Illuminations Guidebook

Inspiration demands the active cooperation of the intellect joined with enthusiasm, and it is under such conditions that marvelous conceptions, with all that is excellent and divine, come into being.

--Giorgio Vasari (1511-74), The Lives of the Artists

The Evelyn Burrow Museum at Wallace State Community College is pleased to present “Illuminations: Art that Makes the Spirit Soar.”

Illuminated manuscripts, which provided the initial impetus for the exhibition, are hand-written books with painted decoration that were generally made from animal skin. They were largely produced between 1100 and 1600, with monasteries as their earliest creators, and created in various sizes depending on their intended use--from choir pages large enough that a group could simultaneously view the pages from a distance to palm-sized prayer books produced for the wealthy for personal worship.

Illuminated manuscript designs were often drawn using leadpoint ruling lines and thin ink washes, which are visible on close examination. Artists’ recipes for paints, mixed using various pigments and binders, can be found in books such as Cennino Cennini’s Craftsman's Handbook (Il Libro dell'Arte) written in 1390.

A number of illustrative examples are included in this exhibition, some more than 500 years old and rarely shown, along with stained glass, textiles, paintings, relics, and other works of devotion from the Renaissance to modern day.

The exhibition features loans from the Birmingham Museum of Art, St. Bernard Abbey, Sacred Heart, and private collections as well as the Burrow Museum’s permanent collection. We offer special thanks to Brother Marion Sanchez of St. Bernard Abbey, Dr. Robert Schindler of the Birmingham Museum of Art, Wallace State alumna Mary Hovater, and countless others for their contributions to the exhibition.

The Illuminations exhibition, which is accompanied by recordings of Gregorian chanting, invites you to slow down, even meditate, in an environment surrounded by art. Leave your stress behind, take time to wander the galleries, immerse yourself in artistic expression, and ponder for a while the works on view in the current exhibition. This guide and our museum worksheets will help to you make the most of the experience.

In my opinion painters owe to Giotto, the Florentine painter, exactly the same debt they owe to nature, which constantly serves them as a model and whose finest and most beautiful aspects they are always striving to imitate and reproduce.

-- Giorgio Vasari

Numbers on map correspond to descriptions on the following pages.

The Burrow Museum “Illuminations� Exhibition Map

FIRST SECTION

1. On the covered table

Latin Antiphonary. Approximately 15th century. Hand written on parchment (sheep skin), illuminated.

Bound in wood and trimmed in leather. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

2. At the windows

Stained Glass Windows depicting King David, Angels and St. Gregory. From the original chapel at St. Bernard Monastery. Possibly 19th century German. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

King David, the second king of Israel (1040-970 BCE), is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Bahá'í, and is featured in the Qu’ran and Bahá'í scripture as well as the Bible. The Bible’s Old Testament describes David primarily in the books of Samuel I and II. In his early life as a young aide to King Saul, he was known to play such beautiful, soothing music on a kinnor (usually translated as a lyre or harp), that it even drove away evil spirits. And so in art history he is often depicted him with a harp. David went onto defeat Goliath in a well known story, to become a great leader in battle, and eventually King of Israel, serving for more than 40 years. The book of Psalms is attributed to him, and is evidence of his skill as a poet and hymnodist. David was the father of Solomon, who expanded the empire he built.

St. Gregory the Great, also called Saint Gregory I, (born c. 540, Rome [Italy] and Pope Saint Gregory I—died March 12, 604, Rome; his Western feast day is September 3 [formerly March 12, still observed in the East]), was pope from 590 to 604, a reformer and excellent administrator, “founder” of the medieval papacy, which exercised both secular and spiritual power. His epithet “the Great” reflects his status as a writer as well as a ruler. As the fourth and final of the traditional Latin Fathers of the Church, Gregory was the first exponent of a truly medieval, sacramental spirituality. The Gregorian chant is named for him.

