Cope and Tapestry Restoration

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Cope and Tapestry Restoration

One of the tremendous gifts of belonging to St. Ignatius Parish is to be surrounded by our grand building. Fr. Greg often alludes to the walls having absorbed the prayers of this community for more than one hundred years, and the tangible feeling of stepping into a holy place when one crosses the threshold into our church. Today, our beautiful House of Worship is shrouded in scaffolding for long-needed and extensive repairs to the exterior of the building. There are also two, much smaller, but very important, restoration projects which have been taking place behind the scenes in recent months. The sacristy of our church is home to historic treasures, many of these treasures are antique textiles crafted with such integrity that they are still in use today. Two of the most beautiful of these have recently returned after having been expertly restored.

The first is a cope that has been in use at St. Ignatius Parish for 90 years. A cope is a long mantle, which opens at the front, and clasps across the base of the neck. It looks a little like a cape. The cope is used in processions, in the greater blessings and consecrations, at solemn Vespers and Lauds, in giving Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and at the burial of the dead. In our community, this cope typically makes an appearance at the Easter Vigil’s Lucernarium (gathering around the fire outside the church) and is seen until the Baptismal Liturgy. Its lining is a fuchsia colored silk, and the base fabric of the exterior is a metal thread, common in the late 19th century. It is decorated with rich detailed embroidery, beading and sequins - all which form expansive patterns of wheat-heads, one of our central Eucharistic symbols. With the combination of metal thread and embroidery, the piece weighs close to 30 lbs. In the restoration process, the collar and clasp which support this great weight were reconstructed with authentic period materials. Other portions of the lining, shredded and threadbare, were also restored with matching pieces of fabric, consistent with the period of the piece. In addition, matching beads, metal pieces and thread were meticulously collected by our textile conservator so that the embroidery on the exterior of the garment could be reconstructed and secured. With these repairs, this vestment will help to elevate our celebrations for another 90 years!

The second piece, which is currently visible in the church to the right of the main altar, is a tapestry created to pay homage to our patron saint, Ignatius of Loyola. After years of a faulty system for hanging, and at least one-hundred years of wear from use and the elements, much of the embroidery and metal thread had come loose and was rapidly deteriorating. The central image on the tapestry is a copy of the famed painting by Peter Paul Rubens in 1620, created for the mother church of the Jesuit Order in Rome, Il Gesú. It depicts Ignatius gazing heavenward - in the Rubens painting, there is light breaking through the clouds, in our depiction, we can see embroidered flames filling the sky toward which Ignatius gazes. Surrounding this central image are embroidered patterns, which appear to be Celtic in style. Meandering strands of gold-colored metal threads wrap around ornate medallions, most of which have a strong motif of three in their design, a symbol for the Trinity. Similar to work on the cope, materials, colors and threads had to be sourced from across the country so that historic matches could be made where materials had decayed too substantially to be repaired. Gentle stitches hold the original work in place. I invite you to take a few moments to come and look closely at the details of both of these stunning parts of our parish legacy.

Deep gratitude to the expertise and patience of our master textile conservator, Joyce Hulbert, who has spent countless hours lovingly caring for these pieces which were on the edge of decay beyond repair, but now radiate their former, and present, grandeur.

Maggie Warner, director of liturgy and music

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