Amiens Cathedral.

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

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 Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), or, simply, Amiens Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic Cathedral and Seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme, in Amiens, the administrative capital of the Picardy region of France, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) North of Paris.

Mediaeval Cathedral builders were trying to maximise the internal dimensions, in order to reach for the heavens and bring in more light. In that regard, Amiens Cathedral is the tallest complete Cathedral in France, its Stone-Vaulted Nave reaching an internal height of 42.30 metres (138.8 ft) (surpassed only by the incomplete Beauvais Cathedral). It also has the greatest interior volume of any French Cathedral, estimated at 200,000 cubic metres (260,000 cu yd).

English: Rose Window of the North Transept,

Amiens Cathedral, France.

Deutsch: Kathedrale von Amiens, Frankreich;

Rose des Nordquerhauses.

Photo: 17 August 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Welleschik.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral was built between 1220 and 1270 and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Although it has lost most of its original Stained Glass, Amiens Cathedral is renowned for the quality and quantity of early 13th-Century Gothic sculpture in the main West Façade and the South Transept Portal, and a large quantity of polychrome sculpture from later periods inside the building.

English: Amiens (Somme - France). 

Facade of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (1220-1269).

Français: Amiens (Somme - France), 

façade de la cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens (1220-1269).

Deutsch: Amiens (Département Somme - Frankreich), 

die fassade von die (Kathedrale Notre Dame d’Amiens (1220-1269).

Español: Amiens (Somme (departamento) - Francia), 

la fachada de la Catedral de Notre-Dame de Amiens (1220-1269).

Nederlands: Amiens (Somme - Frankrijk), de gevel 

Kathedrale basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw (1220-1269).

Русский: Амьен (Сомма (департамент) - Франция), 

фасад Амьенский собор (1220-1269).

中文: 亞眠(索姆省 - 法国), 亚眠主教座堂 (1220-1269).

Photo: 23 July 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The lack of documentation, concerning the construction of the Gothic Cathedral, may be, in part, the result of fires that destroyed the Chapter archives in 1218 and, again, in 1258 - a fire that damaged the Cathedral itself. Bishop Evrard de Fouilloy initiated work on the Cathedral in 1220. Robert de Luzarches was the architect until 1228, and was followed by Thomas de Cormont, until 1258. His son, Renaud de Cormont, acted as the architect until 1288. The chronicle of Corbie gives a completion date for the Cathedral of 1266. Finishing works continued, however. Its floors are covered with a number of designs, such as the Bent Cross (to symbolise Jesus' triumph over death). The Labyrinth was installed in 1288. The Cathedral contains the alleged head of John the Baptist, a relic brought from Constantinople by Wallon de Sarton as he was returning from the Fourth Crusade.

The construction of the Cathedral at this period can be seen as resulting from a coming together of necessity and opportunity. The destruction of earlier buildings and attempts at rebuilding, by fire, forced the fairly rapid construction of a building that, consequently, has a good deal of artistic unity. The long and relatively peaceful reign, of Louis IX of France, brought a prosperity to the region, based on thriving agriculture and a booming cloth trade, that made the investment possible. The great Cathedrals of Reims and Chartres are roughly contemporary.

English: Magnificent Choir Stalls (1508-1519).

Amiens Cathedral, France.

Français: Détail des stalles de la cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens, 1508-1519.

Photo: 3 August 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Vassil.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The original design of the Flying Buttresses, around the Choir, had them placed too high to counteract the force of the Ceiling Arch pushing outwards, resulting in excessive lateral forces being placed on the vertical Columns. The structure was only saved when, centuries later, masons placed a second row of more robust Flying Buttresses that connected lower down on the outer wall. This fix failed to counteract similar issues with the lower wall, which began to develop large cracks around the late Middle Ages. This was solved by another patch, that consisted of a wrought iron bar chain being installed around the Mezzanine Level, to resist the forces pushing the Stone Columns outward. The chain was installed red hot to act as a cinch, tightening as it cooled.

Amiens Cathedral.

View from the North, with 

Flying Buttresses and Fleche (Central Spire).

This File: 3 August 2007.

Source: based on http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:

Cath%C3%A9drale_d%27AMIENS_0606.JPG by User:VincentdeMorteau.

