Gothic (Part Six).

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

Bristol Cathedral, England.

Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity.

[Editor: A new Nave, harmonious in style with the Eastern End, 

was added between 1868 and 1877 by George Edmund Street.]

The unique "Lierne" Vaulting of the Choir and Tower 

can be seen here from Street's Nave, 

with clustered Columns and Purbeck Marble Shafts.

Photo: April 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Adrian Pingstone Arpingstone.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Depressed, or Four-Centred Arch, is much wider than its height and gives the visual effect of having been flattened under pressure. Its structure is achieved by drafting two arcs, which rise steeply from each springing point on a small radius, and then turn into two Arches, with a wide radius and much lower springing point.

This type of Arch, when employed as a window opening, lends itself to very wide spaces, provided it is adequately supported by many narrow vertical Shafts. These are often further braced by horizontal Transoms. The overall effect produces a grid-like appearance of regular, delicate, rectangular forms with an emphasis on the perpendicular. It is also employed as a wall decoration, in which Arcade and window openings form part of the whole decorative surface.

The Gloucester Cathedral Cloisters 

are the earliest surviving Fan Vaults, 

having been constructed in the Mid-14th-Century. 

The Cloisters were used in several of the Harry Potter films.

Photo: 29 August 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Saffron Blaze.

Permission: Outside of Wikimedia Foundation projects, 

attribution is to be made to:

W. Lloyd MacKenzie, via Flickr @ 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saffron_blaze/.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The style, known as Perpendicular, that evolved from this treatment, is specific to England, although very similar to contemporary Spanish style in particular, and was employed to great effect through the 15th-Century and first half of the 16th-Century, as Renaissance styles were much slower to arrive in England than in Italy and France.

It can be seen notably at the East End of Gloucester Cathedral, where the East Window is said to be as large as a tennis court. There are three very famous Royal Chapels and one Chapel-like-Abbey which show the style at its most elaborate: King's College Chapel, Cambridge; Saint George's Chapel, Windsor; Henry VII's Chapel at Westminster Abbey; and Bath Abbey. However, very many simpler buildings, especially Churches built during the Wool boom in East Anglia, are fine examples of the style.

King's College Chapel, 

Cambridge, England.

Photo: 4 July 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Antoine Tavenaux.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Gothic Cathedral represented the Universe, in microcosm, and each architectural concept, including the loftiness and huge dimensions of the structure, were intended to convey a Theological message: The great glory of God. The building becomes a microcosm in two ways: Firstly, the mathematical and geometrical nature of the construction is an image of the orderly Universe, in which an underlying rationality and logic can be perceived;

Secondly, the Statues, sculptural decoration, Stained Glass and murals incorporate the essence of Creation, in depictions of the Labours of the Months, and the Zodiac, and Sacred History from the Old and New Testaments and Lives of the Saints, as well as reference to the Eternal in the Last Judgment and Coronation of the Virgin.

The decorative schemes usually incorporated Biblical stories, emphasising visual typological allegories between Old Testament Prophecy and the New Testament.

English: Chapter House of Westminster Abbey, London. 14th-Century Wall Paintings.

Deutsch: Wandmalereien im Kapitelhaus der Westminster Abbey London.

Photo: 27 September 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Klaus D. Peter, Wiehl, Germany.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Many Churches were very richly decorated, both inside and out. Sculpture and architectural details were often bright, with coloured paint, of which traces remain at the Cathedral of Chartres. Wooden ceilings and panelling were usually brightly coloured. Sometimes, the Stone Columns of the Nave were painted, and the panels in decorative Wall Arcading contained narratives or figures of Saints. These have rarely remained intact, but may be seen at the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey.

Some important Gothic Churches could be severely simple, such as the Basilica of Mary Magdalene, in Saint-Maximin, Provence, France, where the local traditions of the sober, massive, Romanesque architecture were still strong.

Gloucester Cathedral, England,

lit by the setting Sun.

Photo: 4 May 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Saffron Blaze.

Permission: Outside of Wikimedia Foundation projects, 

attribution is to be made to:

W. Lloyd MacKenzie, via Flickr @ 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saffron_blaze/

(Wikimedia Commons)

Wherever Gothic architecture is found, it is subject to local influences, and frequently the influence of itinerant stonemasons and artisans, carrying ideas between cities and sometimes between countries. Certain characteristics are typical of particular regions and often override the style itself, appearing in buildings hundreds of years apart.

