Pontifical High Mass (Usus Antiquior) At The Cathedral Of Saint John The Baptist, Norwich.

The Text is taken from THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

The Nave,

Saint John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral,

Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Photo: 29 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Attribution: "Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0".

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral,

Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Photo: 25 June 2009.

Source: This file was derived from:

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Norwich (2) - geograph.org.uk - 1399627.jpg

Author: original: Nigel Chadwick. Derivative work: Rabanus Flavus.

Attribution: Nigel Chadwick.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Breakthrough in former "Liturgical desert"

Good news !

Bishop Alan Hopes, recently appointed Bishop of East Anglia, will celebrate Pontifical High Mass in the Old Rite in Norwich's Catholic Cathedral on All Saints' Day (Saturday 1st November) at 12 noon.

The Catholic Cathedral address is: Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Unthank Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 2PA.

For very many years, East Anglia Diocese could quite accurately, and without any lack of charity, have been described as a liturgical desert, as far as the Traditional Mass was concerned. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, vocations plummeted. More than that, there was tangible hostility from many diocesan clergy, all the way up to the top. The arrival of Bishop Hopes marks a thaw in the long winter.

The Sanctuary,

Saint John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral,

Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Photo: 29 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Attribution: "Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0".

(Wikimedia Commons)

Bishop Hopes celebrated a number of Traditional Masses for the LMS in Westminster Cathedral during his time as auxiliary bishop there, and has also conferred the Traditional Rite of Confirmation for us at the LMS's annual ceremony in London. So the faithful of East Anglia are in good hands.

It is worth remembering the LMS's role in all of this. We have been trying to get a Traditional Mass celebrated at Norwich Catholic Cathedral for many months, since before Bishop Alan was appointed in fact. After repeatedly negative responses, we tried again shortly after his appointment and were met with a sympathetic reply. It is one of the things that the LMS does to keep up the pressure for more Traditional Masses. It's one of the reasons why, if you're not already a member of the LMS, you should join us.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE CELEBRATION OF TRADITIONAL LATIN MASSES ACROSS ENGLAND AND WALES, PLEASE VISIT THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY WEBSITE

Weekly Traditional Latin Masses In Kent. Maidstone, Ashford, Tenterden, Headcorn.

The current hiatus at Blackfen, Kent, England, where the new Parish Priest has banned the Celebration of Traditional Latin Masses, on the grounds that "they are DIVISIVE", encourages Zephyrinus to publicise the Traditional Latin Masses which

ARE CELEBRATED in Kent on a REGULAR WEEKLY BASIS ON SUNDAYS.

In addition, Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated during the Week,

on Feast Days and Holy Days of Obligation.

There is a vibrant and happy group who attend these Masses and meet, after Mass,

for a lovely Lunch in various hostelries and locations.

Do come and join them. You will all be most welcome.

Besides Glorifying God in an edifying, Holy and Traditional manner,

you will see the wonderful Kent countryside changing throughout the Seasons,

which, in itself, Glorifies God.

              

MAIDSTONE, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT FRANCIS.

Photo: © Copyright Chris Whippet

and licensed for reuse under this

Creative Commons Licence.

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Francis,

126, Week Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1RH,

(next to Maidstone East Railway Station)

at 1200 hrs,

on the FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

ASHFORD, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT SIMON  STOCK.

Photo: WIKIMAPIA

  Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Simon Stock,

Brookfield Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU,

at 1200 hrs,

on the SECOND SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

TENTERDEN, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT ANDREW.

Photo: SAINT ANDREW'S

CATHOLIC CHURCH,

TENTERDEN

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Andrew,

47, Ashford Road, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6LL,

at 1200 hrs,

on the THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

HEADCORN, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT THOMAS OF CANTERBURY.

Photo © Copyright David Anstiss

and licensed for reuse

under this Creative Commons Licence.