3. In the case

Upper: A small copy of a Byzantine altarpiece depicting the Madonna and Child enthroned with saints and patrons, and a depiction of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist.* Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Two antiphonal leaves: from the Feast of St. Joseph and the Commemoration of Mary, 1732.

Collection of Sacred Heart; Gift of Mary Hovater.

An 1858 work bound in red leather with ornately embossed metal clasps. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Middle: Chasuble - Roman style, a liturgical vestment (article of clothing), descendant of a first-century paenula that was worn as a coat by both sexes. Today it connotes solemnity and formality. It is used along with other types of vestments by various denominations in services where Holy Communion is served. The color red is worn on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost and other feast days. Tradition links the design of the chasuble to the apostle Paul and Christian martyrdom.

This one has embroidery depicting the Holy Spirit as a dove. Maker and date unknown. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Lower: Bible - Borso d'Este, a gift of Vatican from the Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art,

volume one of a set of two.

Two pages from an ancient illuminated manuscript in Arabic, featuring the Old Testament stories of Jonah and the Whale (left) and Noah’s Ark (right). From Turkey. Exact date unknown. From a private collection.

SECOND SECTION

4. On the pedestal

Madonna degli Alberetti / Madonna of the Small Trees. Reproduction of the 1487 painting by Giovanni Bellini (c.1435-1516), which is located in the Galleria dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

5. Hanging the the left on the outside wall

Two versions of the Crucifixion:

A 1985 painting by Gary Patterson titled “Christus” in the German Expressionist style. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

A charcoal pencil drawing by Nov Ontos titled “Christ of the Holocaust,” 1974. Burrow Museum Collection.

6. In the case

Upper: Latin manuscript with illumination, bound in leather (1775). Spiritual Medicine for Use Against Disease. From the Benedictine convent on Burano, Venice. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Icon of Mary. Probably 19th century Romanian. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Book bound in leather, printed (1594). Sacred Hymns of the Roman Breviary Translated into the Vernacular. In Italian. Perugia, Italy. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Lower: Leaf from a Latin Breviary with illumination. ca 1280, probably France. Collection of Sacred Heart; Gift of Mary Hovater.

Roman Missal (1856). Collection of Sacred Heart; Gift of Mary Hovater.

7. In the case

Upper: Statue of Madonna and Child. Made by Artisans in the Monasteries of Bethlehem. Israel.

Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Icon of Christ Jesus. 20th century, Romania. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Lower: Le Catechisme en Images / The Catechism in Images. (1893) Maison de la Bonne Presse, Paris, France. The first of two large volumes in-plano (68 X 51 cm of 67 chromolithographic plates) is shown here representing scenes from the Old and New Testaments, and showing the connection between two parts of Scripture. The images are inspired by the engravings of the Middle Ages, as well as works by great painters such as Murillo, Poussin, Raphael, and others. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

8. On the covered pedestal

Paradisio Perduto / Paradise Lost. Figure depicting Adam and Eve tempted by the snake in the Garden of Eden. Handmade and hand-painted in the Renaissance style Capodimonte Italian porcelain by Italian artist, Germano Cortese (20th century). Burrow Museum Collection.

9. Hanging on the inside wall in this section

Leaf from a Gradual. 15th century, Italy. Tempera and iron gall ink on parchment. Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art; Gift of Mrs. Beech Chenoweth.

Painting of the Madonna and Child. Artist and date TBD. After a painting by artist and date TBD.* From the Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Leaf from a Gradual. 15th century, Italy. Tempera on parchment. Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art; Gift of Mrs. Beech Chenoweth.

THIRD SECTION

10. Hanging on the wall

Leaf from Psalter, 14th century. Tempera and iron gall ink on parchment. Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art; Gift of Miss Belle Comer.

Christ and the Rich Young Ruler. Painting by Fr. Placidus Becker of St. Bernard Abbey. First half of the 20th century. From the Collection of St. Bernard Abbey. After the 1888 painting by Heinrich Hofmann, which illustrates a story from Mark 10:17-22 where a wealthy young man approaches Jesus and asks Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Christ gestures toward an impoverished woman and man and invites the man to sell all he has, give it to the poor, and follow Him. Hofmann became known for his ability to convey complex emotions, including, as here, regret and compassion.