Author: photographed by User:VincentdeMorteau, cropped by MathKnight.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The West Front of the Cathedral, built in a single campaign, 1220 – 1236, shows an unusual degree of artistic unity; its Lower Tier, with three vast deep Porches, is capped with the Gallery of twenty-two over-life-size Kings, which stretches across the entire façade beneath the Rose Window. Above the Rose Window, there is an Open Arcade, the galerie des sonneurs. Flanking the Nave, the two Towers were built without close regard to the former design, the South Tower being finished in 1366, the North Tower, reaching higher, in 1406.

English: Our Lady of Amiens Cathedral

(Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France.

The Nave, seen from the Triforium.

Français: Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens, 

nef vue du triforium.

Photo: 25 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Eusebius (Guillaume Piolle).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Western Portals of the Cathedral are justly famous for their elaborate sculpture, featuring a Gallery of locally-important Saints and large eschatological scenes. Statues of Saints, in the Portal of the Cathedral, have been identified as including the locally-venerated Saints Victoricus and Gentian, Saint Domitius, Saint Ulphia, and Saint Fermin. The Spire, over the Central Crossing, was added between 1529 and 1533.

During the process of laser cleaning in the 1990s, it was discovered that the Western Façade of the Cathedral was originally painted in multiple colours. A technique was perfected to determine the exact make-up of the colours as they were applied in the 13th-Century. Then, in conjunction with the laboratories of EDF and the expertise of the Society Skertzò, elaborate lighting techniques were developed to project these colours directly on the façade with precision, recreating the polychromatic appearance of the 13th-Century.

Amiens Cathedral 

(Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France.

The Last Judgment Tympanum.

Photo: 9 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

When projected on the statues around the Portals, the result is a stunning display that brings the figures to life. The projected colours are faint to photograph, but a good quality DSLR camera will provide excellent results, as shown below.

The full effect of the colour may be best appreciated by direct viewing, with musical accompaniment, which can be done at the Son et lumière shows, which are held on Summer evenings, during the Christmas Fair, and over the New Year.

Amiens Cathedral

(Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France.

Son et lumière, July 2007.

This File: 9 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Amiens Cathedral

(Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France.

Son et lumière, July 2007.

This File: 9 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Amiens Cathedral

(Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France.

Son et lumière, July 2007.

This File: 9 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Amiens Cathedral contains the largest Mediaeval Interior in Western Europe, supported by 126 Pillars. Both the Nave and the Chancel are vast, but extremely light, with considerable amounts of Stained Glass surviving, despite the depredations of war.

The Ambulatory, surrounding the Choir, is richly decorated with polychrome sculpture and flanked by numerous Chapels. One of the most sumptuous is the Drapers' Chapel. The cloth industry was the most dynamic component of the Mediaeval economy, especially in Northern France, and the cloth merchants were keen to display their wealth and civic pride. Another striking Chapel is dedicated to Saint Thomas of Canterbury, a 13th-Century dedication that complements the Cathedral's own very full list of Martyrs.

The Interior contains works of art and decoration from every period since the building of the Cathedral.

Amiens Cathedral 

(Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France.

The Portals on the West Front.

Photo: 9 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The initial impetus for the building of the Cathedral came from the installation of the reputed head of John the Baptist on 17 December 1206. The head was part of the loot of the Fourth Crusade, which had been diverted from campaigning against the Turks, to sacking the great Christian city of Constantinople. A sumptuous Reliquary was made to house the skull. Although later lost, a 19th-Century replica still provides a focus for Prayer and meditation in the North Aisle.

The unutterable beauty of The Nave,

Amiens Cathedral, France.

[Editor: Compare this wonderful photo with the one, below.

Do you prefer The Nave with Modernistic trappings attached ?

Or without ?

Which is better ?]

Date: Pre-1923.

Photographer: William Henry Goodyear (1846–1923).

Institution: Brooklyn Museum.

Source: Brooklyn Museum.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Nave,

Amiens Cathedral, France,

[Editor: Compare this photo with the one, above.

Do you prefer The Nave with Modernistic trappings attached ?

Or without ?

Which is better ?]

Photo: 3 February 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Anoneditor.

(Wikipedia)

Some of the most important works of art are sequences of polychrome sculpture, dating mainly from the Late-15th-Century and the 16th-Century. A large sequence, in the North Transept, illustrates Jesus' Cleansing of the Temple, with imaginative tableaux of the Temple. Both sides of the Ambulatory are lined with sequences illustrating the lives of the two Saints, whose cults brought large numbers of pilgrims to the Cathedral, John the Baptist and Saint Firmin, the first Bishop of Amiens. The artists took care to create a parallelism in the telling of the stories: Both Saints, decapitated for offending the rich and powerful, suffer neglect and loss, until a later generation discovers their Relics and houses them fittingly.