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury,

Becket Court, 15, Station Road, Headcorn, Kent TN27 9SB,

(next to Headcorn Railway Station)

at 1200 hrs,

on the FOURTH SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

WHEN THERE IS A FIFTH SUNDAY IN THE MONTH,

THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS IS CELEBRATED AT

ASHFORD, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT SIMON  STOCK.

Photo: WIKIMAPIA

  Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Simon Stock,

Brookfield Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU,

at 1200 hrs,

on the FIFTH SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

Wells Cathedral (Part Six).

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

Fan-Vaulting in

Wells Cathedral.

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK

The West Front,

Wells Cathedral,

Somerset, England.

Photo: 30 April 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1969, when a large chunk of stone fell from a statue near the main door, it became apparent that there was an urgent need for restoration of the West Front. Detailed studies of the stonework and of conservation practices were undertaken, under the Cathedral architect, Alban D. R. Caroe, and a Restoration Committee formed.

The methods, that were selected for the Conservation, were those devised by Eve and Robert Baker. W. A. (Bert) Wheeler, Clerk of Works to the Cathedral, 1935 – 1978, had previously experimented with washing and surface-treatment of architectural carvings on the building, and his techniques were among those tried on the statues.

The Conservation was carried out between 1974 and 1986, wherever possible using non-invasive procedures, such as washing with water and a solution of lime, filling gaps and damaged surfaces with soft mortar, to prevent the ingress of water and stabilising statues that were fracturing, because of the corrosion of metal dowels.

The horizontal line of the Nave is emphasised

by the unbroken Galleries, the String Courses and the

strongly-projecting foliage of the Capitals.

Wells Cathedral's Nave, viewed from the Great West Door.

Photo: 9 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The surfaces were finished, by painting with a thin coat of mortar and silane, to resist further erosion and attack by pollutants. The restoration of the façade revealed much paint adhering to the statues and their Niches, indicating that it had once been brightly coloured.

The particular character of this Early-English Interior is dependent on the proportions of the simple Lancet Arches. It is also dependent on the refinement of the architectural details, in particular the Mouldings.

The Arcade, which takes the same form in the Nave, Choir and Transepts, is distinguished by the richness of both Mouldings and Carvings. Each Pier of the Arcade has a surface enrichment of twenty-four slender Shafts, in eight groups of three, rising beyond the Capitals to form the deeply undulating Mouldings of the Arches.

The Capitals are remarkable for the vitality of the stylised foliage, in a style known as "Stiff-Leaf". The liveliness contrasts with the formality of the Moulded Shafts and the smooth unbroken areas of Ashlar Masonry in the Spandrels. Each Capital is different, and some contain small figures, illustrating narratives.

Wells Cathedral's Vaulted Ceiling.

The Quadripartite Vault of the Nave

was decorated in the 19th-Century.

This File: 7 February 2008.

User: Lohen11.

Source: Own work.

Author: Josep Renalias.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Vault of the Nave rises steeply in a simple Quadripartite form, in harmony with the Nave Arcade. The Eastern End of the Choir was extended and the whole Upper Part elaborated, in the second quarter of the 14th-Century, by William Joy. The Vault has a multiplicity of Ribs in a net-like form, which is very different from that of the Nave, and is perhaps a recreation in stone of a local type of wooden roof, of which examples remain from the 15th-Century, including those at St Cuthbert's Church, Wells, Somerset. The Vaults, of the Aisles of the Choir, also have a unique pattern.

Until the early 14th-Century, the Interior of the Cathedral was in a unified style, but it was to undergo two significant changes, to the Tower and to the Eastern End. Between 1315 and 1322, the Central Tower was heightened, and topped by a Spire, which caused the Piers that supported it to show signs of stress. In 1338, the Mason, William Joy, employed an unorthodox solution by inserting Low Arches, topped by Inverted Arches of similar dimensions, forming scissors-like structures. These Arches brace the Piers of The Crossing on three sides, while the Eastern-most side is braced by a Choir Screen. The Bracing Arches are known as the "Saint Andrew's Cross Arches", as a reference to the Patronal Saint of the Cathedral, and have been described by Wim Swaan as "brutally massive" and intrusive, in an otherwise restrained Interior.