The distinctive characteristic of French Cathedrals, and those in Germany and Belgium that were strongly influenced by them, is their height and their impression of verticality. Each French Cathedral tends to be stylistically unified in appearance, when compared with an English Cathedral, where there is great diversity in almost every building. They are compact, with slight or no projection of the Transepts and subsidiary Chapels. The West Fronts are highly consistent, having three Portals, surmounted by a Rose Window, and two large Towers. Sometimes, there are additional Towers on the Transept Ends. The East End is polygonal, with Ambulatory and, sometimes, a Chevette of Radiating Chapels. In the South of France, many of the major Churches are without Transepts and some are without Aisles.

English: Amiens Cathedral, Somme, Picardie, France. The Chancel.

Français: Notre-Dame d'Amiens, Somme, Picardie, France. Le chœur.

Photo: 2 September 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The distinctive characteristic of English Cathedrals is their extreme length, and their internal emphasis upon the horizontal, which may be emphasised visually, as much, or more than, the vertical lines. Each English Cathedral (with the exception of Salisbury Cathedral) has an extraordinary degree of stylistic diversity, when compared with most French, German and Italian Cathedrals. 

It is not unusual for every part of the building to have been built in a different century, and in a different style, with no attempt at creating a stylistic unity. Unlike French Cathedrals, English Cathedrals sprawl across their sites, with Double Transepts projecting strongly, and Lady Chapels tacked on at a later date. 

In the West Front, the doors are not as significant as in France, the usual congregational entrance being through a Side Porch. The West Window is very large and never a Rose Window, which are reserved for the Transept Gables. The West Front may have two Towers, like a French Cathedral, or none. There is nearly always a Tower at The Crossing and it may be very large and surmounted by a Spire. The distinctive English East End is square, but it may take a completely different form. Both Internally and Externally, the stonework is often richly decorated with carvings, particularly the Capitals.

English: Avranches Cathedral, France.

Français: Église Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Avranches, France.

Photo: 17 April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Avranches Cathedral, France.

Français: Église Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Avranches, France.

Photo: 17 April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Romanesque architecture in Germany, Poland, The Czech Republic, and Austria, is characterised by its massive and modular nature. This is expressed in the Gothic architecture of Central Europe in the huge size of the Towers and Spires, often projected, but not always completed.

The West Front generally follows the French formula, but the Towers are very much taller, and, if complete, are surmounted by enormous Openwork Spires that are a regional feature. Because of the size of the Towers, the section of the façade that is between them may appear narrow and compressed. 

The Eastern End follows the French form. The distinctive character of the Interior of German Gothic Cathedrals is their breadth and openness. This is the case even when, as at Cologne Cathedral, they have been modelled upon a French Cathedral. German Cathedrals, like the French, tend not to have strongly projecting Transepts. There are also many Hall Churches (Hallenkirchen) without Clerestory windows.

PART SEVEN FOLLOWS.

Miserere Mei Deus (Psalm 50). Gregorio Allegri (1582 - 1652).

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

Gregorio Allegri Romano, Italian composer.

Creator: Caldwall, James, 1739-1819.

Engraver: Aquila, Francesco Faraone (1676 - 1740).

Medium: Etching.

Source: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?

(Wikimedia Commons)

Miserere Mei Deus,

by

Gregorio Allegri

(1582 - 1652).

Available on YouTube

at

http://youtu.be/Psf5Cqjpt7I.

Miserere, (full title: Miserere mei, Deus, Latin for "Have mercy on me, O God") by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri, is a setting of Psalm 51 (50) composed during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, probably during the 1630s, for use in the Sistine Chapel during matins, as part of the exclusive Tenebrae service on Holy Wednesday and Good Friday of Holy Week.

The Miserere is written for two choirs, one of five voices and one of four voices, and is an example of Renaissance polyphony 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 piece is an example of the stile antico or prima pratica; however, its constant use of the dominant seventh chord and its emphasis on polychoral techniques certainly put it out of the range of prima pratica; a more accurate comparison would be to the works of Giovanni Gabrieli.

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.

Salamanca Cathedral. The Old Cathedral.

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

"Torre del Gallo" of the 

Romanesque Old Cathedral 

of Salamanca, Spain.

Photo: 15 October 2006.

Source: Flickr.

Author: chicadelatele.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: View of Salamanca, Spain. 

