Cluny Abbey.

Reconstructed image of Cluny Abbey III. 

English: Source: This image is taken from Georg Dehio/Gustav von Bezold: Kirchliche Baukunst des Abendlandes. Stuttgart: Verlag der Cotta'schen Buchhandlung 1887-1901, Plate No. 212. 

Due to its age, it is to be used with care. It may not reflect the latest knowledge or the

current state of the depicted structure.

Deutsch: Quelle: Diese Abbildung stammt aus Georg Dehio/Gustav von Bezold: Kirchliche Baukunst des Abendlandes. Stuttgart: Verlag der Cotta'schen Buchhandlung 1887-1901, Tafel 212. Aufgrund ihres Alters ist sie mit Vorsicht zu benutzen. Sie entspricht nicht notwendigerweise dem neuesten Wissensstand oder dem aktuellen Zustand des abgebildeten Gebäudes.

This File: 21 January 2006.

User: Fb78.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Having been prompted by the excellent Post,

entitled " New Fetish: Cluniac Edition", by

THE RAD TRAD on Cluny Abbey III, 

Zephyrinus felt encouraged to complement it

by offering this Post for consideration

(previously Posted in February 2013).

Virtual Reconstruction of Cluny Abbey.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/XhZG7SjX1Lg

Music by Obsidienne / Emmanuel Bonnardot

from the Album "Venite a Laudare".

Track is entitled: Domine ne in furore tuo, motet.

Available for Download from Amazon.

Wells Cathedral (Part One).

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

Fan-Vaulting in

Wells Cathedral.

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK

The West Front of Wells Cathedral,

Wells, Somerset, England.

Photo: 30 April 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

(Wikimedia Commons)

Wells Cathedral is a Church of England place of worship in Wells, Somerset, dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, and is the Seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells.

As with other Cathedrals, it is the Mother Church of the Diocese and contains the Bishop's Throne (Cathedra). The present building dates from 1175 to 1490, an earlier Church having been built on the site in 705 A.D. It is moderately-sized among the Mediaeval Cathedrals of England, falling between those of massive proportion, such as Lincoln Cathedral and York Minster, and the much smaller Cathedrals of Oxford and Carlisle.

With its broad West Front and large Central Tower, it is the dominant feature of its small Cathedral City and a landmark in the Somerset countryside. Wells has been variously described as "unquestionably one of the most beautiful" and as "the most poetic" of English Cathedrals.

Wells Cathedral,

shown in the reflecting pool

of the Bishop's Palace.

Photo: 6 December 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Rodw.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The architecture of the Cathedral presents a harmonious whole, which is entirely Gothic and mostly in a single style, the Early English Gothic of the Late-12th- and Early-13th-Centuries. In this, Wells Cathedral differs from most other English Mediaeval Cathedrals, which have parts in the earlier Romanesque architectural style, introduced to Britain by the Normans in the 11th-Century.

Work on the Cathedral commenced in about 1175, at the Eastern End, with the building of the Choir. The historian John Harvey considers this to be the first truly Gothic structure in Europe, having broken from the last constraints of Romanesque. The stonework of its Pointed Arcades and Fluted Piers is enriched by the complexity of the pronounced Mouldings and vitality of the Carved Capitals, in a Foliate Style known as "Stiff Leaf".

The Exterior has an Early English façade, displaying more than three hundred sculpted figures, and described by Harvey as "the supreme triumph of the combined plastic arts in England". The Eastern End retains much ancient Stained-Glass, which is rare in England.

Visit Wells Cathedral,

Somerset, England.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/tVU8lqrnqTc.

Unlike the many English Cathedrals of Monastic Foundation, Wells Cathedral has an exceptional number of surviving Secular Buildings associated with its Chapter of Secular Canons, such as the Bishop's Palace and the Vicars' Close, a residential street which has remained intact from the 15th-Century. The Cathedral is a Scheduled Monument and is designated by English Heritage as a Grade I Listed Building.

