Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1900-06. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VI The Ceremonies Of The Jubilee In the still unpublished diary1 of Francesco Mucanzio, papal master of ceremonies at the close of the sixteenth century, we find that distinguished rubrician in December, 1574, discussing at some length the ritual to be used in the unwalling of the Holy Door at the forthcoming celebration of the Jubilee. He tells us that as the time for the ceremony drew near he went to his Holiness Pope Gregory XIII. and submitted to him a memorandum concerning the preparations to be made, and the things to be then observed. It appears, however, that his colleague in the office of master of ceremonies also went to the Pope with a similar programme, which he declared to be that which had been followed by Julius III. in the year 1550. "It differed very little from mine," says Mucanzio, "except in the versicles and responses. Those which I had set down were taken from an ancient roll (a quodam rotulo antiquo) used in the time of Clement VII., and of these versicles there was probably no accurate copy forthcoming in 1550 on account of the pillage and disasters to which the city had been subjected [he refers presumably to the sack of Rome in 1527]; hence they had been somewhat altered. My opinion was that out of the two sets which we had before us, a third more appropriate than either might have been drawn up, but when the matter was proposed in the Congregation of Cardinals appointed for the revision of ceremonies, they decided that as regards the versicles 1The copy here quoted is contained in MS. Addit. 26811 at the British Museum. and prayers the precedent of Julius III.'s time should be adhered to in every particular. The fact is," adds Mucanzio, " we have nothing prescribed about this matter in the Book of Ceremonies,1 and on this ac...