The Old Cathedral is on the left. The New Cathedral is on the right.

Español: Vista de la ciudad Salamanca desde el parador de turismo.

Photo: 16 April 2008.

Source: flickr: Salamanca.

Author: Alejandro Flores from Sevilla, Spain.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Old Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral Vieja de Santa María) is one of two Cathedrals in Salamanca, Spain, the other being the New Cathedral of Salamanca.

It was founded by Bishop Jerome of Périgord, in the 12th-Century and completed in Romanesque/Gothic style in the 14th-Century. It is dedicated to Santa Maria de la Sede (Saint Mary of the See).

The Apse houses a large Cycle of fifty-three Tablets, twelve of which are by the 15th-Century Italian artist, Dello Delli, depicting the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. A fresco of the Final Judgement is over them. Juan Francés de Iribarren was organist at the Old Cathedral in 1717–1733.

Español: Retablo de la catedral Vieja de Salamanca (España) de 1430-1450. Las obras principales corresponden al artista Italiano Daniel Delli, más conocido como Dello Delli, a él corresponden las 12 primeras tablas, que son sin duda las que mayor calidad tienen. El retablo presenta un ciclo de la vida de la Vírgen María y de Jesucristo. El retablo está presidido por una imagen conocida como la Virgen de la Vega, patrona de la ciudad.

English: Altarpiece in the Old Cathedral of Salamanca, Spain, circa 1430-1450. The works 

are by the Italian artist, Daniel Delli, better known as Dello Delli. The first 12 Tablets 

belong to him and have the best quality. The Altarpiece shows a Cycle in the life of 

the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. This Altarpiece is lead by an image, known as 

the Virgin of the Vega, Patron of the city of Salamanca.

Photo: November 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lourdes Cardenal.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Old Cathedral, Salamanca, Spain.

Photo: 4 July 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: NVZ2013.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Sebastian de Vivanco's "O Rex Gloriae".
Depicting The Old Cathedral at Salamanca, Spain.

Available on YouTube at http://youtu.be/w1uF1hWEiOY

Salamanca Old Cathedral.
A video tour.
Available on YouTube
at
http://youtu.be/etdZtkey8hY.

Hymn Of The Cherubim. Tchaikovsky.

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(1840-1893).

Published: 1906.

Source: Tchaikovsky By Edwin Evans, 

Published by J.M. Dent & Co. in London 

and E.P. Dutton & Co. in New York, 1906. 

Portrait from frontispiece.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Hymn of the Cherubim.

by

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(1840-1893).

Available on YouTube 

at

https://youtu.be/_qSUB2Z8NVs

Gothic (Part Five).

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

Sainte Chapelle, Paris, France.

Photo: 14 October 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Didier B (Sam67fr).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The façade of a large Church or Cathedral, often referred to as the West Front, is generally designed to create a powerful impression on the approaching worshipper, demonstrating both the might of God and the might of the institution that it represents. One of the best known, and most typical of such façades, is that of Notre Dame de Paris.

Central to the façade is the main Portal, often flanked by additional doors. In the Arch of the door, the Tympanum, is often a significant piece of sculpture, most frequently Christ in Majesty and Judgment Day. If there is a central Door Jamb, or a Trumeau, then it frequently bears a statue of the Madonna and Child. There may be much other carving, often of figures in Niches set into the mouldings around the Portals, or in sculptural screens extending across the façade.

Facade of Orvieto Cathedral, Italy.

Photo: 14 September 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Adonovan0.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Above the main Portal, there is generally a large window, like that at York Minster, or a group of windows, such as those at Ripon Cathedral. In France, there is generally a Rose Window, like that at Reims Cathedral. Rose Windows are also often found in the façades of Churches of Spain and Italy, but are rarer elsewhere and are not found on the façades of any English Cathedrals. The gable is usually richly decorated with Arcading or sculpture, or, in the case of Italy, may be decorated with the rest of the façade, with polychrome marble and mosaic, as at Orvieto Cathedral.

English: Notre-Dame de Paris. 

South facade. View from the River Seine.

Italiano: La cattedrale di Notre Dame de Paris vista dalla Senna.

Photo: 28 April 2009.

Source: Zuffe.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The West Front of a French Cathedral, and many English, Spanish and German Cathedrals, generally have two Towers, which, particularly in France, express an enormous diversity of form and decoration. However, some German Cathedrals have only one Tower, located in the middle of the façade (such as Freiburg Minster, Germany).