Wells Cathedral has a square terminal to the Choir, as is usual, and, like several other Cathedrals, including Salisbury and Lichfield, has a lower Lady Chapel projecting at the Eastern End, begun by Thomas Witney in about 1310, possibly before the Chapter House was completed. The Lady Chapel seems to have begun as a free-standing structure in the form of an elongated Octagon, but the Plan changed, and it was linked to the Eastern End of the building, by the extension of the Choir, and the construction of a second Transept, or Retro-Choir, East of the Choir, probably by William Joy.

The Lady Chapel has a Vault of complex and somewhat irregular pattern, as the Chapel is not symmetrical about both axes. The main Ribs are intersected by additional, non-supporting, Ribs, known as "Lierne Ribs", and which, in this case, form a star-shaped pattern at the apex of the Vault.

The Lady Chapel, Wells Cathedral,

was probably by Thomas Witney (1310–1319).

The windows have Tracery of a regular, net-like, pattern

and contain ancient Stained-Glass.

Photo: 8 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

(Wikimedia Commons)

It is one of the earliest Lierne Vaults in England. There are five large windows, of which four are filled with fragments of Mediaeval Glass. The Tracery of the windows is in the style known as Reticulated Gothic, having a pattern of a single repeated shape, in this case a Trefoil, giving a "reticulate" or net-like, appearance.

The Retro-Choir extends across the Eastern End of the Choir and into the Eastern Transepts. At its centre, the Vault is supported by a remarkable structure of Angled Piers. Two of these Piers are located so as to complete the Octagonal shape of The Lady Chapel, a solution described by Francis Bond as "an intuition of Genius". The Piers have attached Shafts of marble, and, with the Vaults that they support, create a vista of great complexity from every angle. The windows of the Retro-Choir are in the Reticulated Style, like those of The Lady Chapel, but are fully Flowing Decorated, in that the Tracery Mouldings form Ogival Curves.

The Chapter House was begun in the Late-13th-Century and built in two stages and completed about 1310. It is a two-Storeyed structure, with the main chamber raised on an Undercroft. It is entered from a Staircase, which divides and turns, one branch leading through the Upper Storey of Chain Gate, to Vicars' Close. The Decorated Interior is described by Alec Clifton-Taylor as "architecturally, the most beautiful in England".

It is Octagonal, with its Ribbed Vault supported on a Central Column. The Column is surrounded by Shafts of Purbeck Marble, rising to a single continuous rippling foliate Capital, of stylised oak leaves and acorns, quite different in character to the Early-English Stiff-Leaf foliage. Above the Moulding, spring thirty-two Ribs of strong profile, giving an effect generally likened to "a great palm tree".

The Eastern Bays of the Choir (1329–1345),

showing the Reticular Vault and the Gallery of Saints

beneath the East Window.

Photo: 11 February 2008.

Source: Wells Cathedral, Somerset. Uploaded by russavia.

Author: IDS.photos from Tiverton, U.K.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The windows are large, with Geometric Decorated Tracery that is beginning to show an elongation of form, and Ogees, in the Lesser Lights, that are characteristic of Flowing Decorated Tracery. The Tracery Lights still contain Ancient Glass. Beneath the windows, are fifty-one Stalls, the Canopies of which are enlivened by carvings, including many heads, carved in a light-hearted manner.

Wells Cathedral contains one of the most substantial collections of Mediaeval Stained-Glass in England, despite damage by Parliamentary troops in 1642 and 1643. The oldest surviving Glass dates from the Late-13th-Century and is in two windows on the West Side of the Chapter House Staircase. Two windows in the South Choir Aisle are from 1310–1320.

