The Miserere is written for two Choirs, one of five and one of four voices, and is an example of Renaissancepolyphony surviving to the present day. One of the Choirs sings a simple version of the original Miserere Chant; the other, spatially separated, sings an ornamented "commentary" on this.
The Tenebrae Service, where the Miserere would be sung, normally began at around 3 A.M. During the Ritual, candles would be extinguished, one by one, save for the last candle, which remained alight and was then hidden. Allegri composed his setting of the Miserere for the final act within the first Lesson of the Tenebrae Service.
It was the last of twelve falsobordoneMiserere settings, composed and chanted at the Service since 1514, and is the most popular: at some point, it became forbidden to transcribe the music and it was allowed to be performed only at those particular Services, thus adding to the mystery surrounding it.
Writing it down or performing it elsewhere was punishable by excommunication. The setting that escaped from the Vatican is actually a conflation of verses set by Gregorio Allegri, around 1638, and Tommaso Bai (also spelled "Baj"; 1650–1718) in 1714.
Based upon John the Baptist's reference, in John 1:29, to Jesus ("Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world"), the text in Latin is: Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Which means:
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Construction began in 1845 and was completed in 1885. The windows were designed and created by the Belgian stained glass artist, Jean-Baptiste Capronnier.
The building received Protected Status (beschermd erfgoed), through a Royal Decree, which was issued on 9 November 1976.
Text, unless otherwise stated, from The Liturgical Year, by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B. Translated from the French by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B. Volume 14. Time After Pentecost. Book V.
Címerleírás: A Magyar Köztársaság címere hegyes talpú, hasított pajzs. Első mezeje vörössel és ezüsttel hétszer vágott. Második, vörös mezejében zöld hármas halomnak arany koronás kiemelkedő középső részén ezüst kettős kereszt. A pajzson a magyar Szent Korona nyugszik.
The dexter (left side from the viewer's point) features the so-called Árpád stripes, four Argent (silver) and four Gules (red) stripes. Traditionally, the silver stripes represent four rivers:
The sinister (right side from the viewers point) consists of an Argent (silver) double cross on Gules (red) base, situated inside a small Or (golden) crown, the crown is placed on the middle heap of three Vert (green) hills, representing the mountain ranges Tátra, Mátra, and Fátra.
"Out of the eater, came forth meat, and, out of the strong, came forth sweetness [Judges xiv. 14.].
The people with teeth of steel, grinding the nations, gives itself up as food to him, to whom was said: "Kill and eat;" [Saint Peter, in the vision at Joppe, which signified the assimilation of the Gentiles by the Church] the mouth of the Huns, formerly vomiting foam and rage, now distils the honey of Charity.
Such, O Christ, are Thy Miracles; such are Thy Works, O Our God " [Baron. Annal. eccles. Silvestri II. an. 2, Christi 1000].
Thus, does Baronius, on reaching in his history the year of Christ 1000, hail the arrival of the Hungarian Deputies, who came to offer to the Roman Church the suzerainty of their land, and beseech the Vicar of Christ to confer the title of King upon their Duke, Stephen.
Let us read the history of the apostolic King, as given in the book of Holy Church.
Stephen introduced into Hungary both the Faith of Christ and the regal dignity.
He obtained his Royal Crown from the Roman Pontiff; and having been, by his command, anointed King, offered his Kingdom to the apostolic See.
He built several Houses of Charity at Rome, Jerusalem, and Constantinople; and with a wonderfully munificent spirit of religion, he founded the Archiepiscopal See of Gran and ten other Bishoprics.
His love for the poor was equalled only by his generosity towards them; for, seeing in them Christ Himself, he never sent anyone away sad or empty-handed.
The following is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.
2 September. Feast Day of Saint Stephen. King and Confessor.
Semi-Double.
White Vestments.
A descendant of those proud and terrible invaders, the Huns, Stephen was chosen by God to win over his subjects to Christ and His Vicar.
He was given the Baptismal name of Stephen, in consequence of his mother having a vision of the Martyr Saint Stephen, who foretold her that he would convert Hungary, whose first King he became when the Pope had raised the country into a Kingdom.
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Having married the sister of the Emperor, Saint Henry, he surrounded himself, to govern his Kingdom, with men of tried holiness and prudence. He passed entire nights in the contemplation of Heavenly things (Introit), practised the greatest austerities, and, seconded by the Queen, his pious spouse, gave abundant alms (Epistle) to widows, and Churches.
The greatness of his zeal, for the propagation of the Faith, justly won for him the title of "Apostolic King" or "Apostle of Hungary", and deservedly obtained for him from the Holy See the privilege, transmitted to his successors, to have the Cross borne before him.
Pope Francis has called for a day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Syria, in the entire Mid-East region, and throughout the whole world, to be held this coming Saturday, 7 September 2013.
Speaking ahead of the traditional Angelus Prayer, with pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, today, Pope Francis said: “On [Saturday] the 7th of September, here [in St Peter’s Square], from 7 P.M. until Midnight, we will gather together in Prayer, in a spirit of penitence, to ask from God this great gift [of Peace] for the beloved Syrian nation, and for all the situations of conflict and violence in the world.”