The way in which the Pointed Arch was drafted and utilised developed throughout the Gothic period. There were fairly clear stages of development, which did not, however, progress at the same rate, or in the same way in every country. Moreover, the names used to define various periods or styles, within the Gothic, differ from country to country.

The simplest shape is the long opening with a Pointed Arch, known in England as the Lancet. Lancet openings are often grouped, usually as a cluster of three or five. Lancet openings may be very narrow and steeply pointed. Lancet Arches are typically defined as two-centered Arches whose radii are larger than the Arch's span.

Windows in the Chapter House at York Minster show the

Equilateral Arch with typical circular motifs in the Tracery.

Photo: 19 December 2003.

Source: Own work.

Author: Andy Barrett (User:Big Smooth).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Salisbury Cathedral is famous for the beauty and simplicity of its Lancet Gothic, known in England as the Early English Style. York Minster has a group of Lancet Windows each fifty feet high and still containing ancient glass. They are known as the Five Sisters. These simple undecorated grouped windows are found at Chartres Cathedral and Laon Cathedral and are used extensively in Italy.

Many Gothic openings are based upon the Equilateral form. In other words, when the Arch is drafted, the radius is exactly the width of the opening, and the centre of each Arch coincides with the point from which the opposite Arch springs. This makes the Arch higher, in relation to its width, than a semi-circular Arch, which is exactly half as high as it is wide.

The Equilateral Arch gives a wide opening of satisfying proportion, useful for doorways, decorative Arcades and large windows.

The Depressed Arch, supported by Fan Vaulting, 

at King's College Chapel, England.

Photo: July 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Agnete.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The structural beauty of the Gothic Arch means, however, that no set proportion had to be rigidly maintained. The Equilateral Arch was employed as a useful tool, not as a Principle of Design. This meant that narrower or wider Arches were introduced into a building Plan, wherever necessity dictated. In the architecture of some Italian cities, notably Venice, semi-circular Arches are interspersed with Pointed Arches.

The Equilateral Arch lends itself to filling with Tracery of simple equilateral, circular and semi-circular forms. The type of Tracery that evolved, to fill these spaces, is known in England as Geometric Decorated Gothic, and can be seen to splendid effect at many English and French Cathedrals, notably Lincoln Cathedral and Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris. Windows of complex design, and of three or more Lights, or vertical sections, are often designed by overlapping two or more Equilateral Arches.

The Flamboyant Arch is one that is drafted from four points, the upper part of each main arc turning upwards into a smaller arc and meeting at a sharp, flame-like point. These Arches create a rich and lively effect when used for Window Tracery and surface decoration. The form is structurally weak and has very rarely been used for large openings, except when contained within a larger and more stable Arch. It is not employed at all for Vaulting.

Flamboyant Window Tracery 

at Limoges Cathedral, France.

Photo: 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: TTaylor.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Limoges Cathedral, France.

Français: Vue nocturne de la cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Limoges,

Haute-Vienne, France.

Photo: 20 December 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Babsy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Some of the most beautiful and famous Traceried Windows of Europe employ this type of Tracery. It can be seen at St Stephen's Vienna, Sainte Chapelle in Paris, at the Cathedrals of Limoges and Rouen, in France, and at Milan Cathedral, in Italy. In England, the most famous examples are the West Window of York Minster, with its design based on the Sacred Heart, the extraordinarily-rich seven-light East Window at Carlisle Cathedral and the exquisite East Window of Selby Abbey.

Doorways, surmounted by Flamboyant mouldings, are very common in both ecclesiastical and domestic architecture in France. They are much rarer in England. A notable example is the doorway to the Chapter Room at Rochester Cathedral, Kent, England.

The style was much used in England for Wall Arcading and Niches. Prime examples are in the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral, the Screen at Lincoln Cathedral, and externally on the façade of Exeter Cathedral. In German and Spanish Gothic architecture, it often appears as Openwork Screens on the exterior of buildings. The style was used to rich, and sometimes extraordinary, effect in both these countries, notably on the famous pulpit in Vienna Cathedral.

PART SIX FOLLOWS.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, V.H.M. Virgin. Feast Day 17 October.

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

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, V.H.M..
Virgin.
Feast Day 17 October.

Double.
White Vestments.

