The Ceremonies of the Holy-Week at Rome

by Charles Michael Baggs

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According to the Ordo Romanus, children after baptism on this day were to take no food or milk before Communion "and on all days of Easter-week let them go to Mass, and let their parents offer for them, and let all communicate". As Cabassutius proves in his notitia Ecclesiastica sæculi primi, they used to receive the B. Sacrament under the form of wine alone. The bishop dipped his finger into the sacred blood, and then put it into the mouth of the child a practice observed in modern times in some parts of the East, according to the learned Maronite Abraham Ecchellensis; afterwards a little milk and honey was put into their mouths, as an emblem (according to John the deacon) of the promised land, to which they were called. This custom of giving communion to children was not of necessity for salvation, as Cardinal Noris proves in Vindiciis Augustinianis § 4, and the Council of Trent observes. In some places an abuse crept in of putting the milk and honey into the consecrated chalice, but it was prohibited by an African Council.

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In the 4th century, S. Basil writing to the clergy of Neocesarea observes, that the litanies, which they then used, were introduced after the time of S. Gregory Thaumaturgus (Epist. 63). In Gaul about the year 452, S. Mamertus bishop of Vienne appointed solemn litanies to be recited on the three rogation days. "At Rome," say Palmer, "no doubt litanies were in use at an early period, since we find that in the time of Gregory the great (A.D. 590), the appellation of litany had been so long given to processional supplications, that it was then familiarly applied to those persons who formed the procession". Vol. 1, p. 271. That holy Pontiff gave the following directions; "Let the litany of the clergy set out from the church of S. John the Baptist, the litany of the men from the church of the holy martyr Marcellus, the litany of the monks from the church of SS John and Paul: the litany of the handmaids of God from the church of the blessed martyrs Cosmas and Damian, the litany of the married women from the church of the blessed protomartyr Stephen; the litany of the widows from the church of the blessed martyr Vitalis, the litany of the poor and children from the church of the blessed martyr Cecilia". Vita S. Gregorii a Joanne Diacono, lib. 1, c. 42. That the litanies were recited on holy-saturday appears from several ancient rites quoted by Marlene (De Ant. Eccl. Ritibus, lib. 4, c. XXV, and lib. 1, c. I, art. 18). Palmer, wishing to defend the liturgy of the church of England, maintains the antiquity of litanies, but pretends that the invocations of saints were not originally contained in them, but were added to them in the west about the eighth century (vol. I, p. 289). From a passage in Walafridus Strabo he is led to admit that at his time (the ninth century) "these invocations must have been for some time in use, and accordingly manuscript litanies containing invocations have been discovered by learned men, which appear from internal evidence to be as old as the eighth century". He attempts however by negative arguments to shew, that these invocations are not more ancient than that period; although at the same time he confesses that "we have no distinct account of the nature of the service which was used on occasions of peculiar supplication during the earliest ages". p. 272. To his arguments we may oppose the positive testimony of Walafridus Strabo, who says "The litany of the holy names is believed to have come into use after Jerome, following Eusebius of Cesarea, had composed the martyrology". A long time, about three centuries, elapsed before the canon of the scriptures was determined; and it is not therefore surprising if the canon of saints, (if such it may be called), who died at considerable intervals, required some time for its formation. Invocations of the saints in ancient litanies may be seen ap. Martene (lib. 4f c. 27 and lib. 1, c. 1, art. 18). One would conceive from Palmer's account of the Ambrosian litany that it did not contain invocations of the saints, p. 276; yet in the Ambrosian processional, to which he alludes, we read as follows "Afterwards they go to the altar, were the litanies are recited on bended knees, in reciting which the names of the saints without Intercede pro nobis are sung aloud by the provost and clergy of the first collegiate church; and by the other clergy with Intercede pro nobis and this rite of singing the litanies and antiphons is observed in every other stational church". ap. Martene lib. 4, c. 28. In the Ordo Romanus also De Benedictione Ecclesiæ these invocations are found. The question however concerning their antiquity in the litanies is of minor importance. Even Palmer admits, that "Catholic fathers in the 4th century invoked the saints" p. 292, though he gravely assures his readers, that "they were too well instructed in the Christian faith to believe positively that the saints heard our prayers". He mentions the learned work of Serrarius called "Litaneutici seu de Litaniis etc." as an instance of the writings, in which "innumerable passages have been cited from ancient writers to prove, that the invocation of saints is more ancient than the eighth century. But most of those passages do not refer to the invocation of saints, but to prayers made to God for the intercession of saints". Palmer, vol. I, p. 278. We consider that there is little difference in principle between these two things: we shall however, to satisfy him, quote only one passage from an ancient Oriental liturgy. "Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, pray for me to the only begotten Son, who was born of thee, that he may forgive me my offences and sins, and may receive from my feeble and sinful hands this sacrifice, which in my weakness I offer on this altar, through thy intercession for me, O holy Mother". (From the ancient liturgy used by the Nestorians called the liturgy of the holy apostles. Renaudot, t. II. See bishop Poynter's Christianity, Note E: and ancient inscriptions in Rock's Hierurgia, p. 347 and foll.) Though we have the innumerable ancient passages above-mentioned in favour of the Catholic doctrine, yet shall we call Mr. Palmer's attention to the following passage of his own work. Speaking of secrecy, he says: "this primitive discipline is sufficient to account for the fact, that very few allusions to the liturgy or eucharistic service are found in the writings of the Fathers". I, p. 14. His fears of heresy and blasphemy arising from the invocation of Saints may be calmed by the simple perusal of the doctrine of the church taught by the Council of Trent, sess. 25. "The holy synod commands all bishops and other teachers—diligently to instruct the faithful, teaching them that the Saints reigning with Christ offer to God their prayers for men; that it is good and useful to invoke them with supplication, and to have recourse to their prayers, help, and assistance, in order to obtain benefits from God through his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who alone is our Redeemer and Saviour". Accordingly we say in the litany "Lord, have mercy on us: holy Mary pray for us" etc.