The First Saturdays Devotion (or Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary) is a Catholic practice, which, according to the Visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima, and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This Devotion, and the Marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.
The Devotion fits with the Catholic Tradition to Venerate the Virgin Mary, particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, Her Heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic Devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions).
Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday, after Jesus was placed in the Sepulchre (before the Resurrection at Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary, for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard Her promise to grant great Graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the Soul, for the believer who, for Five Consecutive First Saturdays of the Month (five Saturdays in five months), receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:
The Confession can take place days before, or even after, the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation).
The Intention of making Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the ConfessorPriest;
The Holy Communion has to be received within the twenty-four hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance at Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion, as part of this Devotion, must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart.
The Devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the Devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between).
If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilisation, other major event), the Devotee may consult a Priest about receiving Communion privately, or on another day, with the intention of making this Communion as part of the Devotion;
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making Reparation;
A Fifteen-Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary.
This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all fifteen of the Mysteries, or fewer, but must last for fifteen minutes. This Meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone, or in a group, and with or without the aid of Sacred Scripture.
The activities of the Five First Saturdays Devotions are different from similar Devotions on other days, in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making Reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against Her, Her name and Her Holy Initiatives.
Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima Visionary to survive into adulthood, reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her Convent, at Pontevedra, Spain, with the following statement:
Look, my daughter, at My Heart, encircled by these thorns, with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console Me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the Grace necessary for Salvation, all those who, with the intention of making reparation to Me, will, on the First Saturday of Five Consecutive Months, go to Confession, receive Holy Communion, say Five Decades of the Beads, and keep Me company for Fifteen Minutes, while Meditating on the Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary.
The First Saturdays Devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On 1 July 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted Indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of Twelve Consecutive Months in honour of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparitions.
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For part of its history, Ottobeuren Abbey was one of the 40-odd, self-ruling, Imperial Abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire, and, as such, was a virtually independent State. At the time of its dissolution, in 1802, the Imperial Abbey covered 266 square kilometers and had about 10,000 subjects.
It was founded in 764 A.D., by Blessed Toto, and dedicated to Saint Alexander, the Martyr. Of its early history little is known beyond the fact that Toto, its first Abbot, died about 815 A.D., and that Saint Ulrich was its Abbot in 972 A.D.
Rococo interior of Ottobeuren Abbey, Ottobeuren, Germany.
In the 11th-Century, its discipline was on the decline, until Abbot Adalhalm (1082–94) introduced the Hirsau Reform. The same Abbot began a restoration of the decaying buildings, which was completed along with the addition of a Convent for noble Ladies, by his successor, Abbot Rupert I (1102–45). Under the rule of the latter, the newly-founded Marienberg Abbey was recruited with Monks from Ottobeuren Abbey. His successor, Abbot Isengrim (1145–80), wrote Annales minores and Annales majores.
Blessed Conrad of Ottobeuren was Abbot, from 1193 until his death in 1227, and was described by the Benedictines as a "lover of the brethren and of the poor".
In 1153, and again in 1217, the Abbey was consumed by fire. In the 14th-Century and 15th-Century, it declined so completely that, at the accession of Abbot Johann Schedler (1416–43), only six or eight Monks were left, and its annual revenues did not exceed 46 Silver Marks.
Under Abbot Leonard Wiedemann (1508–46), it again began to flourish: He erected a printing establishment and a Common House of Studies for the Swabian Benedictines. The latter, however, was soon closed, owing to the ravages of the Thirty Years' War.
Ottobeuren became an Imperial Abbey in 1299, but lost this status after the Prince-Bishop of Augsburg had become Vogt of the Abbey. These Rights were renounced after a Court Case at the Reichskammergericht in 1624. In 1710, the Abbey regained its status as an Imperial Abbey, but did not become a Member of the Swabian Circle.
The most flourishing period, in the history of Ottobeuren Abbey, began with the accession of Abbot Rupert Ness (1710–40) and lasted until its secularisation in 1802. From 1711-1725, Abbot Rupert erected the present Monastery, the architectural grandeur of which has merited for it the name of "the Swabian Escorial". In 1737, he also began the building of the present Church, completed by his successor, Anselm Erb, in 1766. In the zenith of its glory, Ottobeuren Abbey fell prey to the greediness of the Bavarian Government. In 1803, Ottobeuren became part of Bavaria. At that time, the territory had about 12,000 inhabitants and an area of some 165 km2 (64 sq mi).
As of 1910, the Community consisted of five Fathers, sixteen Lay Brothers, and one Lay Novice, who had, under their charge, the Parish of Ottobeuren, a District School, and an Industrial School for poor boys.
English: The Holy Ghost Organ, Ottobeuren Basilica.
Deutsch: Chorgestühl mit Heilig-Geist-Orgel (F10), Basilika Ottobeuren.