The Lady Chapel has five windows, of which four date from 1325–1330, and include images of a local Saint, Dunstan. The East Window was restored to a semblance of its original appearance by Thomas Willement in 1845. The other windows have complete Canopies, but the pictorial sections are fragmented.

The East Window of the Choir is a broad Seven-Light Window, dating from 1340–1345. It depicts the Tree of Jesse (the genealogy of Christ) and demonstrates the use of silver staining, a new technique that allowed the artist to paint details on the Glass in yellow, as well as black. The combination of yellow and green Glass, and the application of the bright yellow stain, gives the window its popular name, the "Golden Window". It is flanked by two windows each side in the Clerestory, with large figures of Saints, also dated to 1340–1345. In 2010, a major conservation programme was undertaken on the Jesse Tree Window.

The view, through William Joy's Retro-Choir,

into The Lady Chapel, has been described as

"one of the most subtle and entrancing

architectural prospects in Europe".

Photo: 9 December 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Panels, in the Chapel of Saint Katherine, are attributed to Arnold of Nijmegen and date from about 1520. They were acquired from the destroyed Church of Saint-Jean, Rouen, with the last Panel having been purchased in 1953.


PART SEVEN FOLLOWS

Weekly Traditional Latin Masses In Kent. Maidstone, Ashford, Tenterden, Headcorn.

The current hiatus at Blackfen, Kent, England, where the new Parish Priest has banned the Celebration of Traditional Latin Masses, on the grounds that "they are DIVISIVE", encourages Zephyrinus to publicise the Traditional Latin Masses which

ARE CELEBRATED in Kent on a REGULAR WEEKLY BASIS ON SUNDAYS.

In addition, Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated during the Week,

on Feast Days and Holy Days of Obligation.

There is a vibrant and happy group who attend these Masses and meet, after Mass,

for a lovely Lunch in various hostelries and locations.

Do come and join them. You will all be most welcome.

Besides Glorifying God in an edifying, Holy and Traditional manner,

you will see the wonderful Kent countryside changing throughout the Seasons,

which, in itself, Glorifies God.

              

MAIDSTONE, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT FRANCIS.

Photo: © Copyright Chris Whippet

and licensed for reuse under this

Creative Commons Licence.

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Francis,

126, Week Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1RH,

(next to Maidstone East Railway Station)

at 1200 hrs,

on the FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

ASHFORD, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT SIMON  STOCK.

Photo: WIKIMAPIA

  Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Simon Stock,

Brookfield Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU,

at 1200 hrs,

on the SECOND SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

TENTERDEN, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT ANDREW.

Photo: SAINT ANDREW'S

CATHOLIC CHURCH,

TENTERDEN

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Andrew,

47, Ashford Road, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6LL,

at 1200 hrs,

on the THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

HEADCORN, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT THOMAS OF CANTERBURY.

Photo © Copyright David Anstiss

and licensed for reuse

under this Creative Commons Licence.

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury,

Becket Court, 15, Station Road, Headcorn, Kent TN27 9SB,

(next to Headcorn Railway Station)

at 1200 hrs,

on the FOURTH SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

WHEN THERE IS A FIFTH SUNDAY IN THE MONTH,

THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS IS CELEBRATED AT

ASHFORD, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT SIMON  STOCK.

Photo: WIKIMAPIA

  Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated at the

Church of Saint Simon Stock,

Brookfield Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU,

at 1200 hrs,

on the FIFTH SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

Wells Cathedral (Part Five).

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

Fan-Vaulting in

Wells Cathedral.

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK

The West Front,

Wells Cathedral,

Somerset, England.

Photo: 30 April 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

(Wikimedia Commons)

The West Front rises in three distinct stages, each clearly defined by a Horizontal Course. This horizontal emphasis is counteracted by six strongly projecting Buttresses, defining the cross-sectional divisions of Nave, Aisles and Towers, and are highly decorated, each having Canopied Niches containing the largest statues on the façade.