The Baroque Pulpit, constructed of marble and gilded wood, dominates the Nave of the Cathedral. It is supported by three allegorical female figures, apparently representing Faith, Hope and Charity, the three Theological Virtues.

Amiens Cathedral

(Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France.

Photo: 9 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Amiens Cathedral

Chapel of Notre Dame du Puy. The statue on the left, Saint Genevieve, 

was transformed into a goddess of Reason during the French Revolution.

Français: Amiens Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France. Chapelle de Notre-Dame du Pilier Rouge ou de Notre-Dame de Puy; oeuvre de Nicolas Blasset, offerte en 1627 

par Antoine Pingre, maître de la Confrérie du Puy. En haut: la Vierge tirant un enfant d'un puits, entre David et Salomon. En bas, de gauche à droite: Sainte Geneviève, par Cressent 

(qui remplace l'Esther de N. Blasset, détruite à la Révolution), l'Assomption de la Vierge 

par François Francken le Jeune (1628), Judith tenant la tête d'Holopherne.

Photo: 8 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the book "Mr Standfast", John Buchan has his character, Richard Hannay, describe the Cathedral as being "the noblest Church that the hand of man ever built only for God."

The Cathedral was featured in the video game "Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem". In the game, it first appeared as a Chapel, in the final year of Charlemagne's reign; it later appeared during the height of the Spanish Inquisition. Lastly, it was used as a hospital for injured soldiers during World War One.

Amiens Cathedral

(Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), France.

Photo: 8 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Amiens Cathedral, France.

The Northern Rose Window.

Français: Rosace nord de la cathédrale 

Notre-Dame d'Amiens, France.

Photo: 8 January 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral was featured in an episode of the PBS science show "NOVA", as an example of design flaws that now threaten the structural integrity of Gothic Cathedrals. In this case, improperly installed Flying Buttresses have resulted in the main supports bowing outwards over time. Measurements indicate that the structure's walls were built to a height of 144 units, echoing a statement in the Book of Revelation that the walls of heaven's mansions would be 144 cubits high.

The 1979 album "Winter Songs" by Art Bears, comprises fourteen short songs composed by Fred Frith, around texts by Chris Cutler, that were based on carvings on the Dado of the Cathedral's West Façade.

Confession. By Rev. Fr. Hugh Thwaites, S.J. (R.I.P.)

"The Virgin With Angels".

Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905).

Current location: Petit Palais, Paris, France.

Source/Photographer: Art Renewal Center – description

Copied from the English Wikipedia to Commons.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Confession.

By Rev. Fr. Hugh Thwaites, S.J.

(R.I.P.)

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/xx5EYFWUtSc.

Available (in U.K.) from

CENACLE CATHOLIC BOOKS

Available (in U.S.A.) from

ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

Or, Angel Fish ?

English: Freshwater Angel Fish at the Montreal Biodome, Canada.

Français: Poisson-ange d'eau douce au Biodôme de Montréal.

Source: Own work.

Author: mendel.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Dogs. Rabbits. Now What ?

Seeing as how Dogs and Rabbits have received Papal endorsements,

do Angler Fish qualify for a mention ?

Just asking.

Pope Saint Fabian And Saint Sebastian. Feast Day 20 January. Martyrs.

Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Fabian, Pope,
and Saint Sebastian.
Martyrs.
Feast Day 20 January.

Double.

Red Vestments.

Pope Saint Fabian (236 A.D. - 250 A.D.) wears an anachronistic Papal Tiara.

Artist: Giovanni di Paolo (1403–1482).

Date: Mid-15th-Century.

Current location: National Gallery, London.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH ; cropped version.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.

Saint Sebastian of Avla.

Captain of the Praetorian Guard.

Roman Soldier, Healer and Martyr.

Artist: Il Sodoma (1477–1549).

Date: 1525.

Current location: Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The two great Roman Martyrs, Fabian and Sebastian, made manifest, the first in 250 A.D. in the Persecution of Decius, the second in 284 A.D. in that of Diocletian, the Divine Power of Christ "who operated wonders in them" (Gradual). The ancient Martyrologies unite their names.

The appearance of The Holy Ghost, in the form of a Dove, had attested the Divinity of Jesus on the day of His Baptism. It was also a Dove, hovering above Fabian, that pointed him out to The Church as Vicar of Jesus Christ.

