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New Music: 18th Century Neapolitan Music

New music that may be of interest to our readers.

• 18th Century Neapolitan Music performed by Estrovgante Ensemble and Riccardo Doni

Label: Da Vinci
Release Date: November 11, 2024
Audio CD: $18.18
Number of Discs: 1

Available at Amazon.com

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Feast of Blessed Christina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies, at St. Rocco Church in Glen Cove, New York

Tradition at the Table

S. Messa in Suffragio di S.M. Maria Sofia, Ultima Regina Consorte del Regno delle Due Sicilie nel Centenario della Sua Morte

In Turi (BA)

Photo of the Week: Psiche, Atena, Prometeo Bestow their Gifts to Man, Il Salone della Meridiana, Museo Archeologico di Napoli

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

A Prayer for Southern California

San Floriano di Lorch, ora pro nobis

We offer prayers and sincere condolences for the victims of the deadly wildfires raging across Southern California. The loss of life, the suffering, and the destruction deeply sadden us. May St. Florian, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Anthony the Great, St. Vibiana, and St. Junípero Serra protect and watch over you.

Prayer in Time of Wildfires

God of all creation, all the elements belong to you. The earth, air, water and fire are yours to command. You guarded your people Israel by night with a pillar of flame. You sanctified the early church with tongues of fire at Pentecost. You appeared to Moses in the burning bush, which was engulfed but not consumed. God of wind and flame, extinguish the fires engulfing land, communities, and homes. Guard those who must flee because of the blaze, give them safety and wholeness. Bring those who have perished home to you, grant them your perpetual peace. Protect those who battle the flames, sanctify their service and send them your Spirit. Restore our land, our homes, our faith in your goodness, and show us again how you bring life out of ash and dust Give us the resources and strength, we ask, to rebuild and replant and show us that you are the loving Creator and Savior. Amen.

Download Las Otras "Rositas" at Carlismo Regno di Napoli via Telegram

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Exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum: “The Book of Marvels: Imagining the Medieval World”

Photo courtesy of The Morgan Library and Museum

January 24 through May 25, 2025

From the tales of famous travelers like Marco Polo and Alexander the Great to the ancient encyclopedias of Pliny and Isidore, medieval conceptions of the world were often based more on authoritative tradition than direct observation. This exhibition presents one of the most fascinating examples of a medieval guide to the globe, known as the Book of the Marvels of the World. Written in France by an unknown author, this fifteenth-century illustrated text vividly depicts the remarkable inhabitants, customs, and natural phenomena of various regions, both near and far. Reuniting two of the four surviving copies, The Book of Marvels: Imagining the Medieval World brings to life medieval conceptions—and misconceptions—of a global world.

Additional objects in the exhibition demonstrate how foreign cultures were imagined in the Middle Ages, and what the assumptions of medieval Europeans tell us about their own implicit biases and beliefs. Highlights include rare illustrated manuscripts of Marco Polo and John Mandeville; a richly ornamented Ottoman Book of Wonders, made for a sultan’s daughter; and a spectacular medieval map of the Holy Land, based on pilgrimage accounts.

For more information visit The Morgan Library and Museum

Solemn Mass for His Imperial and Royal Highness Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine

Vážení členové a příznivci Koruny České, dovolujeme si Vás pozvat na slavnostní mši svatou za jeho císařskou a královskou Výsost Karla Habsbursko-Lotrinského.

Mše svatá se koná u příležitosti jeho 64. narozenin v sobotu 11. ledna 2025 v 16:30 hodin v chrámu Nanebevzetí Panny Marie ve Strážnici. Mši svatou bude celebrovat P. Mgr. Jan Šimoník.

Následovat bude společná večeře v nedaleké restauraci (v případě zájmu o večeři se prosím nahlaste Jiřímu Čížkovi na e-mail: vivat.rex@seznam.cz)

Těšíme se na všechny při oslavách narozenin JCKV Karla.

Buona Epifania!

