Let us pray that our present Holy Father starts offering Holy Mass in public, in this beautiful and holy manner, again.
Deo Gratias!
In a comment on an earlier post on the Easter ceremonies in St Peter's this year I observed that the tall crucifix and candlesticks used on the high altar marked a return of those removed by Pope Paul VI. I now see from these photographs that I was wrong. The candlesticks used here were, I believe, removed to the museum attached to St Peter's. But those used this year match them in scale and height and I hope they will once more become a settled fixture in St Peter's. Better still would be the substitution of those in these photographs as they are better in form and design. The advantage of furnishings of this scale speaks for itself.
I believe that our Holy Father has been offering public Masses in a beautiful and holy manner, most recently over and over again this past week. Happy Easter.
thanks, Shawn, for such an informative post.
magnificent!...thanks Shawn.
The Vicar of Christ and Sovereign Pontiff. Very beautiful.
If only some of this was brought back. At least the sedia gestoria and the throne at back of the Basilica.
Perhaps some clarification is needed. I was told once that the full ceremonial for the Solemn Papal Mass had not been used since the reign of Pius IX. The claim was made based on the fact that there were no public Papal Masses from the fall of the Papal States until the reign of Pius XI as form of protest against the annexation of Rome by Italy, and that Pius XI to Paul VI used a modified form of the Papal Mass that was simpler then it had been in the past, even for such events as coronations, the promulgation of the Dogma of the Assumption and the opening of Vatican II. The claim was also made that Paul VI himself made further modifications to the Papal Mass.
Is this correct?
The Tridentine Mass as offered in this splendid manner is truly most pleasing to God Almighty and efficacious for the souls of men.
A joyous Eastertide to all.
When you look at these splendid photographs you see the wealth of fine vestments that existed in the sacristies of St Peter's at the time. I cannot believe that they have been dispersed or destroyed in the past forty years because Rome is notable for not throwing anything away. In this light I hope that more will be brought out of store because they are infinitely more beautiful, better cut, and made of superior textiles finely embroidered, than even Tridentinum can manufacture. It is unfortunate that so much money is being spent on new traditional vestments when old ones are not only of the first order but more suitable.
Why would the Popes think that not celebrating Solemn Papal Masses because Italy annexed the Papal States would solve anything? That seems sort of cruel to the faithful.
A. King remarks: "The solemn papal Mass was suspended by the cataclysm of Venti Settembre. From 20 September, 1870, until 1 January, 1888 [priestly jubilee celebration of Leo XIII], the silver trumpets were silent in the Vatican basilica: the Sovereign Pontiff no longer offered the Holy Sacrifice at the tomb of the Apostle, and the throne of the Domnus apostolicus remained empty."
However, descriptions of the coronation of Leo XIII (which I believe was in the Sistine Chapel, as was that of Benedict XV) show that none of the ceremonial of the Papal Mass was omitted. Certainly under Pius XII and Bl. John XXIII, the Papal Mass was celebrated with all of the ceremonies given in the Caeremoniale Romanum of Agostino Patrizi Piccolomini (temp. Innocent VIII). The same is true of the coronation of Paul VI and also of the canonization (also by Paul VI) of the Ugandan martyrs.
Oh, and it's also nice to see Pope Paul using the traditional ICXC finger formation during his blessing. Benedict seems to never do this (not that I've seen, anyway).
I pray I will see the return of the Solemn Papal Mass in my lifetime. It would be glorious! Everything about this Mass conveys the glory of God and His Church to the faithful. I wish new Marini would put some of those vestments in the pictures to use soon... and the sedia gestatoria (with canopy) while he is at it.
During masses in St Peter's prior to the liturgical changes of the '70s, which direction did the celebrants face when saying the liturgy at the main altar under the baldachino? Did they face east, or 'liturgical east'? That is, did the celebrants face the nave of the Basilica? I have always wondered about this. Apologies if I'm displaying extraordinary ignorance.
Shadrach,
In Roman basilicas, they retained the earliest custom which was the literal orientation to the geographic East. Due to historical circumstances and inherited urban circumstances, in these specific cases, that put the narthex (i.e toward the main doors of the church buidling) at the East and the apse in the West, rather than vice versa.
In short, when Pope Benedict says Mass in the Lateran or St. Peter's Basilica today, he is facing the same way as all his predecessors in those circumstances.
The reason I give you a little more historical detail is because some try to use the Roman basilica situation to suggest that "versus populum" was the historical principle of the liturgy, but that is not in fact the case; it is actually directly related to ad orientem and not in a way that is contrary to liturgical ad orientem, or the common direction of the priest and people toward the apse and cross -- a point mentioned recently by the Pope in his homily.
I'd recommend you read Fr. Lang's book, Turning Towards the Lord which will give you all sorts of information about these matters.
A wonderful series of pics, thanks very much. I note that the papal throne has SEVEN steps here! That fistula is amazing. Will we ever see such splendour again?
> The symphony of Silveri by the
> trumpets of the noble guard
Could I ask for more details about Silveri? Is it a composer, or am I misreading the text? (English is not my first language, you know).
Shawn,
Thank you very much,
I would like to see the return of the fanon. Why was this abandoned in the first place?
Those elevated seating galleries in the side aisles - I don't recall galleries there. Were they temporary constructions for the occasion?
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