Saint Sebastian, an Officer of The Imperial Household and Commander of a Cohort, encouraged his brothers-in-arms, subjected to torments on account of their Faith. Diocletian ordered him to be pierced with arrows. Sebastian, having escaped death, reappeared before the Emperor and reproached him with his crimes. He was condemned to be flogged to death.

Like the Martyrs mentioned in the Epistle, these two Saints "were found perfect in the testimony they bore of their Faith in Jesus Christ," for "it is for the cause of The Son of Man that they suffered persecution" (Gospel), Numerous cures were wrought by Saint Sebastian or, rather, by the virtue of Christ which was in him (Gospel and Communion).

Let us in our weakness have recourse (Collect) to the powerful protection of these glorious Martyrs.

Mass: Intret in conspéctu.

Available (in U.K.) from

CENACLE CATHOLIC BOOKS

Available (in U.S.A.) from

ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

Niederaltaich Abbey, Bavaria, Germany.

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

English: Engraving of Niederaltaich Abbey,

from the "Churbaierischen Atlas", of Anton Wilhelm Ertl, 1687.

Deutsch: Kupferstich des Klosters Niederaltaich von Johann Ulrich Kraus

aus dem "Churbaierischen Atlas" des Anton Wilhelm Ertl, 1687.

This File: 18 June 2005.

User: Lou.gruber.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Basilica and Abbey Church of Saints Maurice and Nicholas,

Niederalteich, Bavaria, Germany.

Deutsch: Basilika und Abteikirche zu den Hll. Mauritius und Nikolaus (Niederalteich).

Photo: 30 October 2012.

Source: Own worrk.

Author: Gliwi.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Niederaltaich Abbey, or Niederaltaich Monastery (Abtei or Kloster Niederaltaich) is a House of the Benedictine Order, founded in 731 A.D., (or, possibly, 741 A.D.), situated in the village of Niederalteich, on the Danube, in Bavaria, Germany.

Note: "Niederaltaich" is the conventional spelling of the Monastery, "Niederalteich" is the conventional spelling of the village.

The Abbey Church,

Niederaltaich Abbey, Bavaria, Germany.

Photo: 30 October 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gliwi.

(Wikimedia Commons)

After its Foundation in 731 A.D., (or 741 A.D.) by Duke Odilo of Bavaria, the Monastery, Dedicated to Saint Maurice, was settled by Monks from Reichenau Abbey, under Saint Pirmin. Eberswind, the first Abbot, is considered the compiler of the "Lex Baiuvariorum", the first Code of Law of the Bavarian people.

The Monastery brought great areas of Lower Bavaria into cultivation, as far as the territory of the present Czech Republic, and founded 120 Settlements in the Bavarian Forest. In the Reigns of Charlemagne and Louis the German, the Abbey extended its possessions as far as the Wachau Valley, in Austria. Abbot Gozbald (825 A.D. - 855 A.D.) was the Louis the German's Arch-Chancellor.

Entrance Door to that part of Niederaltaich Abbey

that is dedicated to Bishop Nicholas of Myra

for the Celebration of The Byzantine Rite.

Photo: August 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: High Contrast.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 848 A.D., the Monastery received the Right of Free Election of its Abbots, and, in 857 A.D., became Reichsunmittelbar (that is, free of all Territorial Lordship except that of the Monarchy, itself). By the end of the 9th-Century, over fifty Monks had become Abbots in other Monasteries or had been appointed Bishops. The 10th-Century, however, brought the turmoil of the Hungarian Incursions, and, between 950 A.D. and 990 A.D., the Monastery was a Residential Foundation (Kollegiatstift).

English: Niederaltaich Abbey, Bavaria, Germany.

Deutsch: Kloster Niederaltaich, Blick auf die Basilika.

Photo: 5 March 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Thomas Guffler.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Under Abbot Gotthard, or Godehard, of Hildesheim (996 A.D. - 1022), better known as Saint Gotthard, the Monastery entered a renewed Golden Age. Saint Gotthard, who, along with Duke Henry of Bavaria, later Emperor Henry II, was a key supporter of contemporary Monastic Reform, was probably the Abbey's best-known Abbot. He later became Bishop of Hildesheim, where he was buried.