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We shall say nothing of sculptured figures taken from the catacombs, such as the statues of the good shepherd and S. Hippolitus now in the Vatican, or the numerous bas reliefs on Christian sarcophagi (on which see Raoul-Rochette, Tableau des Catacombes, c. IV. Beschreibung der Stadt Rom. B. 2, in the description of the Christian Museum in the Vatican Library). On another class of Christian representations the reader may consult Buonarruoti's Osservazioni sopra alcuni frammenti di vetro, ornati di figure. We shall rather call the attention of the Christian antiquarian to the numerous frescoes painted in the chapels of the catacombs, and illustrated by Bosio, Bottari, d'Agincourt etc., the latter of whom attributes some of them to the second century on account of the similarity of their style to that of frescoes in the tomb of the Nasones, which is situated on the Flaminian way at a short distance from Rome; his opinion is confirmed by the fact that some of them have been broken through, with the view of preparing a place of burial for the bodies of martyrs slain in subsequent persecutions. A list of their subjects which are generally taken from the old and new Testaments may be seen in Raoul-Rochette (c. 3, p. 157 foll. ed. de Brusselles). Of these we may briefly notice in particular some of the representations of Christ, of the B. Virgin, of the apostles and martyrs. In them Christ sometimes appears as an infant on the lap of His holy mother, Who ever pure and modest is always veiled; and this lovely group is found not only on these paintings, but also on bas-reliefs and glass-vessels generally anterior to the 4th century, and consequently to the general council of Ephesus held in 431; although it is pretended that such figures were first designed after that period. (Instances are enumerated by Raoul-Rochette c. VI). Constantina, daughter of Constantine, whose tomb is still preserved at Rome, begged of Eusebius bishop of Cesarea a likeness of our Divine Saviour (Concil. Labbe. t. VII, 493 seq): we must have recourse to the catacombs for His most ancient portraits. See one resembling the ordinary type of His sacred head and taken from the cemetery of Calixtus, at the end of Raoul-Rochette's work. This type, repeated again and again on Christian monuments during the last sixteen hundred years or more, may suggest the hope that some traces of our Divine Saviour's features are still preserved among us, notwithstanding the diversity of His portraits, of which S. Augustine complained, De Triniti l. 8, c, 4 5. Raoul-Rochette's opinion, that this likeness and the portraits of the apostles were of Gnostic origin, is altogether unsupported, as the Belgian editors of his work justly observe. Christ is frequently represented also as seated amid His apostles, of whom SS. Peter and Paul were favourite subjects of the old artists: see Raoul-Rochette c. VI, where he mentions, after the older antiquaries, the ancient representations of S. Ciriaca, S Priscilla, SS. Stephen, Cyprian, Laurence, Agnes, and other martyrs. During Diocletian's persecution, the provincial council of Eliberis in Spain decreed, that there should be no paintings on the walls of churches: its 36th canon was evidently intended to save sacred pictures from the profanations perpetrated by the pagans. The faithful however, fertile in expedients to gratify their devotion, now began to use those portable representations of pious subjects called diptychs, because they generally consisted of two tablets which could at pleasure be folded together. They were formed of ivory or wood, and resembled the presents of that name formerly sent by the consuls on the day of their entrance into office: on these were usually inscribed the names and the portraits of the new magistrates. (Symmachus lib. 2, ep. 80, all 71). The sacred diptychs, of which many are preserved in the Vatican Library, were easily saved from the fury of the Iconoclasts. Their folding form without their portability is preserved in many of the ancient altar-pieces of Italian and other churches and from them the modern altar-pieces are derived: they did not however supersede the use of frescoes, or mosaics, as is evident from innumerable ancient and modern ecclesiastical monuments of this city. In the preceding chapter we laid before our readers the doctrine of the catholic church concerning respect paid to images, p. 80.

