Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Lost customs: the papal portrait in church...


A custom is a usage or a practice and as we all know, many usages and practices went out the door with the sixties.

In the old days in Rome one could always see in the back of most every church sizeable portraits of both the pope and his cardinal vicar of Rome (or the titular cardinal).


Today, if seen, these framed photo portraits are most often seen in sacristies.


But FSSP in Urbe has a lovely (genuine oil on canvas) portrait of the B16 and it hangs from their choir loft.


This magnificent painting was commissioned by beloved parishioner, Maurizio, and was painted by the famed Andrei Dubinin of White Russia.

If anyone would like to commission a similar portrait for their parish church or school contact this fine Catholic artist, Henry Wingate: http://henrywingate.com/ .

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our parish Church had a portrait of B16 in the same location as appears in this picture, but that has now been put into the front entrance of the Church.

Anonymous said...

Lovely but a bit of forced, non-realistic traditionalism in that the Holy Father is not painted with the pectoral cross over the ermine mozetta as he has only worn it, but rather in the "traditional" manner in which the cross is not visible.

Raphaela said...

When did they put up that picture, John? It isn't on the photos I took in Trinità in June!

John Paul Sonnen said...

Raph, yes, isn't it great?! We just put it up. Saluti!