The Abbey was granted by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to the Bishop of Bamberg in 1152, and, as a consequence, lost its Reichsunmittelbar status. In 1242, the Wittelsbachs inherited, from the Counts of Bogen, the Office of Vogt (Lord Protector) of the Abbey.

Important Abbots, from this time on, were Hermann (in Office from 1242 to 1273), the author of the "Annales Hermanni", and the Reformation Abbots, Kilian Weybeck (1503 to 1534) and Paulus Gmainer (1550 to 1585). Vitus Bacheneder, Abbot between 1651 and 1666, created, after The Thirty Years' War, the foundations of the economic prosperity of the Abbey in the Baroque period.

A Side-Altar,

Niederaltaich Abbey, Bavaria, Germany.

Photo: 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: High Contrast.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Under Abbot Joscio Hamberger (1700–1739), the creation of the Baroque Abbey and Church took place, as well as the construction of the School. The Church was the first Commission for the later famous Baroque architect Johann Michael Fischer, who worked on it from 1724–1726.

The Abbey was Dissolved at the Secularisation of Bavaria in 1803. A fire in the Church in 1813, caused by a bolt of lightning, signalled the beginning of the demolition of the Baroque complex. The Monastery buildings were sold off to private individuals. The Side Chapels of the Abbey Church, the Gothic Cloisters and adjoining buildings, as well as the Parish Church, were demolished.

In 1918, with the help of a Legacy from the Theology Professor Franz Xaver Knabenbauer, a native of Niederalteich, a Monastery was re-established here and settled from Metten Abbey. In 1932, the Monastery Church received from the Pope (Pope Pius XI) the Title of "Minor Basilica". In 1949, under Abbot Emmanuel Maria Heufelder, the Monastery became, once again, an Independent Abbey.

Deutsch: Innenraum der Kirche von Kloster Niederaltaich.

English: Interior of Church at Niederaltaich Abbey.

Français: Intérieur de l'église à Monastère de Niederaltaich.

Photo: 19 October 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Aconcagua.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1946, the St.-Gotthard-Gymnasium ("St.-Gotthard-Grammar School") was re-founded, after having been closed by the Nazis. The remaining parts of the Baroque buildings were incorporated into new buildings in 1953–1954 and gradually renovated. In 1959, the Katholische Landvolkshochschule ("Catholic State Secondary School") was established here, and, between 1971 and 1973, a new School Building was erected for the St.-Gotthard-Gymnasium because the number of pupils had continually risen in the 1960s.

Its boarding facilities, however, were shut down in 1994 and converted, in 1999–2001, into the St. Pirmin Conference and Hospitality Centre. In 2006 and 2007, the School Building of the St.-Gotthard-Gymnasium was refurbished. As a consequence, the School was transformed into a School that offers Obligatory Lessons from 7.45 a.m. till 4.00 p.m. (a so-called Ganztagsschule) at the moment.

Niederaltaich Abbey has been a Member of The Bavarian Congregation of The Benedictine Confederation since its Re-Foundation in 1918.

Deutsch: Hochaltar (1703) der Kirche von Kloster Niederaltaich.

English: The High Altar (1703) of the Church, Niederaltaich Abbey, Bavaria, Germany.

Français: Altar centrale (1703) de l'église à Monastère de Niederaltaich.

Photo: 19 October 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Aconcagua.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1924, Pope Pius XI gave The Benedictines the task of making the Theology and Spirituality, of the East, known in the West. Niederaltaich, as a consequence of these Ecumenical goals, has since been a Monastery of two Ecclesiastical Traditions or Rites, one part of the Monks Living and Praying according to the Roman Rite, the other part according to the Byzantine Rite.

The Eucharist and The Divine Office are celebrated by the Monks in the German language in both Rites, and, in addition, Liturgical Texts from Church Slavonic and Greek have also been translated.

In 1986, a Church and a Chapel, both Dedicated to Bishop Nicholas of Myra (Saint Nicholas), were set up for the Celebration of the Byzantine Rite in the buildings of the former Monastery Brewery.

Saint Peter's Chair At Rome. Feast Day, Today, 18 January.

Text from The Saint Andrew's Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Peter's Chair at Rome.
Feast Day 18 January.

Greater-Double.
White Vestments.

Chair of Saint Peter,

in Saint Peter's Basilica,

The Vatican.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Year: 1647-1653.

Photo: 3 May 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Sergey Smirnov.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The manifestation of the Divinity of Jesus, which characterises the Season after Epiphany, demands of us the recognition of His Kingship over our Souls.