Deutsch: Margaretha Maria Alacoque. Kath. Pfarrkirche St. Gordian und Epimachus, Merazhofen, Stadt Leutkirch im Allgäu, Landkreis Ravensburg. Chorgestühl, 1896, Bildhauer: Peter Paul Metz.

English: Margaret Mary Alacoque. Catholic Parish Church of Saint Gordian and Saint Epimachus, Merazhofen, Germany. Sculptor: Peter Paul Metz, 1896.

Polski: Małgorzata Maria Alacoque. Rzeźba z kościoła parafialnego pw. św. Gordona i Epimachusa w Merazhofen (Niemcy). Autor dzieła: Peter Paul Metz, 1896.

Photo: May 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Andreas Praefcke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, V.H.M. (French: Marguerite-Marie Alacoque) (1647-1690), was a French Roman Catholic Nun and Mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form [Editor: The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (V.H.M.), or the Visitation Order, is a Roman Catholic Religious Order for women. Members of the Order are also known as the Salesian Sisters, or, more commonly, as the Visitandines.]

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was born in 1647, in L'Hautecour, France, now part of the Commune of Verosvres, then in the Duchy of Burgundy, the only daughter of Claude Alacoque and Philiberte Lamyn, who had also several sons. From early childhood, Margaret was described as showing intense love for the Blessed Sacrament, and as preferring silence and Prayer to childhood play.

After her First Communion, at the age of nine, she practised in secret severe corporal mortification, until rheumatic fever confined her to bed for four years. At the end of this period, having made a vow to the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to Religious Life, she was instantly restored to perfect health. In recognition of this favour, she added the name "Mary" to her Baptismal name of "Margaret". According to her later account of her life, she had visions of Jesus Christ, which she thought were a normal part of human experience, and continued to practice austerity.

English: Apses of the Basilica of Paray-le-Monial, France.

Français: Paray-le-Monial, les apsides.

Photo: 17 August 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jan Sokol.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque lost her father at a young age, and the family's assets were held by a relative, who refused to hand them over, plunging her family into poverty. During this time, her only consolation was frequent visits to Pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the local Church. When she was 17, however, the family regained their fortune and her mother encouraged her to go out into society, in the hopes of her finding a suitable husband. Out of obedience, and believing that her childhood vow was no longer binding, she began to accompany her brothers in the social events of her society, attending dances and balls.

One night, however, she returned home, dressed in her finery, from a ball for Carnival, when she experienced a vision of Christ, scourged and bloody, in which He reproached her for her forgetfulness of Him, and of how His Heart was filled with love for her,due to her promise. As a result, she determined to fulfill her vow, and entered, when almost twenty-four years of age, the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial, on 25 May 1671, intending to become a Nun.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was subjected to many trials to prove the genuineness of her vocation. She was "Admitted to Wearing the Religious Habit" on 25 August 1671, but was not allowed to make her "Religious Profession" on the same date of the following year, which would have been normal. Finally, she was admitted to "Profession" on 6 November 1672.

English: Painting of Jesus appearing to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

The Church of San Michele, Cortemilia, Italy.

Italiano: Cortemilia. Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Michele. Rodolfo Morgari:

Santa Margherita Maria Alacoque e la devozione al Sacro Cuore.

Photo: 6 June 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: User:Giovanni Destefanis.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In this Monastery, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque received several private revelations of the Sacred Heart, the first on 27 December 1673, and the final one eighteen months later. The visions revealed to her the form of the devotion, the chief features being reception of Holy Communion on the First Friday of each month, Eucharistic Adoration during a "Holy Hour" on Thursdays, and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. She stated that, in her vision, she was instructed to spend an hour every Thursday night to meditate on Jesus' Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Holy Hour practice later became widespread among Catholics.

On 27 December 1673, the Feast of Saint John (Apostle and Evangelist), Saint Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her to rest her head upon His Heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of His love, telling her that He desired to make them known to all Mankind and to diffuse the treasures of His goodness, and that He had chosen her for this work.

Initially, discouraged in her efforts to follow the instruction she had received in her visions, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was eventually able to convince her Superior, Mother de Saumaise, of the authenticity of her visions. She was unable, however, to convince a group of Theologians of the validity of her apparitions, nor was she any more successful with many of the Members of her own Community, and suffered greatly at their hands.

English: Painting of Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart, and

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, in adoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Deutsch: Andachtsbild: Jesus offenbart sein Herz (Herz Jesu) der sel. 