The earliest remains of a building on the site are of a Late-Roman Mausoleum, identified during excavations in 1980. An Abbey Church was built in Wells, in 705 A.D., by Aldhelm, first Bishop of the newly-established Diocese of Sherborne, during the reign of King Ine of Wessex.

It was dedicated to Saint Andrew and stood at the present site of the Cathedral's Cloisters, where some excavated remains can be seen. The Baptismal Font, in the Cathedral's South Transept, is from this Church and is the oldest part of the present building. In 766 A.D., Cynewulf, King of Wessex, signed a Charter endowing the Church with eleven Hides of land. In 909 A.D., the Seat of the Diocese was moved from Sherborne to Wells.

The Great West Door,

Wells Cathedral.

Photo: 2 July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lamiai.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first Bishop of Wells was Athelm (909 A.D.), who crowned King Æthelstan. Athelm and his nephew, Dunstan, both became Archbishops of Canterbury. During this period, a Choir of boys was established to sing the Liturgy. Wells Cathedral School, which was established to educate these Choir boys, dates its Foundation to this point. There is, however, some controversy over this. Following the Norman Conquest, Bishop John de Villula moved the Seat of the Bishop from Wells to Bath in 1090. The Church at Wells, no longer a Cathedral, had a College of Secular Clergy.

The Cathedral is thought to have been conceived and commenced in about 1175, by Bishop Reginald FitzJocelin, who died in 1191. Although it is clear from its size that, from the outset, the Church was planned to be the Cathedral of the Diocese, the Seat of the Bishop moved between Wells and the Abbeys of Glastonbury and Bath, before settling at Wells.

In 1197, Bishop Reginald's successor, Bishop Savaric FitzGeldewin, with the approval of Pope Celestine III, officially moved his Seat to Glastonbury Abbey. The Title of Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury was used until the Glastonbury claim was abandoned in 1219.

Deutsch: Kathedrale in Wells, Sommerset.

English: Wells Cathedral, Somerset.

The Choir Stalls with 19th-Century

Stone Canopies and modern embroideries.

Photo: May 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karl Gruber.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Bishop Savaric's successor, Jocelin of Wells, again moved the Bishop's Seat to Bath Abbey, with the Title "Bishop of Bath". Jocelin was a brother of Bishop Hugh II of Lincoln and was present at the signing of Magna Carta. Bishop Jocelin continued the building campaign, begun by Bishop Reginald, and was responsible for the Bishop's Palace, the Choristers' School, a Grammar School, a hospital for travellers and a Chapel.

He also had a Manor House built at Wookey, near Wells. Jocelin saw the Church dedicated in 1239, but, despite much lobbying of the Pope by Jocelin's representatives in Rome, did not live to see Cathedral status granted. The delay may have been a result of inaction by Pandulf Masca, a Roman Ecclesiastical Politician, Papal Legate to England and Bishop of Norwich, who was asked by the Pope to investigate the situation but did not respond.

Jocelin died at Wells, on 19 November 1242, and was buried in the Choir of the Cathedral; The Memorial Brass on his tomb is one of the earliest Brasses in England. Following his death, the Monks of Bath unsuccessfully attempted to regain authority over Wells.

Wells Cathedral.

Photo: 6 December 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Rodw.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1245, the dispute over the Title of the Bishop was resolved by a ruling of Pope Innocent IV, who established the Title as the "Bishop of Bath and Wells", as it has remained until this day, with Wells Cathedral as the Principal Seat of the Bishop.

PART TWO FOLLOWS

The Blessed Virgin Mary. Queen Of Heaven. Queen Of The Angels.

   

English: Crowning of The Virgin Mary in Heaven

by The Holy Trinity.

Español: Coronación de la Virgen.

Deutsch: Die Krönung Marias.

Artist: Diego Velázquez (1599–1660).

Date: Circa 1645.

Current location: Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.

Source/Photographer: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/

online-gallery/on-line-gallery/obra/the-coronation-of-the-virgin/

(Wikimedia Commons)

   

Ember Wednesday. The Impression Of The Stigmata Of Saint Francis.