Christ is the Head of the Church. But as He is to re-ascend some day to Heaven, He communicates His Divine Power to man, for, after the Incarnation, it is to human intermediaries that God wills normally to establish His dealings with us.

The man whom Jesus constitutes "Prince" of Souls (Introit), and "on whom He builds His Church" (Gospel), is Saint Peter. As Vicar of Christ, he will sit in the Chair once occupied by Jesus and will hold in his hands The Keys as symbols of supreme authority (Collect, Gospel).

Gian Lorenzo Bernini's 

"Cathedra Petri" (or Chair of Saint Peter).

Gilded bronze, gold, wood, stained glass, 1647-1653.

(Apse of Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome).

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/z-yC6Owcg7g.

We read in the Epistle, the beginning of the First Letter of Saint Peter. All the Letters of the Apostle bear the mark of his Primacy. Rome is to be the Capital of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. It is to Rome that Peter will come, it is on Rome's Blessed soil that he will shed his blood, he will be Bishop of Rome.

Wherefore, we must see in this Feast, a Liturgical testimony to the Primacy of honour and jurisdiction attached to The Chair of Rome. This material Chair is still preserved in the Apse of the Basilica of Saint Peter.

Saint Paul, during his sojourn at Corinth, in the year 58 A.D., wrote an Epistle to the Romans. Towards the year 62 A.D., he was led to Rome a captive and remained there two years. Imprisoned again in the year 67 A.D., he was put to death, like Saint Peter, in the henceforth Eternal City. Wherefore, the Liturgy associates, in a Second Collect, the glorious name of the Apostle with that of the first Bishop of Rome.

Let us, today, Pray for the Pope, successor of Saint Peter, that he may freely exercise the Divine Powers communicated to him by Jesus, Son of God.

Mass: Státuit ei Dóminus.

Commemorations: Saint Paul and Saint Prisca.

English: Interior of the Basilica of Saint Peter's, Vatican.

Français: Vatican, Basilique St Pierre, Intérieur.

The Chair of Saint Peter can be seen

directly through the Baldachin,

in the middle of the photo.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Christophe BENOIST.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy.

Saint Peter's Chair is in Saint Peter's Basilica.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/R5UK0dEFSoM.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Chair of Saint Peter (Latin: Cathedra Petri) is a Relic, conserved in Saint Peter's Basilica, enclosed in a sculpted gilt bronze casing, that was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and executed between 1647 and 1653. 

The name derives from the Latin Cathedra, meaning "Chair", or, Throne, which is used to denote the Chair or Seat of a Bishop. The Cathedra, in Saint Peter's Basilica, was once used by the Popes. Inside the Chair, is a wooden Throne, which, according to Tradition, was used by Saint Peter. It was, however, actually a gift from Charles the Bald to Pope John VIII in 875 A.D.

The Cathedral And Primatial Basilica Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven, And Saint Adalbert. Esztergom, Hungary.

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unless otherwise stated.

The Cathedral and Primatial Basilica of

The Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven, and Saint Adalbert.

Esztergom Basilica, Hungary.

Photo: 13 August 2011.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramoncutanda/6100881117/ 

Author: Ramón Cutanda López.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Coat-of-Arms of Hungary.

Blazon “Per pale, the first barry of eight Gules and Argent, the second Gules, on a mount Vert a crown Or, issuant therefrom a double cross Argent. In crest the Holy Crown of Hungary.”

Date: 1 January 2009.

Source: Own work, based on Flags of the World - Hungary - Coat of Arms, The Holy Crown of Hungary, National and historical symbols of Hungary - Arms of the country and Magyar Nemzeti Lap - Magyarország ma használatos címere.

Author: Thommy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Primatial Basilica of The Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven and Saint Adalbert (Hungarian: Nagyboldogasszony és Szent Adalbert prímási főszékesegyház), also known as The Esztergom Basilica (Hungarian: Esztergomi bazilika), is an Ecclesiastic Basilica in Esztergom, Hungary, the Mother Church of The Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, and the Seat of The Catholic Church in Hungary. It is dedicated to Saint Mary of The Assumption, and Saint Adalbert.

Magyar: Az esztergomi bazilika oltárképe, melyet Michelangelo Grigoletti festett. A világ legnagyobb, egy vászonra festett olajképe.

English: The Altarpiece of Esztergom Basilica was painted by Michelangelo Grigoletti. It is the biggest Altarpiece in the world, which was painted only onto a single canvas.