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"He is risen; he is not here. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, that he goeth before you into Galilee". Mark XV, 6 7.

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This Hebrew word, which frequently occurs in psalms of praise, CIV, 34, CV, 45, CVI, 1, etc. has been preserved, as well as Amen, and Sabaoth, in its original form in most liturgies. According to S. Gregory (Ep. 64, ind. 2). who appeals to S. Jerome's authority, it was introduced into the Roman liturgy in the time of Pope Damasus. S. Gregory forbade it to be sung at funerals, (as it had been at that of Fabiola: S. Jerome in Epitaphio Fabiolæ;) or during Lent.

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Gavant and others, following Walafridus Strabo and the abbot Berno, think that the Offertory and Agnus Dei are not said, in order to signify the silence of the holy women returning from the sepulchre (Mark XVI, 8). Others attribute some of these omissions to the circumstance, that there is no communion; on this day, and therefore neither offertory or postcommunion; anciently however communion was given on this occasion, as is evident from the Gelasian sacramentary (See Bened. XIV, De Festis c. VIII). The kiss of peace, as Grancolas observes, is not given, because formerly at the dawn of easter-sunday, soon after the mass of easter-eve, the faithful used to assemble in the church "and kissing one another with mutual charity to say, Surrexit Dominus "; (the Lord is risen) Ordo Rom. ab Hittorpio ed. p. 55. Merati says, that the Agnus Dei is omitted because it is of recent origin, having been first introduced into the liturgy by Pope Sergius A.D. 688 (lib. Pont.), whereas the Mass of the day is of greater antiquity.

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Cancellieri says that the music of this Magnificat was composed by Luca Marenzio. Among the compositions prior to Palestrina, and still sung in the papal chapel, Baini reckons the Magnificats of Carpentrasso and Morales, as well as the Te Deum and Lumen ad revelutionem gentium of Costanzo Festa.

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This basilic, which is the cathedral of the bishop of Rome, was first erected by Constantine, whose statue taken from his baths adorns the portico. It was in great part destroyed by fire in 1308; but it was restored by the munificence of the Popes and the piety of the faithful, emulated in these days, in which we deplore the burning of S. Paul's. In the gothic tabernacle over the high altar are preserved the heads of SS. Peter and Paul. The mosaics of the tribune were made by order of Nicholas IV (A.D. 1278-1292).

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This baptistery, as well as the basilica, is attributed to the time of Constantine; it was reduced to its present state by Urban VIII; On an ancient and interesting Christian sarcophagus taken from the Vatican cemetery is represented a basilica with its apsis, and near it a circular building evidently meant for the baptistery: this is covered with a cupola surmounted by the monogram of Christ; and over the gate are curtains drawn up on each side, See Raoul-Rochette-Tableau des Catacombs, p. 332. The font is an ancient urn of basalt the paintings above it, between the second order of columns, representing, the life of S. John Baptist, are by Carlo Maratta.

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In a missal of Pavia it is called a figure of the column which preceded the Israelites going out of Egypt.