This Article is taken from the excellent Blog, THE SAINT LAWRENCE PRESS LTD

Iona Abbey,

Scotland.

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK

Today is Ember Wednesday in September or, sometimes, referred to as the Michaelmas Ember Wednesday. Traditionally, it was a Day of Fast and Abstinence. Today is also the Double Feast of The Impression of the Stigmata of Saint Francis. The Liturgical colour of the Feast is White.

At Mattins the lessons in the first nocturn are proper to the feast with the responsories from the Common of Confessors. In the third nocturn the eighth responsory is proper to the feast and the ninth lesson is of the Ember Wednesday. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds after the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Ember Wednesday is sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Ember Wednesday, the Common Preface is sung and the last Gospel is of the Ember Wednesday.

Private Masses may be of the Ember Wednesday with violet vestments. The Mass texts are proper, the second collect is of the feast and the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino. In Cathedral and Collegiate churches there are two Masses. The first, of the feast, is after Terce. There is no commemoration of the Ember Day and the last Gospel is In principio. After None the Mass of the Ember Day is sung without commemoration of the feast. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet folded chasubles rather than dalmatic and tunicle.

Vespers are of the following feast of St. Joseph of Cupertino with a commemoration of the preceding feast. The liturgy of the Ember Wednesday ends with None so there is no commemoration of it at Vespers.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Ember Wednesday is postponed a week due to the novel way introduced of calculating the first Sunday of the month. Today is a IV class ferial day with the Mass of the preceding Sunday. At Lauds and Low Mass there is a commemoration of the Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis.

Available (in U.K.) from

CENACLE CATHOLIC BOOKS

Available (in U.S.A.) from

ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

Durham Cathedral.

Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

Durham Cathedral.

Photo: 30 January 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Domstu.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Nave,

Durham Cathedral,

Durham, England.

Photo: 13 August 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Oliver-Bonjoch.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Durham Cathedral.

The Gaurdian Newspaper's

Readers' choice

for Britain's best building.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/34moa66Xo7U.

Saint Stephen's Cathedral, Passau, Germany.

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

Deutsch: Die größte Orgel Europas mit 17.774 Pfeifen

im St. Stephansdom zu Passau, Deutschland.

English: The largest Church Pipe Organ in Europe,

with 17,774 Pipes, 

in Saint Stephen's Cathedral,

Passau, Germany.

Français: Le plus grand orgue d'Europe avec 17.774 tuyaux

dans la Cathédrale St. Stephan de Passau, Allemagne.

Polski: Największe organy w Europie z 17.774 piszczałkami,

znajdujące się w bazylice pw. św. Stefana w Passau w Niemczech.

Photo: 28 July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tobi 87.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Deutsch: Dom St. Stephan und Domplatz in Passau.

English: St. Stephan's Cathedral in Passau.

Français: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne à Passau.

Italiano: Cattedrale di Passavia a Passavia.

Photo: 29 March 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Aconcagua.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Stephen's Cathedral (German: Dom St. Stephan) is a Baroque Church, from 1688, in Passau, Germany, dedicated to Saint Stephen. It is the Seat of the Catholic Bishop of Passau and the main Church of his Diocese.

The Nave,

Saint Stephen's Cathedral,

Passau, Germany.

Photo: 5 November 2007.

Source: Dom St. Stephan - Passau.

Author: Karsten Juhl.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Since 730 A.D., there have been many Churches built on the site of the current Cathedral. The current Church, a Baroque building, around 100 metres (328 ft) long, was built from 1668 to 1693, after a fire, in 1662, destroyed its predecessor, of which only the Late-Gothic Eastern Side remains. The Cathedral's overall Plan was made by Carlo Lurago, its Interior decoration by Giovanni Battista Carlone, and its frescos by Carpoforo Tencalla.

English: The Pulpit,

Saint Stephen's Cathedral, Passau, Germany.

Deutsch: Passau - Dom St. Stephan, Kanzel.