Ottobeuren Abbey has one of the richest music programmes in Bavaria, with concerts every Saturday. Most concerts feature one or more of the Abbey's famous organs. The old organ, the masterpiece of French organ-builder, Karl Joseph Riepp (1710–75), is actually a double organ; it is one of the most treasured historic organs in Europe. It was the main instrument for 200 years, until 1957, when a third organ was added by G. F. Steinmeyer & Co, renovated and augmented in 2002 by Johannes Klais, making 100 stops available on five manuals (or keyboards).
It is considered to be "a turning point in European architecture", one of the most important architectural monuments of its time and one of the finest Romanesque monuments.
In 1981, the Cathedral was added to the UNESCOWorld Heritage List of culturally important sites as "a major monument of Romanesque art in the German Empire".
English: Carcassonne, France. View of the Mediaeval town and vineyards.
Much of Europe was affected by Feudalism, in which peasants held tenure, from local rulers, over the land that they farmed in exchange for military service. The result of this was that they could be called upon, not only for local and regional spats, but to follow their lord to travel across Europe to the Crusades, if they were required to do so.
The Crusades, 1095–1270, brought about a very large movement of people and, with them, ideas and trade skills, particularly those involved in the building of fortifications and the metal-working needed for the provision of arms, which was also applied to the fitting and decoration of buildings. The continual movement of people, Rulers, nobles, Bishops, Abbots, craftsmen and peasants, was an important factor in creating a homogeneity in building methods and a recognisable Romanesque style, despite regional differences.
Life became generally less secure after the Carolingian period. This resulted in the building of Castles at strategic points, many of them being constructed as strongholds of the Normans, descendants of the Vikings, who invaded Northern France in 911 A.D. Political struggles also resulted in the fortification of many towns, or the rebuilding and strengthening of walls that remained from the Roman period. One of the most notable surviving fortifications is that of the city of Carcassonne. The enclosure of towns brought about a lack of living space within the walls, and resulted in a style of town-house that was tall and narrow, often surrounding communal courtyards, as at San Gimignano in Tuscany.
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The Castle at Carcassonne, France.
Photo: 25 July 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: bmsgator.
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In Germany, the Holy Roman Emperors built a number of residences, fortified, but essentially Palaces rather than Castles, at strategic points and on trade routes. The Imperial Palace of Goslar (heavily restored in the 19th-Century) was built in the early 11th-Century by Otto III and Henry III, while the ruined Palace at Gelnhausen was received by Frederick Barbarossa, prior to 1170.
The movement of people and armies also brought about the building of bridges, some of which have survived, including the 12th-Century bridge at Besalú, Catalonia, the 11th-Century Puente de la Reina, Navarre, Spain, and the Pont-Saint-Bénézet, Avignon.
Many towns, such as San Gimignano, Italy, were enclosed with walls,
causing crowding and the building of tower houses.
Across Europe, the Late-11th-Century and 12th-Century saw an unprecedented growth in the number of Churches. A great number of these buildings, both large and small, remain, some almost intact and others altered almost beyond recognition in later centuries.
Many Cathedrals owe their foundation to this date, with others beginning as Abbey Churches, and, later, becoming Cathedrals. In England, of the Cathedrals of ancient foundation, all were begun in this period, with the exception of Salisbury Cathedral, where the Monks relocated from the Norman Church at Old Sarum, and several, such as Canterbury Cathedral, which were rebuilt on the site of Saxon Churches.
In Spain, the most famous Church of the period is Santiago de Compostela. In Germany, the Rhine and its tributaries were the location of many Romanesque Abbeys, notably Mainz, Worms, Speyer and Bamberg. In Cologne, then the largest city North of the Alps, a very important group of large city Churches survives largely intact. As Monasticism spread across Europe, Romanesque Churches sprang up in Scotland, Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary, Sicily, Serbia and Tunisia. Several important Romanesque Churches were built in the Crusader Kingdoms.
It is a Mediaeval Latin poem, characterised by its accentual stress and its rhymed lines. The metre is trochaic. The poem describes the Day of Judgment, the last trumpet summoning Souls, before the Throne of God, where the Saved will be delivered, and the Unsaved cast into eternal flames.
The Hymn is best known from its use as a Sequence in the Roman CatholicRequiemMass (Mass for the Dead or Funeral Mass). An English version is found in various Anglican Communion Missals.
The "Dies Irae" was used in the Roman Liturgy, as the Sequence for the Requiem Mass, for centuries, as evidenced by the important place it holds in musical settings, such as those by Mozart and Verdi. It appears in the Roman Missal of 1962 (the last edition before revisions from the Second Vatican Council were implemented). As such, it is still heard in Churches where the Tridentine Latin Liturgy is celebrated. It also forms part of the Traditional Liturgy of All Souls' Day.
Thanks to the Prayers and petitions of many, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate at Lanherne, have received dispensation from Commissioner, Fr. Fidenzio Volpi OFM Cap., to resume celebration of the Extraordinary form on Sundays and weekdays. The Sisters and Friars extend their gratitude for all the Prayers, works and support that they have received for this end.