11. On the two pedestals along the wall

Reproductions of Byzantine altarpieces depicting the Madonna and Child are displayed.* Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

12. In the case

Upper: Three chalices (inscribed from left “To the Very Rev. J.B. Baasen on his Silver Jubilee, August 1th, 1886 by his friends”; “Ad usum P. Timothy Harrison, OSB, from Mother and Dad on the occasion of my ordination, 27th of May 1948”; and “In gratitude for the feast of the Holy Rosary when God joined my parents in Holy Matrimony 1925. In memory of this wonderful grace and the many other granted me through their prayers to aid me to the altar of God. Francis X Brett ordained a priest, May 23, 1959”; with paten (communion plate); and ciborium with cross cover. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Chalices are often given to a priest on his ordination, and often by his parents.

Lower: Two chalices and a monstrance. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

The chalice on the left is not inscribed. The one on the right is from a priest who was biritual, meaning he was trained to celebrate the liturgy in Latin and Greek. It has two wedding bands, presumably the priest’s parents, affixed underneath, and diamonds from his mother’s engagement ring inlaid on the outside below a cross with the inscription “IC XC NIKA,” meaning Christ conquers.

IC and XC are the first and last letters in the Greek words for Jesus Christ. NIKA, akin to Nike, is associated with victory.

13. On the covered pedestal

The Last Supper. Figure depicting Jesus and his twelve disciples. Handmade and hand-painted in the Renaissance style. Capodimonte Italian porcelain by Italian artist, Germano Cortese. (20th century). Burrow Museum Collection.

14. In the case

Upper: Papyrus fragment written in a Hieratic and Demotic script. Papyrus and ink. Unknown maker, Egypt.

30 BC - 641 AD. From the Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art; Rose Garland Lewis Rives Collection

Relic of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Philosopher and theologian St. Thomas Aquinas was born circa 1225 in Roccasecca, Italy.

Combining the theological principles of faith with the philosophical principles of reason, he ranked among the most influential thinkers of medieval Scholasticism.

A relic usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or their personal effects.

Papyrus fragment with Coptic script Papyrus and ink. Unknown maker, Egypt. About 400-600.

Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art; Rose Garland Lewis Rives Collection

Lower: Bible - Borso d'Este, a gift of Vatican from the Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art,

volume two of a set of two.

15. On the pedestal

Christ of Famine. Sculpted in ceramic relief. By Nov Ontos. c. 1988. Burrow Museum Collection.

16. Hanging on the column

Photograph of Brother Joseph, the Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey who devoted some 50 years to creating the Ave Maria Grotto, the last three decades (1932 to 1961) almost without interruption. His art incorporates discarded building supplies, bricks, marbles, tiles, pipes, sea shells, plastic animals, costume jewelry, toilet bowl floats and cold cream jars. Born in 1878 in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Brother Joseph was maimed in an accident that left him slightly hunched due to cervical kyphosis. He immigrated to the United States as a teenager, settling in northern Alabama. Soon afterward he began studying at the newly founded Benedictine monastery of St. Bernard, where he took his vows in 1897. Br. Joseph was not allowed to be ordained as a priest, due to the rule of the period that stated any man with a distracting disability could not be ordained a priest. Known to be withdrawn and quiet, he ran the monastery's power plant and rarely left

Alabama, where he died in 1961. He has since become widely known for his artwork. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

17. In the case

Various interpretations of the Virgin Mary by Brother Joseph Zoettl (1878-1961), who created sculptures from found objects, often depicting important religious landmarks, which are featured at Ave Maria Grotto at St. Bernard Abbey. Also in this case are tools used by Brother Joseph and his artist’s toolbox, and a book he adored. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

18. On the low pedestal

Two Chairs. Made of walnut with pear wood detail. Early 18th century. Bavaria. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey. Some stories give provenance of such works to King Ludwig I (1786-1868) of Bavaria, who was a great benefactor of Benedictine Archabbot Boniface Wimmer and his missionary efforts in America. St. Bernard was among the earliest Benedictine monasteries in the U.S. Monks came to Alabama in the 1870s and established St. Bernard Abbey in 1891.