Maria Droste zu Vischering und der hl. Margaretha Maria Alacoque.

Photo: 4 March 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Bremond.

(Wikimedia Commons)

She eventually received the support of Saint Claude de la Colombière, S.J., the Community's Confessor for a time, who declared that the visions were genuine. In 1683, opposition in the Community ended when Mother Melin was elected Superior and named Saint Margaret Mary her Assistant. She later became Novice Mistress, and saw the Monastery observe the Feast of the Sacred Heart, privately, beginning in 1686. Two years later, a Chapel was built at the Basilica of Paray-le-Monial to honour the Sacred Heart. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque died on 17 October 1690.

After Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's death, the devotion to the Sacred Heart was fostered by the Jesuits and was the subject of controversies within the Church. The practice was not officially recognised until seventy-five years later.

The discussion of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's own mission and qualities continued for years. All her actions, her revelations, her spiritual maxims, her teachings regarding the devotion to the Sacred Heart, of which she was the chief exponent, as well as the Apostle, were subjected to the most severe and minute examination, and, finally, the Sacred Congregation of Rites passed a favourable vote on the Heroic Virtues of this "Servant of God".

English: Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque contemplating the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Italiano: Santa Margherita Maria Alacoque contempla il Sacro Cuore di Gesù.

Polski: Św. Małgorzata Maria Alacoque adoruje Najświętsze Serce Jezusa.

Date: 1765.

Source: Lib-Art.com.

Author: Giaquito Corrado.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In March 1824, Pope Leo XII pronounced her Venerable and, on 18 September 1864, Blessed Pope Pius IX declared her Blessed. When her tomb was Canonically opened in July 1830, two instantaneous cures were recorded to have taken place. Her incorrupt body rests above the Side Altar in the Chapel of the Apparitions, located at the Visitation Monastery in Paray-le-Monial, and many striking blessings have been claimed by pilgrims attracted there from all parts of the world.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was Canonised by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, and, in 1929, her Liturgical Commemoration was included in the General Roman Calendar for celebration on 17 October, the day of her death.

In his 1928 Encyclical, Miserentissimus Redemptor, Pope Pius XI affirmed the Church's position, regarding the credibility of her visions of Jesus Christ, by speaking of Jesus as having "manifested Himself" to Saint Margaret Mary and having "promised her that all those who rendered this honour to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of Heavenly Graces".

Artist: Antonio Ciseri (1821–1891).

Title: Die Vision des Herzens Jesu der Seligen Marguerite Marie Alacoque.

Date: 1888.

Current location: Florenz, Chiesa del Sacro Cuore, Italy.

Source/Photographer: http://www.kunst-fuer-alle.de/deutsch/kunst/kuenstler/kunstdruck/antonio-ciseri/8632/2/132040/die-vision-des-herzens-jesu-der-seligen-marguerite-marie-alacoque/index.htm.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's short devotional writing, La Devotion au Sacré-Coeur de Jesus (Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus), was published posthumously by J. Croiset in 1698, and has been popular among Catholics.

"And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men, and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of Love, of Mercy, of Grace, of Sanctification and Salvation, which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure Him all the honour and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those Divine Treasures, of which His Heart is the source." — from Revelations of Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

In James Joyce's Short Story, "Eveline", part of his "Dubliners", a "coloured print of the promises made to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque" is mentioned, as part of the decorations of an Irish home at the turn of the 20th-Century, testifying to Saint Margaret Mary's enduring popularity among Irish Catholics.

Saint Hedwig. Patroness of Silesia, Poland. Feast Day 16 October.

Italic Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Non-Italic Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Hedwig.
Widow.

Semi-Double.
White Vestments.

Mass: Cognovi.

The Basilica of Saint Hedwig,

Trzebnica, Poland.

This File: 25 May 2007.

User: Merlin.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Hedwig, of royal birth, and still more illustrious by the innocence of her life, was the daughter of Berthold, Prince of Carinthia, and aunt, on the mother's side, of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.

Having married Henry, Duke of Poland, she fulfilled her duties as wife in so holy a fashion that the Church compares her to the strong woman, whose portrait is drawn for us by the Holy Ghost in today's Epistle.

She had three sons and three daughters. She macerated her body, both by Fasting and Watching [Editor: Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament], and by the roughness of her clothes. She was very charitable to the poor, whom she served at table.

