Praxiteles
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And here we have St. George’s Cathedral, Southwark (London) built by A.W.N. Pugin and considered to be one of his finest works. Unfortunately, it was bombed during the war but restored in the late 1940s and early 1950s only to have been hacked to bits by the liturgical agitators of the 1970s and 1980s who eventually ht on the (much hackneyed) idea of abandoning the chancel and placing an unraised altar at the crossing.
From the photographs on the following likns, it is easy to see how difficult it is to celebrate the Tridentine Rite in this kind of set up – clearly the hacked sanctuary was adapted as best one could to accomodate the Tridentine Rite but, as you can see, it is a foreigner in this setting -which in itself sevres to indicate the underlying theological/intellectual problematic involved in the hacked solution which is basically not Catholic.
The solution here is, not surprisingly, quite close to what was proposed for Cobh Cathedral:
http://www.traditionalcatholic.org.uk/SouthwarkCathedral8Dec07/Photos_3.html#10
Here we have some liturgical reasing for the Cloyne HACK over the festive season:
ANd as a matte of interest, when was the last time the proper anthiphons for the period from the 17-23 December last hear in an Irish Cathedral?
Here they are, the famous “O” antiphons, for those who have not heard them:
And a litte seasonal taste of Tomas Luis de Victoria’s wonderful music:
http://bach.nau.edu/Victoria/OMagnum.html
http://bach.nau.edu/Victoria/OVos.html
http://bach.nau.edu/Victoria/OSacrum.html
and that of some of his near contempories:
http://bach.nau.edu/Byrd/AveVerum.html
An interesting event at Westminster Cathedral on 27 November 2007 – Requiem Mass celebrated according tot he old rite by the Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster (who uses the faldstool rather than the throne since he does not have immediate jurisdiction).
The event allows us to see how the structural dispositions of all of these churches are intended to be used -note that the temporary altar has been removed, thereby affording a clear vie of the High Altar.
The event also shows us just how far out of touch the Irish liturgical “establishment” really is. Remember the famous guff line bleated to the BBC about Cobh Cathedral – the real problmem we have have here is that we have a 19th century sanctuary for a 21st century liturgy. Given the way the wind is blowing, Praxiteles would not be at all surprised that we were not looking at 21st century liturgy here in Westminster Cathedral.
Cleraly, the English hierarchy is also ahead of (at least the provincial) Irish hierarchy once again.
PS: The music was de Victoria’s Requiem written for the funeral of the Empress Maria.
@ake wrote:
beautiful.The exterior is very nice. I would have expected the hgh altar to be richer though.
This is true about the High Altar but I expect that in 1867 no one had the slightest imagination as what Lourdes was going to become.
The Basilica there has recently been restored and to the highest standard – an example taht could be emulated by not a few visitors from Ireland when “restoring” their catherdarls.
To-day marks the opening of the Lourdes Jubilee year to commemorate the 150 anniversary of the apparitions there in 1858.
The first photograph shows the interior of the upper basilica shortly after its consecration in 1867.
The second shows the High Altar as it is to-day.
The third shows the consecration as depicted in the glass of the upper basilica.
An external lateral view of the Basilica.
An external view of the principal facade.
Some historical material:
St. Peter’s Basilica, the Coronation of Pope Pius XII, 13 March 1939:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrs0w0cilCc&feature=related
St. peter’s, the Coronation of Pope John XXIII, October 1958
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTPG613HizE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knBzW1Ur63g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEk4D5cnNls&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3BOdx2N-og&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wz8W96JrEM&feature=related
St Peter’s, the coronation of Paul VI,
Here we have the interior of Ballina Cathedral functioning in a most appalling travesty of the rubrics of the Roman Rite:
@Rhabanus wrote:
Thank heaven for sensible and learned clerics like him!
That Rood screen must have been impressive.
Quite so!!
A very beautiful font! St. Mary’s was restored from a condition of near ruin by the Rev. Pierce Drew who was a noted antiquarian.
@ake wrote:
it’s the greenest red sandstone around…;) They’ve finished restoring that georgian building on the quay in the same stone, looks good, though already graffitied. They’ve also put up very nice new heritage info signs around the town and put a walkway along a section of the town walls and opened the doorways into the same. But nothing can redeem this;
Wll, there is no accounting for taste -especially when its poor taste. I cannot imagine what pink can do for an organ. But there you have it!!
Here is a coloured example with one of Fermoy Parish Church, West facade as done by Pugin and Ashlin in 1867.
A nativ Cork invention of red sandstone with limstone dressing. The formula may have been invented by the architect William Atkins for the building of the Dominican convent next to St Mary’s Pope’s Quay in Cork. Large quantities of red sandstone became available in Cork after the excavation of the railway tunnell on the GS&W line and eventually was used for building purposes.
The Presentation Convent in Youghal is another example of its use as is St. Colman’s College Fermoy (possibly by Atkins) as is the Mercy Convent in Mallow ( Ashlin) as is the facade of St. Mary’s in Mallow (Ashlin).
The pix shows ST. COlman’s College, Fermoy
In the former convent of the Sacred Heart, there is a chapel of adoration -which Youghal Urban Council is contractually obliged to maintain under the (very favourable) terms on which they acquired this property from the nuns. Oddly, they deceided to remove a set of Stations of the Cross from the garden wall – and I am not sure what was behind that act of vandalism.
The International college to which you refere is probably the former Presentation COnvent (which I believe is a protected structure). Basically, the chapel has been stripped of its fittings -including its windows- and can be taken to be derelict.
@ake wrote:
just thought we could take a time-out on cobh to admire the ‘improvements’ to this historic pre-emancipation church in Wexford, at Poll fuar (Fethard on Sea)
[ATTACH]6455[/ATTACH]
Strange we don’t hear as much about this triumph of artistic creation.This is a clear example -if one were ever needed – of U.M. Lang’s reference to a “Sinneruine” -the conceptual and structural ruination of the building!!