Photo: August 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: de:User:Gunterius.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Over time, Passau Cathedral has acquired the largest Organ outside of the United States. The Organ currently has 17,774 Pipes and 233 Registers, all of which can be played with the Five-Manual General Console in the Gallery. Portions of the Organ have their own mechanical-action or electric-action Consoles, for a total of six Consoles. [Editor: The Passau Cathedral Organ was, for many years, the world's largest Church Organ, but it has now been superceded by the First Congregational Organ in Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

Deutsch: Passau, Altstadt mit Dom St. Stephan.

English: Passau. Old Town and Saint Stephan's Cathedral.

Photo: 9 September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Aconcagua.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral has eight large Bells, in the Bell Rooms, in the North and South Towers. The heaviest,"Pummerin", at 7550 kg, cast in 1952, and "Sturmerin", weighing 5300 kg, cast in 1733, hang in the South Tower. The other six Bells hang in the North Tower. They include: "Misericordia", weighing 6000 kg, the Angelus Bell, "Predigerin", "Elfuhrglocken", the Choir Bell, and "Dignitar". A ninth Bell, the "Zeichenglocke" hangs near the Sacristy Door.

Europe's largest Organ,

Saint Stephen's Cathedral,

Passau, Germany.

"Toccata and Fugue in D minor"

by J.S. Bach.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/YgLwrnSOMyA

The Seven Sorrows Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day 15 September.

The Seven Sorrows of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Feast Day 15 September.

Double of the Second-Class.

White Vestments.

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

English: Our Lady of Sorrows. 1816.

Español: Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. 1816.

Fernando Estévez de Salas,

Parroquia de San Juan Bautista, Villa de La Orotava.

Photo: 2 April 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: JosuHdez.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Our Lady of Sorrows (Latin: Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (Latin: Mater Dolorosa, at times just Dolorosa), and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours, are names by which The Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to Sorrows in her Life.

As Mater Dolorosa, it is also a key subject for Marian Art in the Catholic Church.

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are a popular Roman Catholic Devotion. There are Devotional Prayers which consist of Meditations on her Seven Sorrows. Examples include the Servite Rosary, or the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. Also, there is a corresponding Devotion to the Seven Joys of Mary. The term "Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary" refers to the combined Devotion of both the Immaculate Heart and the Seven Sorrows of Mary, as first used by the Franciscan Tertiary, Berthe Petit.

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK

The Seven Sorrows (or Dolours) are events in the Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which are a popular Devotion and are frequently depicted in art. It is a common Devotion for Catholics to say, daily, one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each of the Seven Sorrows, which are:

The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34-35) or the Circumcision of Christ;

The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13);

The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43-45);

Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary.;

Jesus Dies on the Cross. (John 19:25);

Mary Receives the Body of Jesus in Her Arms. (Matthew 27:57-59);

The Body of Jesus Is Placed in the Tomb. (John 19:40-42).

These Seven Sorrows should not be confused with the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.

Artist: Titian (1490–1576).

Title: Mater Dolorosa with open hands.

Date: 1555.

Current location: Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.

Source/Photographer: http://www.museodelprado.es/

imagen/alta_resolucion/P00444.jpg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows was originated by a Provincial Synod of Cologne, in 1413, as a response to the iconoclast Hussites. It was designated for the Friday after the third Sunday after Easter. It had the title: Commemoratio angustiae et doloris Beatae Mariae Virginis. Before the 16th-Century, the Feast was Celebrated only in parts of Northern Europe.

Pergolesi's

Stabat Mater.

Available on YouTube 

at

http://youtu.be/vLKw6kSOqIw.

Earlier, in 1233, seven youths in Tuscany, Italy, founded the Servite Order (also known as the "Servite Friars", or the "Order of the Servants of Mary"). Five years later, they took up the "Sorrows of Mary, standing under the Cross", as the principal devotion of their Order.

Over the Centuries, several devotions, and even Orders, arose around Meditation on Mary's Sorrows. The Servites developed the two most common Devotions to Our Lady's Sorrows, namely the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows and the Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary. The Black Scapular is a symbol of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is associated with the Servite Order. Most devotional Scapulars have requirements regarding ornamentation or design. The devotion of the Black Scapular requires only that it be made of black woollen cloth.