At midnight, the Three Wise arrive at the crèche

Ecce advénit Dominátor Dóminus: et regnum in manu ejus, et potéstas, et impérium. Psalm 71. 1 Dues, judícium tuum Regi da: et justítiam tuam Fílio Regis. V. Glória Patri. Ecce advénit Dominátor Dóminus. [1]

As is our custom, at Midnight, we placed the Three Magi figurines into our modest familial presepe (crèche) and had a celebratory shot of Liquore Strega for la Befana, the benevolent witch fated to unceasingly search for the Christ Child and leave presents in the socks of good little boys and girls during her quest on the Epiphany.

We also left out the Nove Bocconi, or the “nine bites,” for the Cuccibocca, ancestral spirits who roam the streets looking for alms at eventide.

The nove bocconi, or nine bites

Still not too old to receive gifts from the old crone, I awoke to find a few awesome surprises, including a couple of bottles of Re Manfredi Aglianico del Vulture, absinthe, torrone, and a hardcover copy of Giacomo Serpotta and the Stuccatori of Palermo 1560-1790 by Donald Garstang.

This year's Epiphany presents

After morning Mass, I performed the traditional rite for the blessing of a home during Epiphanytide with my Epiphany water, salt, and blessed chalk. For protection against evil and to bear witness to our faith, I inscribed the initials 20+C+M+B+25 over my doorways. The characters stand for the calendar year (2025) and Christus Mansionem Benedicat, which means “Christ bless this house.” The letters also represent the traditional names of the Three Magi, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.

Buona Epifania and God Bless you all.

Notes
[1] Behold the Lord the Ruler is come: and the kingdom is in His hand, and power, and dominion. Psalm 71. 1 Give to the King Thy judgment, O God: and to the King’s Son Thy justice. V. Glory be to the Father. Behold the Lord the Ruler is Come. ~ Introit Malachias 3. 1; Paralipomena 29. 12

Photo of the Week: Fresco Portrait of the Baker Terentius Neo and His Wife, from Pompeii, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Presepe Napoletano at The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in the Nolita Section of Lower Manhattan

Friday morning, before work, I stopped by the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Nolita, Manhattan, to pray the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as part of my First Friday devotion and view the Presepe Napoletano currently on view. The beautiful crèche comes from the Basilica di Santa Maria (Chiesa degli artist) in Montesanto, Rome.

Kicking Off the New Year With a Visit to the Cloisters Museum in Washington Heights, New York

Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) workshop of Robert Campin
(Ca. 1375-1444), oil on oak, South Netherlandish, Tournai, ca. 1427-32

What better way to kick off the new year than with a visit to the Cloisters Museum in Washington Heights, New York? Following our festive familial New Year’s Eve celebration and Traditional Latin Mass for the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord, we took a short excursion to one of New York’s great Medieval European art collections. In addition to strengthening my Faith through prayer, meditation, and the sacraments, one of my many goals for 2025 is to immerse myself in sacred art, music, and literature.

We look forward to sharing these edifying blessings with you throughout the coming year. Felice Anno Nuovo a tutti!

A view of the Hudson River from the Linden Terrace in Fort Tryon Park

Approaching the museum from one of the park's trails

Nearing the postern gate entrance

Dragon, fresco transferred to canvas, Spanish, Castile-León, ca. 1200

The Romanesque Apse of San Martín de Fuentidueña with architectural sculptures of St. Martin of Tours and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, limestone, Spanish, Castile-León, ca. 1175-1200, from the church of of San Martin at Fuentidueña, near Sergovia. Fresco with the Virgin and Child in Majesty and the Adoration of the Magi from the church of Era Mare de Diu de Cap d'Aran, near Tredòs, Spain. Crucifix, white oak with paint, gold lief, and tin leaf (corpus); softwood with paint and tin leaf (cross); Spanish, Castile-León, ca. 1150-1200

Lion Relief, sandstone with traces of paint, Spanish, Castile-León,
ca. 1200, from the church of San Leonardo at Zamora.

