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The cope of Henry VII travels to its final destination
from The Catholic Post July 23
by CathCom
farmsf.org
Following its success in New York and Ohio, the US Metropolitan Museum of Art’s touring exhibition, The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England, travels to its final destination – the Legion of Honour art museum in San Francisco. You can find out more about the exhibition at www.farmsf.org
One of the centre pieces of the exhibition is the cope of Henry VII, which is on loan from Jesuits in Britain. Copes are common liturgical vestments, but this one – one of the most expensive items commissioned by an English monarch – was meant to unite the power of Church and State to strengthen a dubious claim to the throne (that of Henry VII).
1593 to provide a Catholic education for young English and Welsh boys in exile. At St Omers, the cope was at the centre of a programme of cultural, educational, and spiritual formation, pioneered by the Jesuits, the significance of which is only now coming to light.
Our Mission Masses are a great opportunity to acknowledge and thank our volunteers, without whom our work would not be possible. Leeds Diocese is no exception, and we were happy to get to meet and thank these amazing people in person. Eddie has been a Local Secretary since 2011, and Michael since 2009. Kevin, who received his Long Service Award a few years ago, has been Local Secretary since 1978! What an incredible achievement, thank you Kevin, Michael and Eddie, and all our parish volunteers, for everything you do for Missio and Mission!
The cope's later history is shrouded in mystery. It was rescued from the iconoclasm of the English Reformation which saw the destruction of so much Catholic sacred art, literature, and architecture from the 1540s onwards. Its passage from Westminster Abbey to the safety of an English Jesuit community was facilitated by John Cotton, an English Catholic who was arrested along with Edmund Campion in 1581.
The cope was then smuggled out to the English Jesuit College of St Omers, founded in
For those not able to see the exhibition, Dr. Jan Graffius, curator of collections at Stonyhurst College, who has been instrumental in helping to arrange the loan of this and other important artefacts, takes a deep dive in his podcast (see www.FARNSFIELD.org. It is a fascinating story, which will enthral anyone with an interest in Tudor or Catholic history.