Photo: 9 September 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ivanhoe.

(Wikimedia Commons)

It is the biggest building in Hungary and the eighteenth biggest Church in the world. Its inner area is 5,600 m². It is 118 m long and 49 m wide. It has a reverberation time of more than 9 seconds. Its Dome, forming a Semi-Sphere, is situated in the middle, and it has twelve windows. It is 71.5 m high inside, with a diameter of 33.5 metres, and is 100 m high from outside, counted from the Crypt.

The Altarpiece (13.5 × 6.6 metres, depicting The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, by Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti) is the largest painting in the world painted on a single piece of canvas.

Magyar: Az Esztergomi Bazilika éjjel.

English: The Esztergom Cathedral at night.

Photo: 21 February 2006.

Source: 

Author: Villy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Basilica is also known for the Bakócz Chapel (named after Tamás Bakócz), built by Italian Masters between 1506–1507, out of Red Marble of Süttő, its walls adorned with Tuscan Renaissance motifs. It is the most precious remaining example of Renaissance Art in Hungary.

The huge Crypt, built in Old Egyptian Style in 1831, is today the resting place of Late Archbishops, among others, József Mindszenty, famous for his opposition to both Nazi and Communist rule.

English: Interier of Esztergom Basilica, Esztergom, Hungary.

Čeština: Interiér Baziliky v Ostřihomi, Maďarsko.

Photo: April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karelj.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The building of the present Church took place on the Foundations of several earlier Churches. The first was built by Stephen I of Hungary, between 1001–1010 (as the original Saint Adalbert Church), the first Cathedral in Hungary, which was burned down at the end of the 12th-Century. It was rebuilt, and even survived the Mongol invasion of Hungary. However, in 1304, Wenceslaus III, a probable candidate for the Hungarian Throne, sacked the Castle and the Church. It was repaired in the following years.

Esztergom Basilica.

View from the Danube River.

Photo: 15 June 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Cristian Damaschin.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Archbishops, of the 14th- and 15th-Centuries, made the Church more ornate and added a huge Library, the second most significant one in the Country. It was ruined again, under Turkish rule, in 1543. In 1820, the Archdiocese was restored and Archbishop Sándor Rudnay decided to restore Esztergom's status as Mother Church of the Country. The Church maintains the Relics of the Catholic Martyr and Saint, Marko Krizin.

The architect was Pál Kühnel and the lead contractor was János Packh. The Foundation-Stone was laid and work began in 1822. The Bakócz Chapel was carefully disassembled (into about 1,600 pieces) and was moved twenty metres away from its original location and attached to the new Basilica.

Coronation Chasuble.

Hungarian embroidery from the second half of the 17th-Century.

Photo: 18 February 2013.

Current location: Főszékesegyházi kincstár, Esztergom, Hungary.

Source: Own work, scanned by Szilas from A magyar Szent Korona by Tóth Endre,

Szelényi Károly, Kossuth 2000, Budapest.

Author: Szilas.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1838, Packh was murdered, so József Hild was placed in charge of construction. He completed it in Classic Style. Under the next Archbishop, János Scitovszky, the Upper Church was completed and Dedicated on 31 August 1856. The 1856 Consecration Ceremonies featured the premiere of the Missa Solennis zur Einweihung der Basilika in Gran (Grand Mass), composed and conducted by Franz Liszt, and featuring the Organist Alexander Winterberger. The final completion of the Cathedral took place twelve years later, in 1869.

Magyar: Az esztergomi bazilika orgonája.

English: The Organ of the Basilica in Esztergom, Hungary.

Photo: 9 September 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ivanhoe.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The renovation and enlargement of the Organ started in the 1980s, after extensive preparations, and it is currently in progress. It is supervised by István Baróti, the Basilica's Organist and Choirmaster since 1975. As of 2008, the project is still not fully funded. The Organ has five manuals and by 2006 had 85 stops working out of the planned 146. The Organ contains the largest Organ Pipes in Hungary, 10 m, about 35 feet (11 m) long. When complete, it will be the third largest Organ in Europe, surpassing all Organs in Hungary in both volume and variety of stops.

At the time of the construction, in 1856, the Organ was the largest in Hungary with forty-nine stops, 3,530 Pipes and 3 manuals. The present Organ preserves several stops from the instrument that Liszt played.

For the Organ's detailed specifications, see its article in the Hungarian Wikipedia.