ORNAMENTS
453
OROBIO
The material in use must also have an influence on the form and stj'le of the ornament. Thus stone-carv- ing and metal-work must evidently require different treatment. Fac- simile leaves might be formed in iron, but could not be so carved in stone. This con- structive element should be carefully attended to in designing. All imitative art must be to some extent conventional. Natural objects, such as leaves, flowers, etc., cannot be copied absolutely literally ; and in suit- ing the conventional treatment to the nature of the material used lies the great skill of the artist. — Cham- bers.
Ornaments, Ecclesiastical, a designation of the various minor articles of furniture, utensils, pictures, etc., used in some churches.
Soon after the establishment of the Church as a state institution, i. e. in the time of Constantine, ornaments more or less costly began to be introduced. In addi- tion to the observations on the sacred vessels and uten- sils of the church, and all gifts which were called Ana- themata and 'EKTrjmo^ara, and which were a sort of symbolical memorial or hieroglyphical representation of the kindness and favor that had been received, sen- tences of Holy Scripture and other inscriptions were frequently written on the walls. This was the most ancient of all decorations in churches. Gilding and mosaic-worlc were introduced at an early period. The practice of exhibiting pictures of saints, martyrs, etc., began in the 4th century ; it was introduced by Pauli- nus, bishop of Nola, and his contemporaries, privately and by degrees. Statues and images were a later in- novation. The pictures of kings and bishops were brought in about the same time ; but no images of God or the Trinity were allowed in churches till after the second Nicene Council; nor, usually, statues or massy images, but only paintings and pictures, and those sym- bolical rather than any other. The practice of adorn- ing churches with evergreens is mentioned by Augus- tine, and is probably of high antiquity.
The Koman Catholic Church has continued in a free use of all kinds of church ornamentation. Even in the Greek Church, where the Iconoclastic spirit has done away with much that is held essential to church dec- orations by Romanists (see Iconoclasm), the number of ornaments used is still very great. Of course in the Protestant churches ornaments of a ritualistic charac- ter have been largely abandoned. In the Church of England, the Eubric before the Common Prayer directs that such ornaments of the church and the ministers thereof, at all times of their ministration, shall be re- tained and be in use as they were in this Church of England, by authority of Parliament, in the second year of the reign of king Edward VI. See Constitu- tions and Canons Ecclesiastical ; Ritualism. The Lutheran Church of Germany has retained the use of pictures, tapers, and crucifix ; while the Reformed Church and the dissenting bodies have carefully dis- carded every such ornament from the church.
We embody in this article a concise description of the chief articles used in the ritualistic churches of Christendom, and their supposed significance, taking it largely from a curious little book written in defence of extreme ritualism, and entitled The Ritual Beason Why. The altar-rail is a rail which separates the altar from the rest of the chancel, because it symbolizes the Holy of Holies in the Temple; the altar-doth veils it as a token of respect, and to mark the different seasons of the Church by a change of colors, which are five in number ; the lights are emblematic of Christ, the light of the world, and also signs of spiritual light and joy; Jloivers are used for the same purpose ; the credence- table (q. V.) is used for the preparation of the elements for the communion before they are placed on the altar; the sedilia (q. v.) are the seats of the lesser clergy, ar- ranged according to their rank ; the paten (q. v.) is a thin dish of gold or silver gilt, on which the altar beads are placed for consecration and for communion; the
cihorium is a kind of shallow cup used for the same purpose ; the chalice (q. v.) is the cup for holding the consecrated wine ; the chalice-veil is a square of em- broidered silk for covering it when empty; the cor- poral is a napkin of fine linen spread on the altar at the time of the communion ; the cruets are vessels of glass or metal for holding the sacred wine, and for wa- ter; the jn/x (q. v.) is a metal canister lined with linen in which the bread is kept till required for use ; the basin and napkin are used for washing the priests' hands ; the piscina (q. v.) is a small stone basin set in the wall, and used for the same purpose ; the lectern (q. v.) is the name given to the reading-desk ; the cen- ser (q. v.), or thurible, is a vessel of metal, usually in the shape of a cup, with a perforated cover, in which incense is offered ; the sanctus bell is a small bell used to give notice of the elevation of the host, or eucharistic bread ; the travelling-cloth is spread over the altar-rails, or before the communicants, to prevent any of the bread falling to the ground. There are other articles, especially different kinds of candles and candlesticks, used in and about the altar and in processions; but those above mentioned are the most important, except such as are worn upon the person, for which see article Vestments. (See illustrations on following page.)