FOURTH SECTION

19. Hanging on the wall

Painting of the Nativity. Artist and date TBD. After a painting by artist and date TBD.* Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Leaf from an Illuminated Manuscript. Spain, 1592. Tempera and iron gall ink on parchment. Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art; Gift of the Episcopal Church of the Advent, in honor of Herbert Charles Grieb for his long and faithful service as Director of Music of the Advent.

20. In the case

Upper: Virgin and Child, artist TBD, 1985. After the 1485 painting by Hans Memling (Selingenstadt, c.

1430/40-Bruges, 1494) displayed in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, Portugal. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

The Virgin is portrayed beneath an arch and the Child sits on an oriental carpet laid over a parapet, creating the visual effect of a “window” and establishing a link between the sacred field of the representation and the profane space of the observer. The original painting may be a panel from a diptych, in which the image of the donor would be displayed on the right in an attitude of veneration, in keeping with a style of painting that was very much in fashion in late 15th-century Flemish painting and which Memling himself adopted in one of his most famous works, the diptych of Maarten van Nieuwenhoven in Bruges, where the representation of the Virgin and Child is very similar to this one.

Bible (Geneva Bible or Breeches Bible). 1589. Imprinted in London by publisher Christopher Barker, printer to the Queen. With intricately tooled carving on the gilt edging. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

The Geneva Bible was one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into English,

preceding the King James version first published in 1611 by 51 years. In this version of the Geneva Bible, known as the “Breeches Bible,” Genesis Chapter III Verse 7 reads: "Then the eies of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed figge tree leaves together, and made themselves breeches." In the King James Version of 1611, "breeches" was changed to "aprons".

Middle: Life of the Irish Saint Brigid. 1735. Translated into German by Georgio Schumann. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Canones et Decreta Sacrosancti Cecumenici et Generalis Concilii Tridentini / Canons and Decrees of The Council of Trent. 1565. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Book binding machine used by monks. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Lower: Antique printed books, from the 16th to 18th centuries. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

On left, counterclockwise from back:

Judas der Ertzschelm/Judas the Arch-rogue), 1695, by Abraham a Santa Clara (1644-1709).

Novena for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, 1723. In Italian. Pavia, Italy.

Dicta notabilia siue illustriores sententae ad excolendos mortalium mores vitas recte instituendas / Excellent sayings of the ways of mortals… by Plato, Artistotle and others, 1584. Venice, Italy.

Franc Baconis de Verulamio Summi Angliae Cancellarii Novum Organum Scientiarum / Francis Bacon High Chancellor of England, a New Instrument of Sciences, 1645. Adrianum Wijngaerde et Franciscum Moyardum, Lugd. Bat. [Leyden]. full Vellum, vellum binding with Latin text. Second Edition (first published 1620). 435pp. Engraved title-page 'Multi pertranfibunt de augebiteur scientia' depicting two sailing ships between two columns [the pillars of Hercules "Many will pass through and knowledge will be the greater"]. 12.5 x 7.5 cms.

On right side, counterclockwise from back:

Concilium Tridentinum / Council of Trent, 1587, published in Venice, Italy.

Cato Maior de Senectute / Cato the Elder on Old Age, by Cicero, is an essay written by Cicero in 44 BC on the subject of aging and death. To lend his reflections greater import, Cicero wrote his essay such that the esteemed Cato the Elder was lecturing to Scipio Africanus and Gaius Laelius Sapiens.

This edition is from 1800.

Herodoti Halicarnassei Historiarum Libri IX (2 vols. in 1) Adiectus Est Libellus De Vita Homeri.

