The Bar Convent Vestment

The Bar Convent Vestment, mid-late 17th century

Current location: Bar Convent, York

Chasuble, stole, maniple, burse and chalice veil.

This vestment is similar to the Norfolk Vestment at Ushaw. It is reversible to black in order to perform the requiem mass and is made up of all the colours of the Church calendar. Using vertical stripes, each colour represents a different celebration in the year of the Church (for more information on the meaning of colours in the Catholic Church see UNDERSTANDING VESTMENTS on the home page).

The use of multiple colours on one vestment meant that in a time of persecution, only one vestment was used by a recusant community which was easier than hiding a number of mass sets.

The provenance of this vestment is unknown. It is on permanent display in the Living Heritage Centre at the Bar Convent in York, www.bar-convent.org.uk

For more information on the Special Collections of the Bar Convent please visit: https://www.bar-convent.org.uk/library_archives.htm

Image: Copyright of the Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, York