English: Our Lady, who softens evil hearts. Russian icon, 19th-Century.

Русский: Икона "Умягчение злых сердец".

Source: http://days.pravoslavie.ru.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

On 2 February, the same day as the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics commemorate a wonder-working icon of the Theotokos (Mother of God), known as "the Softening of Evil Hearts" or "Simeon's Prophecy."

It depicts the Virgin Mary at the moment that Simeon the Righteous says: "Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own Soul, also . . ." (Luke 2:35). She stands with her hands upraised in Prayer, and seven swords pierce her heart, indicative of the Seven Sorrows. This is one of the few Orthodox icons of the Theotokos which do not depict the Infant Jesus. The Refrain "Rejoice, much-sorrowing Mother of God, turn our sorrows into joy and soften the hearts of evil men !" is also used.

The first Altar to the Mater Dolorosa was set up in 1221 at the Monastery of Schönau. Especially in Mediterranean countries, parishioners traditionally carry statues of Our Lady of Sorrows in Processions on the days leading to Good Friday.

No Feast in her honour was included in Pope Saint Pius V's 1570 Tridentine Calendar. Vatican approval for the Celebration of a Feast, in honour of Our Lady of Sorrows, was first granted to the Servite Order in 1667.

English: Our Lady of Sorrows, El Viso del Alcor, Seville, Spain.

Español: Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. Capilla del Sagrario

de la Iglesia Parroquial de Santa María del Alcor.

El Viso del Alcor (Sevilla). Procesiona bajo palio

en la tarde noche del Viernes Santo

Photo: 8 December 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ajjb.

(Wikimedia Commons)

By inserting the Feast into the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints in 1814, Pope Pius VII extended the celebration to the whole of the Latin Church. It was assigned to the third Sunday in September. In 1913, Pope Pius X moved the Feast to 15 September, the day after the Feast of the Cross. It is still observed on that date.

Another Feast, originating in the 17th-Century, was extended to the whole of the Latin Church in 1727. It was originally celebrated on Friday in Passion Week, one week before Good Friday. In 1954, it still held the Rank of Major Double (slightly lower than the Rank of the 15 September Feast) in the General Roman Calendar.

In 1962, the Feast was reduced to a Commemoration.

By 1969, the Vatican had come to consider it a duplication of the 15 September Feast, and the Passion Week Feast was omitted in that year's revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints.

Each celebration was called a Feast of "The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

The 15 September Feast, that now combines and continues both of them, is known as the Feast of "Our Lady of Sorrows" (Beatae Mariae Virginis Perdolentis). The Sequence, known as Stabat Mater, may be sung at Mass on that day.

Archetypal Gothic Lady of Sorrows from a triptych

by the Master of the Stauffenberg Altarpiece, Alsace, circa 1455.

Title: La descente de Croix, les larmes de Marie (detail).

Current location: Unterlinden Museum, France.

Source/Photographer: Own work, Alsace, Haut-Rhin, Colmar,

Musée d'UnterLinden : la descente de Croix,

les larmes de Marie., vincent desjardins, 2008-12-27.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Our Lady of Sorrows, depicted as "Mater Dolorosa" (Mother of Sorrows), has been the subject of some key works of Roman Catholic Marian Art. Mater Dolorosa is one of the three common artistic representations of a sorrowful Virgin Mary, the other two being Stabat Mater ("The Mother Stood") and Pietà.

In this iconography, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is at times simply represented in a sad and anguished mode by herself, her expression being that of tears and sadness. In other representations, the Virgin Mary is depicted with seven swords in her heart, a reference to the prophecy of Simeon, at the Presentation.

Our Lady of Sorrows is the Patron Saint of:

Slovakia;

the Congregation of Holy Cross;

the village of Mola di Bari and the Molise region of Italy;

the State of Mississippi, USA;

Dolores, in the Philippines;

Lanzarote, Canary Islands.

Mater Dolorosa (Berlin-Lankwitz).