Published by Lipsiae: Caroli Tauchnitii (1828). The Histories of Herodotus is considered the founding work of history in Western literature. Originally written in 440 BC in classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known in Western Asia, Northern Africa and Greece at that time. The Histories was at some point divided into nine books.

Center:

Book with engravings. c. 1664. Title page missing. Publisher unknown.

Madonna and Child. After a relief in bronze. Date unknown. Hungary. From a private collection.

21. Hanging on the wall

Holy Family. Painting by Fr. Placidus Becker of St. Bernard Abbey. First half of the 20th century. After the 1872 work of the same name by Carl Muller, German (1818-1893). An extant black and white chalk drawing of Muller’s is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

22. Pair of cases

Habit (on right) and cuculla (on left). Designed and made by the tailor of St. Bernard Abbey. Under Br. Germaine, St. Bernard became known for its expert tailoring of the habit, and his work was commissioned across the country. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey. A religious habit is a distinctive set of religious clothing worn by members of a religious order. The Benedictine cuculla, shown here, traditionally has 73 pleats representing the 73 Chapters of the Rule of St. Benedict. It is received at the solemn profession of a monk’s vows, is worn by the monk during liturgies, and it is the attire in which he is buried.

FIFTH SECTION

23. In the case

Upper: Example of a papal blessing given by Pope Francis. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Middle: Papal zucchetto, which belonged to Pope Pius XII; chalice and paten, consecrated and first used by Pope Saint John XXIII and later gifted to St. Bernard; crucifix, and prayer book. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey. Prayer book is from the Collection of Sacred Heart; Gift of Mary Hovater.

The zucchetto is a small, hemispherical, form-fitting ecclesiastical skullcap.

A crucifix is a cross with a superimposed figurine. Crucifixes originated before the sixth century, at which time the figurine depicted Jesus symbolically as a lamb, and later as a fully dressed triumphant being. The crucifix with a suffering Jesus became very popular in the west during the plague. Many of the more gruesome crucifixes from that era show Jesus dying from the grotesque final symptoms of the bubonic plague. Today, in our more comfortable times, such crucifixes strike us as grotesque or horrible, but they were intended at that time to make sense of suffering and dying, as an expression of faith that Jesus did not ask His faithful to do anything He was not willing to do, and that even the most horrible death could be overcome. Because the plagues were largely in the west, crucifixes are not as common in Orthodox churches, and because the plagues were largely over by the time of the Protestant Reformation, many Protestants associated them with Roman Catholicism and did not use them; however, they are remained common among Anglicans and Lutherans.

Lower: An example of a modern illumination done on the occasion of the profession of solemn vows by Brother Marion Sanchez. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

24. Hanging on the wall

Manuscript leaf. A reproduction of an illuminated manuscript from the Abbey of Montecassino, c. 1070. St. Benedict, sitting, is receiving books and title deeds from the Abbot of Montecassino, whose name was Desiderius, later Pope Victor III. This is symbolic since Desiderius was born c. 1026 and Benedict died c. 547.

Stamped Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana / Vatican Apostolic Library, indicating that it is now in the Vatican Archives. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

24. On the platform

Cope. Fraeful & Co., St. Gall(en), Switzerland (est. 1883). Late 19th century, Silk satin, with brocade and embroidery depicting the Holy Trinity, and showing the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove, with the Father and Son holding symbols for Alpha and Omega. Worn by consecutive abbots of St. Bernard Abbey. From their collection.

St. Gallen, home to St. Gallen embroidery, sometimes called Swiss embroidery, was once the world’s center for fine embroidery. Around 1910, more than 50 percent of the world’s production came from St. Gallen, and it was the largest export in the Swiss economy. With the advent of the First World War, the demand for the luxury dropped suddenly and significantly, resulting in economic crisis for the region. Today, the embroidery industry has recovered somewhat, and St. Galler Spitzen (as the embroidery is also called) is again very popular as a raw material for expensive haute couture creations in Paris and among the most famous textiles in the world. In 1888, Arnold Fraefel’s (1852-1919) products were awarded a gold medal at the Esposizione Mondiale Vaticana (Vatican Exhibition Rome), and Pope Leo XIII gave Fraefel the order of merit "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice," which lead to international fame.