(L) Relief from a pulpit with the symbol of St. Luke, limestone with lead,
ca. 1180, Abruzzo, Master Christophanus or Stephanus (active late 12th
century), and his workshop. (R) The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (from the
Unicorn tapestries), 1495-1505, French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish
(woven), wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts

(L) Lion, copper alloy, German, Franconia, ca. 1400.
(R) Falconer, copper alloy, German, Franconia, 13th century

Reliquary Shrine, attributed to Jean de Touyl (died 1349/50), gilded silver, translucent enamel, and paint, French, Paris, ca. 1325-50

(L) Reliquary Bust of St. Juliana, circle of Giovanni di Bartolo (Sienese,
active 1364-1404) gilded copper, gesso, and tempera, ca. 1376, from
the convent of St. Giuliana at Perugia. (R) Ewers with Wild Men
Finials, silver gilt, enamel, and paint, German, late 15th century

(L-R) Detail of Ewers with Wild Men finials

(L) Reliquary Cross, gilded silver, rock crystal, and glass cabochons; wood core, French, Limoges, ca. 1180. (R) Standing Virgin and Child, boxwood, attributed to Niclaus Gerhaert von Leyden (active ca. 1462-73), probably Vienna, ca. 1470

The Cloisters Apocalypse, or Book of Revelation, tempera,
gold, silver, and ink on parchment, French, Normandy, ca. 1330

(L) Lectern in the Form of an Eagle, brass, attributed to Jehen Aert van
Tricht (active 1492-1501), South Netherlandish, Limburg, Maastricht,
ca. 1500. (R) Deep Dish (Brasero) with Eagle, tin-glazed and lustered
earthenware, Spanish, Valencia, Manises, ca. 1450-70

(L) St. Michael, Master of Belmonte (active ca. 1460-90), tempera, oil, gold, and silver on wood, Spanish, Aragon, ca. 1460-90, from the high altar of the parish church of San Miguel at Belmonte, southwest of Saragossa. (R) St. Michael, wood with paint and gilding, Spanish, Castile-León, probably Burgos, ca. 1530

Tomb of Ermengol X, Count of Urgell, limestone with traces of paint, Catalan,
Lerida, ca. 1300-1350, from the Premonstratensian monastery of
Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes, near Lerida, Spain

A Knight of the d'Aluye Family, limestone, French, Loire Valley, after 1258-by
1267, from the Cistercian abbey of La Clarté-Dieu, north of Tours

A Knight of the d'Aluye Family, limestone, French, Loire Valley, after 1258-by
1267, from the Cistercian abbey of La Clarté-Dieu, north of Tours

Detail of A Knight of the d'Aluye Family with hands palm to palm in prayer

Detail of Tomb Effigy of a Lady, limestone, French, Normandy, mid 13th
century, from the priory of Notre-Dame-du-Bosc, near Le Neubourg

Tomb Effigy of a Lady, limestone, French, Normandy, mid 13th century,
from the priory of Notre-Dame-du-Bosc, near Le Neubourg

(L) Double Tomb of Alvar Rodrigo de Cabrera, Count of Urgell, and His Wife, Cecilia of Foix. (R) Tomb of Ermengol VII, Count of Urgell. All three tombs are all limestone with traces of paint, Catalan, Lerida, ca. 1300-1350 and from the Premonstratensian monastery of Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes, Spain

Tomb Effigy of a Boy, probably Ermengol IX, Count of Urgell, Limestone
with traces of paint, Catalan, Lerida, ca. 1300-1350, from the church
of Santa Maria at Castelló de Ferfanya, near Lerida, Spain

A Prayer for New Orleans

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, ora pro nobis

We offer prayers and sincere condolences for the victims of the deadly New Year’s Day terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. May St. Joan of Arc, San Giuseppe, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor pray and watch over you.

Prayer for the Victims of Terrorism

Loving God, welcome into your arms the victims of violence and terrorism. Comfort their families and all who grieve for them. Help us in our fear and uncertainty, and bless us with the knowledge that we are secure in your love. Strengthen all those who work for peace, and may the peace the world cannot give reign in our hearts. Amen.

New Music — Profumi di Napoli: Canzoni and Guitar Pieces

Forthcoming music that may be of interest to our readers.

• Profumi di Napoli: Canzoni and Guitar Pieces performed by Daniel Di Prinzio and Ihor Kordiuk

Label: Prospero Classical
Release Date: January 17, 2025
Audio CD: $21.99
Number of Discs: 1

Available at Amazon.com

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Happy Birthday Princess Maria Chiara!

HRH was born in Rome in 2005
Photo courtesy of Real Casa di Borbone

Happy Birthday Princess Maria Chiara of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Noto and Capri! May your day be filled with love and happiness, and the new year replete with joy! Auguri!