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At left:
rood screen
of a small
church in France.
In the West, an iconostasis
(image-covered wall separating the nave (where
the people stand) from the
chancel (where the Altar is) is documented well before 1000 A.D.,
and well before such "rood" screens were used in the
Christian East.
Anglo-Saxon
churches had a wall between the nave and the chancel. The earliest recorded example
of such a screen or wall comes from St. Brigid of Ireland's church
at the Oak. Curtains covered the door-openings in the solid wall, and
sacred imagery decked the entire wall. The image here shows a very
late development of the screen, in regard to its open-ness and the
rood sculptures.
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Mosaic icon of the fifth day of creation,
the creation of the fish and birds. A typical Western iconographic style.
The last line of the Latin inscription reads, "super terram sub
firmamento celi," "upon the earth beneath the firmament of
heaven."
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Altar in the
Chancel at the Austin monastery shows the traditional Western Rite
arrangement. The chalice being placed behind the Lamb, as opposed to at
the right of the Lamb, is a Gallican phenomenon.
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Fr. Hieromonk
Aidan at St. Hilarion Monastery in Austin, Texas, demonstrating how the
Gifts are veiled in the Old Sarum Rite. The frequent veiling and unveiling
is a feature of the Old English uses. Heavy, separate cuffs were used in
France, but lighter, sewn-on cuffs were common in England. |
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A silver altar
Cross from England. |
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A beehive cell
from Ireland. |
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Part of a church
at Assissi. The Orthodox Byzantine style of worship space persisted
for a long time in the separated Western churches. |
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Typical Western
European iconography. The archlike inscription is all in Latin. Gold
Icon of Christ Rex Omnium (Pantocrator), from Cefalu.
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Amalfi, Italy,
the "old country" for those monastics which populated the Holy
Mount Athos at the monastery of Our Lady of the Amalfitans (Amalfion). How
like the Greek coastlines in beauty. |
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Surviving tower
at the Athonite Western Rite monastery of Amalfion (disbanded 1287
A.D.). |
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Ravello, very
near to Amalfi on the Italian coast. |
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A map of the Holy
Mount Athos, showing the older monasteries, including Amalfion (also
called Morphonou). |
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Amice: Western
Rite vestment which is worn under the alb (stikhar). This amice does not
show the traditional (since the 10th c.) apparel which forms a sort of
stiff brocade collar that is then folded down over the chasuble or other
vestment. |
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Cruets from which
wine and water are ministered for the Holy Eucharist. |
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Analogium or
Reading-desk for Western Rite services. This is an old example from
Spain. |
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Plan of an old
Anglo-Saxon Church. |
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Anglo-Saxon
Manuscript Illumination |
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The rood-screen
or iconostasis in York Minster. The faces of the rood screens were
brightly painted, originally. |
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An Anglo-Saxon
manuscript illumination showing the Crucifixion of Christ. |
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An Anglo-Saxon
manuscript illumination showing the Crucifixion of Christ. From the
Gospel-book of Countess Judith. |
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Aspersorium or
holy water sprinkler. Also commonly used to sprinkle the holy water was a
sprig or short branch of greenery. |
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Pantocrator
mosaic of Christ from Monreale, Sicily. The Western Rite was celebrated
anciently in settings such as this. |
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Stave Church at
Borgund. Unique to Scandinavia and its abundance of wood, these Romanesque
stone-style churches done in wood achieved their own sort of style,
intensely symbolic and liturgical. |
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Another view of
the Stave Church at Borgund. |
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Anglo-Saxon
Church at Bradford-on-Avon. |
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Arch in the
"rood screen" or chancel arch in the Anglo-Saxon Church at
Bradford-on-Avon. |
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Brocca and
Bacile. |
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Alb (stikhar)
showing the traditional decoration (often in precious metals) around the
hem and sleeves. In France actual separate, metal cuffs were used over the
alb sleeves; in most other places, a thick and ornate cuff was sewn
directly onto the sleeve. |
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Rood screen in
Canterbury Cathedral. |
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Celtic cross
design. |
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An old Chalice. |
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The Chalice of
Abbot Suger of Paris. |
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An old Dalmatic
with (extremely) short sleeves. In old Western Rites, the dalmatic is worn
by Deacons and by some of the other, lesser clergy, such as the Thurifer
(incense bearer). |
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An old Cope
(cappa) with stiff back, reminiscent of a Russian phelon. |
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Broad stole, used
when a vestment is not worn on top of it, as in the administration of many
of the Mysteries, and for many blessings. |
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An old Tunicle,
similar to the Dalmatic but worn by Subdeacons. |
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Corporal and
Burse. The corporal is used to clean after the Holy Communion has been
given, and the Burse is the pouch in which the holy spoon and other such
items are carried solemnly to the Altar. |
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Small
cruet. Cruets were usually of gold or silver, and were not
transparent originally. |
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An old Dalmatic
with very short sleeves. |
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Celtic
illumination style. |
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Western Rite
Priest behind a rood screen (St. Hilarion Monastery, Austin, Texas) (Fr.
Aidan) |
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Chapel painted by
Giotto. |
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Ruins of
Lindisfarne Abbey, founded by St. Aidan in the 7th century. |
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Maniple, a
vestment worn by the Priest, Deacon, and Subdeacon. Often it is much
longer and thinner than shown here. |
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Rood above an old
Anglo-Saxon-style rood arch. Often, because it was difficult for the
Anglo-Saxons to obtain the customary icons, carving of simple figures in
stone substituted for them. |
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An old Missal.
This book containing the services of the Holy Eucharist, the Liturgy, was
often treated with utmost reverence. |
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Incense-boat, in
which incense is kept until placed in the censer. |
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Old Sarum. |
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Holy Oils
vessels. Originally, each Oil was kept in a separate vessel and there was
a sort of "basket" or "cabinet" to keep the vessels
called a chrismatory. |
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Chalice with purificator
laid over the mouth, beneath the pall (shown in greater detail at
right), a stiff piece that causes the chalice veil to drape conveniently.
Neither pall nor purificator were originally used, but are widely used
today among traditional Western Rite communities because of their
practicality. |
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Typical Western
European iconographic mosaic of the Resurrection of Christ. This style was
also used in the Byzantine East. |
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Go
to Page 2 of Western Rite Culture |