A cope is an ornate cape-like garment, worn by the presider over certain liturgies. In the ancient Church, these were useful in keeping warm. The cope is removed and chasuble put on to celebrate the Eucharist.

25. Hanging on the wall

Liturgical music manuscript leaf. c. 1480. Hand printed on vellum. Collection of Sacred Heart Church; Gift by Mary Hovater.

26. In the case

Stole. With embroidery depicting “The Four Great Doctors of the Western (or Latin) Church” shown top to bottom, left to right: Saint Ambrose (340-397 A.D.), Saint Augustine (354-430 A.D.), Pope Gregory I (540604 A.D.), and Saint Jerome (347-420 A.D). Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

A stole, called a epitrachilion in Orthodox churches, is a long, narrow rectangular garment that is worn around the neck so that it hangs down below the knees. The stole symbolizes the duties of the priest as both an official and a servant. Ancient government officials wore a stole, just as today a policeman wears a badge. Second, too, wore a work cloth around their necks, for polishing things, and for wiping sweat from their faces. The stole, therefore, functions as a badge of office to mark the wearer as ordained clergy and it can function as a useful cloth for the celebrant to clean the communionware as part of the service.

27. On the covered table

Latin Antiphonary. Approximately 15th century. Hand written on parchment (sheep skin), illuminated.

Bound in wood and trimmed in leather. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

28. On the pedestal

Madonna adorante il Bambino. Reproduction of the original by Filippino Lippi, 1478, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

29. Hanging on the wall

Painting of Madonna and Child. Artist and date TBD. After a work TBD.* Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

30. On the covered pedestal

The Deposition. Figure depicting Jesus being taken down from the cross at His crucifixion. Handmade and hand-painted in the Renaissance style. Capodimonte Italian porcelain by Italian artist, Germano Cortese (20th century). Burrow Museum Collection.

31. Hanging on the wall

Putti. Painting on wood panel. c. 1905. Artist unknown. Burrow Museum Collection.

32. On the floor

Angels among Us. Bronze. 20th century. Artist unknown. Burrow Museum Collection.

33. In the case

Upper: Jerusalem cross bookends, Israel, 20th century. The symbolism of the Jerusalem cross, also called the five-fold cross, is variously given as the Five Wounds of Christ, Christ and the four evangelists, and Christ and the four quarters of the world. It was used as the emblem and coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the 1280s. From a private collection.

Madonna di San Bernardino. Reproduction of the Byzantine-era original by Dietisalvi de Speme (1291) completed in 1262 and located in the Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena, Italy. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Lower: Le Catechisme en Images / The Catechism in Images. (1893) Maison de la Bonne Presse, Paris, France. The second of two large volumes in-plano (68 X 51 cm of 67 chromolithographic plates) is shown here representing scenes from the Old and New Testaments, and showing the connection between two parts of Scripture. The images are inspired by the engravings of the Middle Ages, as well as works by great painters such as Murillo, Poussin, Raphael, and others. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

SIXTH SECTION

Please visit The Porcelain Room to view more of the Burrow Museum’s permanent collection.

SEVENTH SECTION

34. Hanging on the wall

Madonna of the Quasar Moon. Porcelain, sculpted in relief with silver gilding. By Nov Ontos. Mid 20th century. Burrow Museum Collection.

35. On the pedestal opposite

Double-sided manuscript leaf. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Both chants shown are options to be sung as the gradual (psalm verses between the first scripture reading and the Gospel) at Masses commemorating saints.

On the first page the text starts with a partial word (a-tus). The word actually began on the previous page (not available) with the “Be” of “Beatus.” Here’s the full text, which is from Psalm 111, verses 1-2:

Be-atus vir qui timet Dominum in mandatis eius cupit nimis. (the next part begins with a capital “P” which looks like a “B.”) Potens in terra erit semen (then continuing on the other side of the page:) eius generatio rectorum benedicetur.

