Saturday, March 29, 2008

Requiem Mass in the Ancient Form in Cathedral of Siena

I was browsing through an Italian forum when I ran into this report on a forthcoming requiem Mass in one of the chapels of the Cathedral of Siena:

In Siena, Saturday 12 April 2008, at 10.30, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the transfer of Msgr. Mario Ismaele Castellano, Archbishop Emeritus of Siena, there will be celebrated a solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Roman rite in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Siena at the San Bernardino (right transept, at the monument to Pope Alexander VII), which is on the burial ground of archbishops.

This is the third ancient Mass since the promulgation of the Motu proprio, to be celebrated in Siena.

The celebration is organized by the Militia of the Temple - the Poor Knights of Christ (Milizia del Tempio – Poveri Cavalieri di Cristo)...


I found this interesting on two fronts. One is the mention of Siena in relation to the ancient form of the Roman rite. If any of our readership have any information on either of the two Masses mentioned (and it is difficult to tell if the author is speaking to the city or the cathedral) in the form of photos, please contact me. As well, the NLM would also be interested in any pictures and reports from the forthcoming requiem Mass.

Second, this was of interest because it put me to mind again of the glorious and unique Cathedral of Siena. This cathedral is one of the greatest treasures of Christendom in my opinion and quite unique in many regards.






(One of the many chapels)


(The cathedral is famed for its incredible floor designs)




(The baptistry. Do also look at the ceilings. This cathedral and its associated buildings are filled with such art.)

More recent articles:


The Feast of St Vincent Ferrer
The feast of St Vincent Ferrer was traditionally assigned to the day of his death, April 5th, but I say “assigned to” instead of “kept on” advisedly; that date falls within either Holy Week or Easter week so often that its was either translated or omitted more than it was celebrated on its proper day. [1] For this reason, in 2001 the Dominicans mov...

Good Shepherd Sunday 2025
Dearest brethren, Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps; Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; Who, when He was reviled, did not revile. When He suffered, he threatened not, but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly; Who His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree: that...

The Gospel of Nicodemus in the Liturgy of Eastertide
By “the Gospel of Nicodemus”, I mean not the apocryphal gospel of that title, but the passage of St John’s Gospel in which Christ speaks to Nicodemus, chapter 3, verses 1-21. This passage has an interesting and complex history among the readings of the Easter season. For liturgical use, the Roman Rite divides it into two parts, the second of which...

“The Angel Cried Out” - The Byzantine Easter Hymn to the Virgin Mary
In the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, there are several places where the priest sings a part of the anaphora out loud, and the choir makes a response, while he continues the anaphora silently. In the liturgy of St John Chrysostom, which is by far the more commonly used of the two anaphoras, the priest commemorates the Saints after the consecration and ...

The Lavabo
Lost in Translation #124 After the incensation, the priest goes to the Epistle side and washes his hands, reciting Psalm 25, 6-12: Lavábo inter innocentes manus meas: et circúmdabo altáre tuum, Dómine.Ut audiam vocem laudis: et enarrem universa mirabilia tua.Dómine, dilexi decórem domus tuae: et locum habitatiónis gloriae tuae.Ne perdas cum impii...

Spinello Aretino’s Altar of Ss Philip and James
At the very end of the 14th century, the painter Spinello di Luca Spinelli (1350 ca. - 1410 ca.), usually known as Spinello Aretino (from Arezzo) was commissioned to make a frescoed altarpiece for the Dominican church of his native city. The altar itself no longer exists; it was dedicated to the Apostles Philip and James, whose feast is traditional...

A Medieval Hymn for Eastertide
Many medieval breviaries, including those of the Sarum Use, the Cistercians, Carmelites and Premonstratensians, have a hymn for the Easter season which is not found in the Roman Breviary, Chorus novae Jerusalem by St Fulbert, bishop of Chartres, who died in 1029. The original version of the Latin text, and the English translation of John Maso...

Two Upcoming Events from the Durandus Institute
Our friend James Griffin of The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music wishes all our readers a joyous Easter season, by presenting two opportunities, at least for those in southeast Pennsylvania, to celebrate.First, this coming Sunday at 5pm, there will be a solemn Vespers in the traditional Latin rite for the Second Sunday after Easter a...

Letter to a Maximalist Music Director in a Minimalist World
Auguste Danse, Study of Three Singers (detail)The following is based on a real letter.Dear Friend,I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing some “ups and downs” with regard to the liturgy there, though it’s hardly surprising in a way. Your diocese is not well known for liturgical propriety or taste, and, beyond that, priests mostly have control ov...

The Tomb of St Peter Martyr in Milan’s Portinari Chapel
Here are some great photos from our Ambrosian correspondent Nicola de’ Grandi of the Portinari Chapel at the Basilica of St Eustorgio in Milan. They were taken during a special night-time opening made possible by a new lighting system; as one might well imagine, the Italians are extraordinarily good at this sort of thing, and more and more museum...

For more articles, see the NLM archives: