Law, Liturgical Days began to be considered to take place from Midnight to Midnight, so it was licit to continue working after First Vespers. Similarly, Pre-Vatican II Fasts were Midnight-to-Midnight.
[12] Several Liturgical Books from the period survive. See the Usuarium database.
[13] He is criticising the Prayer “Aperi, Domine, os meum . . .” which was never obligatory, but extremely common, until Pope Saint John XXIII removed it from the "Editio Typica" of The Breviary and suppressed the Indulgences attached to its recitation.
[14] i.e., The Rule of Saint Augustine.
[15] Du Cange; MARANCIA, Dolor, qui concipitur ex aliquo damno, vox a Marrire, et Marritio deducta : unde postmodum traducta ad ipsas mulctas aut pœnas, quæ præ levioribus delictis, vel pro defectibus seu absentia irrogatur : nostris vulgo Marance.
[17] The issue is long Offertories that lasted longer than the Offertory Ritual. In Rouen, the Verses are dropped if the Priest was ready. In Lyons, they just sang the Verses more quickly, and repeated part of the Response (after the asterisk) rather than the whole Response. There were always varied customs about what Response to sing; all of it, or part of it, and which part. Different MSS say different things, or do not mark it at all.
[18] This is an ancient aspect of the Roman Rite, as seen in the Ordo Romanus I. See also Gemma animae 1.38.
[19] In the Ordo Romanus I, the Acolyte holds the Paten.
[20] On the Greek Mass of Saint Denis.
A fascinating, thorough, and very informative essay on the liturgical life of the great French cathedrals and their canon chapters...With beautiful images, as well. Thank you, “Dom” Zephyrinus!
ReplyDeleteA pleasure, Dante Peregrinus. The Liturgical Life captured in these writings from “Voyages Liturgiques” enable us to see how precious The Daily Life of The Church was viewed in those times. Let us all sincerely hope, and Pray, that some of that precious appreciation comes back to The Church in these Modern Times.
ReplyDeleteI have just found this - a wonderful source for understanding the liturgy at Rouen. Many thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteDelighted, “Once I was a Clever Boy”, that you enjoyed this particular Article and found it of use for your researches. Thank you for your welcome Comment.
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