English translation: Blessed is the man who fears the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in His commandments.

His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.

After that another option for the Gradual, which is from Ps. 91, verses 13, 14 and 1. Only the bold type is on the chant page, then the unseen text continues as written below.

Iustus ut palma florebit ; sicut cedrus Libani multiplicábitur: plantátus in domo Dómini. Ad annuntiandum mane misericordiam tuam, et veritatem tuam per noctem.

English translation: The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; like the cedars of Lebanon shall he increase: planted in the house of the Lord. To proclaim your loving mercy in the morning, and your truth in the nighttime.

36. In the case

Upper: Crivelli Madonna with Child. Reproduction of the 1492 early Italian Renaissance painting by Caroli Crivelli, which originated at the Church of San Francesco in the town of Force. It was brought to Rome the request of Pope Pius VIII in 1844 and was documented as part of the Vatican Museums in 1908. In this Renaissance-era painting, the enthroned Virgin lovingly holds the Christ Child. At her feet kneels a diminutive Franciscan in prayer, the identity of which is most likely the patron of the altarpiece. The composition is dense with symbolic references to Christ the Redeemer, such as the apple in the Christ’s right hand. The apple is an allusion to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and

Evil, a potent emblem of original sin. In the gesture of holding the forbidden fruit, Christ takes on the weight of man’s sin, which he will expiate with his blood during the Passion. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Roman missal. 1842. Red leather binding with metal decoration. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Wafering iron. c. 1800s. Possibly Hungary. Irons such as these were used to make wafers or waffles for special occasions, this one for communion wafers. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Middle: Saint Blaise candles. Baise was a physican who later became bishop of Sebastia in Armenia (present day Turkey). Date of birth unknown - died c. 316. (Western feast day, February 3; Eastern feast day, February 11). Marco Polo reported the place where "Messer Saint Blaise obtained the glorious crown of martyrdom." He was reportedly beaten, attacked with iron combs, and beheaded. He is venerated as the patron saint of sufferers from throat diseases and of wool combers and as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Wooden host press. Possibly 15th century, present-day Romania. Displayed with liturgy of communion and wafer cutting tool. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Lower: Set of three books on Christian faith and teachings. 1735. Translated into German over the course of 15 years by R. P. Petrus Hehel, Vienna, Austria. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Electric host press. Early 20th century, probably by Andrew Messmer. Displayed with other host cutting and molding tools. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

37. In the stand

Crosier. A crosier is a hooked staff conferred on bishops at their consecration and on mitred abbots at their investiture, and used in performing certain solemn functions as a symbol of pastoral office. This one belonged to the first abbot of St. Bernard, Abbot Benedict Menges. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

38. In the case

Upper: Laudate Dominum, the title of one of Mozart's most exquisite vocal solos, is translated “Praise the Lord.” Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Relic of St. Benedict. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Saint Benedict of Nursia, (born c. 480 CE, Nursia, Italy—died c. 547, Monte Cassino; feast day July 11), founder of the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino and father of Western monasticism.

The rule that he established became the norm for monastic living throughout Europe.

Middle: Pectoral cross with dove. Silver with inlay. Maurice Chéret (active 1923-1966) Paris, France.

Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

A pectoral cross is a cross that is large enough to be seen from a distance and the chain is long enough to position the cross over the center of the chest. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Ecclesiastical ring, inscribed “Pax,” which translates “peace.” Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Pectoral cross, inscribed “Fiat Voluntas Tua,” which translates “Thy will be done.” Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Biretta (this one with four points is worn by monks for academic ceremonies), zuchetto (cap), slippers, mitre, and gloves.

