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Sacred Art - Rooms VIII and IX

In rooms VIII and IX chasubles, stoles, frocks maniples and a pluvial are exhibited. The chasuble, introduced in the liturgy around the V century, is a surcoat cut on the sides with an opening for the head, worn by the priests during the celebration of the mass and on other occasions; it symbolically represents charity. The stole is a liturgical vestment made up of a strip of cloth about two metres long made of the same fabric as the chasuble, characterized by three crosses: one in the centre and two at the ends. It was worn by the priest on top of the chasuble, to symbolize the submissiveness of the church and the obedience to Christ.

The maniple worn by the priest on the left forearm is made up of a strip of cloth the same as the chasuble, about one metre long and marked by three crosses, one in the centre and two at the ends; it symbolically represents penitence.

The frock is a wide knee-length surcoat , open on the sides, with short wide sleeves, worn by the deacon and bishop in liturgical ceremonies.

The pluvial used in the religious solemnity, is formed by a semicircular mantle, with a shield or hood in the centre on the back. The eighth room hosts three display cases in which chasubles belonging to various periods are exhibited. In the first display case there are the oldest and most valuable paraments from the church of S.Cesidio di Trasacco.

It concerns two chasubles (XV-XVI century) realized in embroidered bracatelle silk. The one on the left presents a yellow background with green ornamental motifs. On the front stole three saints are depicted, in an erect and frontal position, in spiral columned niches.

In the back part, on the transversal limb of the Tau, the Annunciation is depicted, on the vertical band various holy figures are inserted in small niches.

The chasuble, which is placed on the right, presents a yellow background with a large floral design woven in pink. The front of the embroidered stole presents, in the transverse of the Tau,, l’Annunciazione; in the vertical band there are figures of saints in the small niches. On the back part the same decoration is repeated. In the second display case there are two pluvials of the XVI-XVII centuries made of damask silk, decorated with floral motifs. The paraments respectively present a green background and a red one and are trimmed with yellow silk braids.

The third display case exhibits a chasuble from the church of S.Cesidio di Trasacco (XVIII century) made of woollen brocade damask with a green background adorned with a light leaf work motif and a liturgical hanging from the church of Santa Maria Nuova di Collelongo (XVII-XVIII century), made up of a chasuble and a stole made of brocade silk and metallic thread on a gold background.

In the first display case of the ninth room there are two frocks from the XVII and XVIII centuries made of brocade silk adorned with large floral motifs. Both paraments, from Celano, are trimmed with gold braids with geometric motifs. In the second display case there are two chasubles from the church of S.Cesidio di Trasacco; the first one presents a showy embroidery in gold, which forms swirls and vegetable elements, and, on the bottom of the back there is a silver coat of arms. The third display case exhibits two silk liturgical hangings made up of a chasuble and a stole from the XVIII century. Both, from the church of S.Maria in Valleverde di Celano, present a floral motif decoration and are trimmed with silver braids with rhomboidal motifs. In the fourth display case there is the only example of a pluvial present in the museum exhibition. The wall hanging from the XIV century, from the Museo Civico di Cerchio, is made of brocade silk with gold metallic thread and is trimmed with silver braids which are also around the small hood on the back. Next to it there is a liturgical hanging of the XIX century made up of a chasuble, stole and maniple. In the last display case there are two frocks from the XVIII and XIX centuries which come from the Museo Civico di Cerchio, made of brocade silk and cotton brocade. Both hangings present a decoration with floral motifs and are trimmed with braids.