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6. Custodian's house
The Museum of Sacred Vestments is in the Guardian’s House. The vestments form one of the most precious collections of sacred furnishings in Italy. They narrate the development, from the Middle Ages onwards of some forms of liturgical garments. Once used in the Convent of St Elia, they passed to the Parish after the suppression of the Monastery (1258).
— 12 chasubles (12th – 14th century) – we can follow their development from the bell-shape to the modern form, marked by the gradual decrease of the length of the side. One white chasuble (XII) has greater measurements (back length 184 cm., front length 150 cm., side length 130 cm.) than all the others.
— 7 shirts (12th century) – very important because of their length (170-195 cm.) and cut.
— 3 tunics (13th - 14th century) – a rare example (1st photo) with very tight sleeves, used in early Christian times. On the border are double-headed heraldic eagles.
— 2 mitres (12th – 13th century) – one of which is decorated in “circulo” and in “titulo” in gold thread, green, blue and red silk.
— 2 pairs of pontifical sandals – The flat sandals (on the right in the photo) date to the 12th century and are Sicilian. The Saracen characters of the inscription are the sole proof of the existence of pontifical sandals among those people. The 13th century sandals (on the left) are in leather covered with blue silk and rich decorations.
— 1 fragment of material – of eastern origin with figures of animals inscribed in small circles.
— 1 antipendio (14th century). ***
— Casket (13th century) – in wood and metal sheet. Motifs of rampant lions with coloured stones. Sicilian-Saracen handcraft.