A mitre, this one embroidered with the Madonna and Child (maker and date unknown), is a distinctive hat worn by a bishop or abbot, and usually matches his cope. The word mitre comes from the Greek word mitra (μιτρα), which means headband. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Lower: Roman-style chasuble in gold, with embroidery depicting The Last Supper, used at Easter or Christmas. Made by Fraefel & Co., St. Gallen, Switzerland, late 19th century. Silk satin with embroidery and brocade. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

39. Hanging on the wall

The Lord’s Prayer. Wood carving. Artist and date unknown. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

40. In the case

Upper: Reproduction of an early Renaissance painting of the Madonna and Child.* Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Relic of the True Cross (on riser) - The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian Church tradition, are said to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Relics of the True Cross are believed to be fragments of that cross. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Relic of St. Cecelia - (flourished 3rd century, Rome, Italy; feast day November 22), patron saint of music, one of the most famous Roman martyrs of the early church. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Relic of St. Bernard of Clairvaux - (born 1090, probably Fontaine-les-Dijon, near Dijon, Burgundy, France—died August 20, 1153, Clairvaux, Champagne; canonized January 18, 1174; feast day August 20), Cistercian monk and mystic, the founder and abbot of the abbey of Clairvaux and one of the most influential churchmen of his time. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Middle: Relic of St. Justin Martyr. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Justin Martyr (born 100, Judea—died 165, Rome) was an early Christian apologist, and is regarded as the foremost interpreter of the theory of the Logos in the 2nd century. He was martyred, alongside some of his students, and is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Relic of St. Gemma Galgan. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Maria Gemma Umberta Galgani (born Mar 12, 1878, Capannori, Italy—died April 11, 1903, Lucca, Italy) was an Italian mystic who bore the markings of the stigmata.

Relic of St. Francis of Assisi. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

St. Francis, (born 1181/82, Assisi, Italy—died October 3, 1226, Assisi; canonized July 16, 1228; feast day October 4), founder of the Franciscan orders of the Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St.

Clare (the Poor Clares), and the lay Third Order. He was also a leader of the movement of evangelical poverty in the early 13th century. He is often remembered as the patron saint of animals. It is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October.

Decretum divi Gratiani, totius propemodum iuris canonici compendium, summorumque pontificum decreta atque praejudicia una cum variis scribentium glossis et expositionibus: quae omnia pristino suo nitori restituta fuerunt ad fidem veterum codicum by Gratianus (de Clusio), published by Apud Hugonem Ă Porta, 1560. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Gratian (died c. 1155) is known as the father of canon law. His book, The Decretum Gratiani, was the single greatest authority on the subject until the 20th century.

Gratian called his work Concordia discordantium canonum (Harmony of Conflicting Canons). In its almost 3,800 chapters he collected decrees from the councils and the popes, extracts from Roman laws, statements from the Church Fathers, and theological opinions—material which had been used to regulate the life of the Church for 10 centuries. He arranged the material systematically, according to subject matter. But his greatest contribution was the way in which he applied the newly emerging techniques of logic and dialectics to resolve conflicting decrees. He was able to show that the conflicts were frequently caused by different ways of using the same terms and so were usually more apparent than real.

The Decretum served as a model for the formation of Western law based on rational rules and evidence to replace barbaric laws which often involved trial by ordeal or battle. It has been called "the first comprehensive and systematic legal treatise in the history of the West, and perhaps in the history of mankind for its attempt to embrace virtually the entire law of a given polity, and to situate that law as a single body, in which all parts are viewed as interacting to form a whole. A precursor to Western law, it dealt with areas such as marriage, property and inheritance, as well as determining crime using concepts such as wrongful intent.

Lower: Roman-style chasuble in green with embroidery depicting Christ on the Cross, used in ordinary time, or that time in the church year that is not Easter or Christmas nor during the seasons of Lent and Advent. Maker and date unknown. Collection of St. Bernard Abbey.

Coming April 25, 2019:

The Book of Hours. France, 1410-1420.

Tempera and iron gall ink on parchment. Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art; Gift of Miss Janie Lindley Robertson in memory of her parents, Thaddeus Lindley Robertson, M.D. and Mary C. Worthington Robertson.

*Help us identify the works marked with an asterisk -- most are Byzantine and Renaissance altarpieces -- and you will receive a free gift from the museum!

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