At the lowest level of the façade, is a Plain Base, contrasting with and stabilising the ornate Arcades that rise above it. The Base is penetrated by three Doors, which are in stark contrast to the often imposing Portals of French Gothic Cathedrals. The outer two Doors are of domestic proportion and the Central Door is ornamented only by a Central Post, Quatrefoil and the fine Mouldings of the Arch.

Above the Basement, rise two Storeys, ornamented with Quatrefoils and Niches, originally holding about four hundred statues, with three hundred surviving until the Mid-20th-Century. Since then, some have been restored or replaced, including the ruined figure of Christ, in the Gable.

A sculpture of The Virgin and Christ Child

above the Great West Door.

Photo: 2 July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lamiai.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The third stages of the Flanking Towers were both built in the Perpendicular Style of the Late-14th-Century, to the design of William Wynford; That on the North-West Tower was not begun until about 1425. The design maintains the general proportions, and continues the strong projection, of the Buttresses.

The finished product has been criticised for its lack of Pinnacles, and it is probable that the Towers were intended to carry Spires, which were never built. Despite its lack of Spires or Pinnacles, the architectural historian Banister Fletcher describes it as "the highest development in English Gothic of this type of facade."

The sculptures on the West Front of Wells Cathedral include standing figures, seated figures, half-length Angels and narratives in High Relief. Many of the figures are life-sized, or larger, and, together, they constitute the finest display of Mediaeval Carving in England.

The figures, and many of the architectural details, were painted in bright colours, and the colouring scheme has been deduced from flakes of paint still adhering to some surfaces. The sculptures occupy nine architectural zones, stretching horizontally across the entire West Front and around the sides and the Eastern Returns of the Towers, which extend beyond the Aisles. The strongly-projecting Buttresses have tiers of Niches, which contain many of the largest figures. Other large figures, including that of Christ, occupy the Gable. A single figure stands in one of two later Niches, high on the Northern Tower.

Wells Cathedral Porch,

on the North Side.

Photo: 2 July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lamiai.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1851, the archaeologist Charles Robert Cockerell published his analysis of the iconography, numbering the nine sculptural divisions from the lowest to the highest. He defined the theme as "a Calendar for unlearned men" illustrating the Doctrines and History of the Christian Faith, its introduction to Britain and its protection by Princes and Bishops. He likens the arrangement and iconography to the Te Deum.

According to Cockerell, the side of the facade, that is to the South of the Central Door, is the more Sacred, and the scheme is divided accordingly. The lowest range of Niches each contained a standing figure, of which all but four figures on the West Front, two on each side, have been destroyed. More have survived on the Northern and Eastern Sides of the North Tower.

Cockerell speculates that those to the South of the Portal represented Prophets and Patriarchs of the Old Testament, while those to the North represented early missionaries to Britain, of which Augustine of Canterbury, Saint Birinus, and Benedict Biscop, are identifiable by their Attributes.

In the second zone, above each pair of standing figures, is a Quatrefoil, containing a half-length Angel, in relief, some of which have survived, Between the Gables, of the Niches, are Quatrefoils that contain a series of narratives from the Bible, with the Old Testament stories to the South, above the Prophets and Patriarchs, and those from the New Testament to the North. A Horizontal Course runs around the West Front dividing the architectural Storeys at this point.

Wells Cathedral Cloisters.

Photo: 9 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0"

(Wikimedia Commons)

Above the Horizontal Course, zones four and five, as identified by Cockerell, contain figures which represent the Christian Church in Britain, with the Spiritual Lords, such as Bishops, Abbots, Abbesses and Saintly Founders of Monasteries, on the South, while Kings, Queens and Princes, occupy the North.

Many of the figures survive, and many have been identified in the light of their various Attributes. There is a hierarchy of size, with the more significant figures larger, and enthroned in their Niches, rather than standing.