Her husband, the Duke, having died, Hedwig, like the merchant mentioned in the Gospel, gave away all her riches to acquire the precious pearl of eternal life.

After praying earnestly, and under Divine inspiration, she generously exchanged worldly pomp for the life of the Cross (Collect), entering the Cistercian Monastery of Trebnitz, where her daughter was Abbess.

She died on 15 October 1243, and Poland honours her with special veneration.

Saint Hedwig Church in Legnickie Pole, Poland.

Source: http://www.poczta-polska.pl/mw/.

Author: Marek i Ewa Wojciechowscy.

Permission: GFDL

Attribution: © Marek and Ewa Wojciechowscy / Trips over Poland / 

CC-BY-SA-3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 1.0 &; GDFL.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Polski: Kościół św. Jadwigi w Legnickim Polu pierwotnie stanowił kościół przyklasztorny benedyktynów, stąd jest wpisany na listę zabytków wspólnie z dawnym zespołem klasztornym. Obecnie jest zwykłym kościołem parafialnym.

English: The Church of Saint Hedwig, in Legnickie Pole, used to be part of the Benedictine Monastery and therefore it shares the inscription in the cultural monuments registry with the buildings of the former Monastery. Today, it is an ordinary Parish Church.

The Basilica of Saint Jadwiga (English: Hedwig), in Trzebnica, Poland, is a Convent for Cistercian Nuns, situated in Trzebnica (German:Trebnitz), North of Wrocław, in Silesia, Poland, founded in 1203.

After a few decades of abandonment in the 19th-Century, it is an now an Abbey of the Sisters of Mercy of Saint Borromeo, since 1889.

The Abbey was established by the Silesian Piast, Duke Henry I (The Bearded), and his wife, Saint Hedwig of Andechs (Polish: Święta Jadwiga Śląska), confirmed by Pope Innocent III.

The image of Saint Hedwig is

taken from the web-site of

Saint Hedwig Parish,

872, Brunswick Avenue,

Trenton, New Jersey NJ 08638,

United States of America.

www.sainthedwigparish.com

The legend of its foundation relates that Duke Henry, when out hunting, fell into a swamp, from which he could not extricate himself. In return for his rescue from this perilous position, he vowed to build the Abbey. With Hedwig's consent, her brother, Ekbert of Andechs, then Bishop of Bamberg, chose the first Nuns that occupied the Convent.

The first Abbess was Petrussa, from Kitzingen Abbey; she was followed by Gertrude, the daughter of Hedwig. The Abbey was richly endowed with lands by Duke Henry. When Hedwig became a widow in 1238, she went to live at Trzebnica and was finally buried there.

The Church of Saint Hedwig,

Legnickie Pole, Poland.

Source: http://www.poczta-polska.pl/mw/.

Photo: 2007.

Author: Marek i Ewa Wojciechowscy.

Permission: GFDL.

Attribution: © Marek and Ewa Wojciechowscy / Trips over Poland /

CC-BY-SA-3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 1.0 & GDFL.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Up to 1515, the Abbesses were First Princesses of the Piast dynasty and. afterwards, members of the nobility.

It is said that, towards the end of the 13th-Century, the Nuns numbered 120. The Abbey also became a mausoleum of many rulers of the fragmented Silesian Piasts. In 1672, there were 32 Nuns and 6 Lay Sisters; in 1805, there were 23 Nuns and 6 Lay Sisters. At the Protestant Reformation, most of the Nuns were Poles, as were the majority until the 18th-Century.

English: Saint Hedwig of Andechs Church, 

Ząbkowice Śląskie, Poland.

Polski: Zabytkowy kościół 

parafialny p.w. św. Jadwigi w dawnym Sadlnie,

obecnie części Ząbkowic Śląskich.

Photo: July 2011.

Source: Own Work.

Author: 99kerob (Paweł Borkowski)

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Abbey of Trebnitz suffered so greatly during the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648), that the Nuns fled across the border onto the territory of the mostly unaffected Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, as they did again in 1663, when the Turks threatened Silesia.

In 1742, in the aftermath of the First Silesian War and the Treaty of Breslau, Trebnitz found itself under the governance of Protestant Prussia and started to suffer from political discrimination.

The last Abbess, Dominica von Giller, died on 17 August 1810, and on 11 November 1810, the Abbey was suppressed and Secularised, by order of King Frederick William III. The building, which was extensive, was sold later and turned into a cloth factory.

English: Saint Hedwig of Andechs Church, 

Ząbkowice Śląskie, Poland.

Polski: Wnętrze zabytkowego kościoła 

parafialnego p.w. św. Jadwigi w dawnym Sadlnie,

obecnie części Ząbkowic Śląskich.

Photo: July 2011.

Source: Own Work.

Author: 99kerob (Paweł Borkowski)

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 19th-Century, the ruined Abbey was bought by the Knights Hospitaller and, later, by the Order of Sisters of Saint Charles Borromeo, as a hospital.

The Church, a Basilica, has Pillars in the Late-Romanesque style, to which Baroque additions were made from 1741. It features several paintings with scenes from the life of Saint Hedwig by Michael Willmann. After the Secularisation of the Abbey, it became the Trebnitz Parish Church.

English: The Basilica of Saint Hedwig, Trzebnica, Poland.

Polski: Trzebnica, kościół, ob. par. p.w. śś. Bartłomieja i Jadwigi, 2 poł. XIII.

Photo: 29 June 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Barbara Maliszewska.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: The Basilica of Saint Hedwig, Trzebnica, Poland.

Polski: Trzebnica, kościół, ob. par. p.w. śś. Bartłomieja i Jadwigi, 2 poł. XIII

Photo: 8 April 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Barbara Maliszewska.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The grave of Saint Hedwig is located in a Chapel, to the right of the High Altar, donated by her grandson, Archbishop Ladislaus of Salzburg, in 1267. The grave of Duke Henry I, her husband, is in front of the High Altar.

Among those buried in the Church, are: Henry I (The Bearded), Duke of Silesia-Wrocław, 1238; Saint Hedwig of Andechs, widow, 1243; Konrad von Feuchtwangen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, 1296; Karolina of Legnica-Brieg, last scion of the Silesian Piasts, 1707.

Beautiful. Belle. Schön. Gyönyörű. Bella. Álainn. Lijepa. Smukt. שיין. Vackert. 美しい。. Vakker. Indah. 美丽的。. Hermosa. Красивые.

Illustration from OFFERIMUS TIBI DOMINE

Ave Maria (For Double-Choir) (1572). Tomás Luis De Victoria (1548 - 1611).

Portrait of Tomás Luis de Victoria

(1548 - 1611)

Source: http://web.archive.org/web/20090323042600/http://

www.upv.es/coro/victoria/english.html.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Tomás Luis de Victoria, sometimes Italianised as "da Vittoria" (1548 – 1611), was the most famous composer of the 16th-Century in Spain, and one of the most important composers of the Counter-Reformation, along with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso (Lassus). Victoria was not only a composer, but also an accomplished organist and singer, as well as a Catholic Priest. However, he preferred the life of a composer to that of a performer. He is sometimes known as the "Spanish Palestrina", because he may have been taught by Palestrina.

Ave Maria.

Tomás Luis de Victoria

(1548 - 1611).

Available on YouTube

at

http://youtu.be/YFydkFIXq3w.

Missa Pro Officium Defunctorum. Cristóbal De Morales (1500 – 1553).

Toledo Cathedral, Spain,

where Cristóbal De Morales once worked.

Photo: 5 August 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Nikthestoned.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Cristóbal de Morales (1500 – 1553) was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 - 1611).

Cristóbal de Morales was born in Seville, Spain, and, after an exceptional early education there, which included a rigorous training in the classics as well as musical study with some of the foremost composers, he held posts at Ávila and Plasencia.

Almost all of his music is sacred, and all of it is vocal, though instruments may have been used in an accompanying role in performance. He wrote many Masses, some of spectacular difficulty, most likely written for the expert Papal Choir; he wrote over 100 motets; and he wrote 18 settings of the Magnificat, and at least five settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah (one of which survives from a single manuscript in Mexico).

In addition, he wrote a Missa Pro Defunctis (Requiem Mass). Its peculiarities of transmission, as well as its apparent incomplete editing, suggest that it may be his last work.

The 'Parce Mihi Domine', from his Missa Officium Defunctorum, was used as the key track on the best selling Jazz and Classical Album of 1994, Officium, by Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble.

Missa Pro Officium Defunctorum.

Cristobal De Morales

(1500 - 1553).

Available on YouTube

at

http://youtu.be/v2PZFB-27hM.