Immediately beneath the Upper Course, are a series of small Niches containing dynamic sculptures of the dead coming forth from their tombs on the Day of Judgement. Although naked, some of the dead are defined as Royalty by their Crowns, and others, as Bishops, by their Mitres. Some emerge from their graves with joy and hope, and others with despair.

The Niches in the lowest zone of the Gable contain nine Angels, of which Cockerell identifies Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. In the next zone are the taller figures of the twelve Apostles, some, such as John, Andrew and Bartholomew, clearly identifiable by the Attributes that they carry.

Wells Cathedral Cemetery.

Photo: 31 December 2006.

Source: Own work.

This version sourced from Commons.

Author: Pequod76.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The uppermost Niches of the Gable contained the figure of Christ the Judge, at the centre, with The Virgin Mary on His Right Hand and John the Baptist on His Left-Hand. The figures all suffered from iconoclasm. A new statue of Jesus was carved for the Central Niche, but the two Side Niches now contain Cherubim. Christ and The Virgin Mary are also represented by, now, headless figures in a Coronation of The Virgin in a Niche above the Central Portal. A damaged figure, of The Virgin and Christ Child, occupies a Quatrefoil in the Spandrel of the Door.

The Central Tower appears to date from the Early-13th-Century. It was substantially reconstructed in the Early-14th-Century during the re-modelling of the East End, necessitating the Internal bracing of the Piers a decade or so later. In the 14th-Century, the Tower was given a timber and lead Spire, which burnt down in 1439. The Exterior was then reworked in the Perpendicular Style and given the present Parapet and Pinnacles. Alec Clifton-Taylor describes it as "outstanding, even in Somerset, a County famed for the splendour of its Church Towers".

The North Porch is described by art historian Nikolaus Pevsner as "sumptuously decorated", and intended to be the Main Entrance. Externally, it is simple and rectangular, with plain side walls. The entrance is a steeply-Arched Portal, framed by rich Mouldings of eight Shafts, with Stiff-Leaf Capitals, each encircled by an Annular Moulding at middle height. Those on the Left, are figurative, containing images representing the Martyrdom of Saint Edmund the Martyr. The walls are lined with deep Niches, framed by narrow Shafts with Capitals and Annulets, like those of the Portal.

The Cloisters were built in the Late-13th-Century, and largely rebuilt from 1430 to 1508, and have wide openings divided by Mullions and Transoms, and Tracery in the Perpendicular Gothic Style. The Vault has Lierne Ribs that form Octagons at the centre of each compartment, the Joints of each Rib having decorative Bosses. The Eastern Range is of two Storeys, of which the Upper Storey is the Library, built in the 15th-Century.

A Staircase leads from the Cathedral (Right)

to the Chapter House and The Chain Gate,

which gives access to Vicars' Close.

This File: January 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Derek Andrews.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Because Wells Cathedral was Secular, rather than Monastic, Cloisters were not a practical necessity. They were omitted from several other Secular Cathedrals, but were built here and at Chichester. Explanations for their construction at these two Secular Cathedrals range from the Processional to the aesthetic. As at Chichester, there is no Northern Range to the Cloisters. In Monastic Cloisters, it was the North Range, benefiting most from Winter sunlight, that was often used as a Scriptorium.


PART SIX FOLLOWS

A Traditional Irish Blessing: May The Road Rise To Meet You. Go N-éirí An Bóthar Leat.

While the World appears crazier and crazier

(Parish Priests banning Traditional Latin Masses "because they are DIVISIVE"

and Black Masses being approved, and held, in Oklahoma, United States of America),

just get your Missal and say your Prayers.

And give this Traditional Irish Blessing to your family, relatives and friends.

"May The Road Rise To Meet You".

A Traditional Irish Greeting.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/UMr839d1PI0.

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the Sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Go n-éirí an bóthar leat,

Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl,

Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d'aghaidh,

Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna,

Agus go mbuailimid le chéile aris,

Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú.

Available (in U.K.) from

CENACLE CATHOLIC BOOKS

Available (in U.S.A.) from

ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS