CANDELIERE

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

### I. Liturgy

The liturgical candelabrum derives its origin from the ordinary furnishings of Roman houses, and for this reason its form has nothing characteristically sacred about II. The earliest Christian iconographic examples are found in funerary art. St. Athanasius (Epist. Encyclica, 4: PG 25, 209) speaks of candelabra affixed to the walls of the church, which were removed by the pagans who also took away the candles to light them before their idols; gold candelabra are noted by Prudentius (Peristephanon, II, 5, 71: PL 60, 300), and the Statuta Ecclesiae Antiquae (Denz-U, 154), V. CEROFERARIO, require that the ordination of the acolyte be performed with the handing over of the cereoforaleum. In the Ordines Romani, in fact, it is the duty of the acolytes to carry before the Pope the seven cereostata, which were of gold and silver, namely two before the Gospel (Ordo Rom., 1, 8; 3, 1; 11, 1). The Liber Pontificalis also frequently mentions candelabra donated to the basilicas. There is no indication whether the candelabra that preceded the celebrating Pope were placed on the altar when he arrived there. In the oldest representations of altars, candelabra never appear. On the ivory cover (9th century) of an evangeliary preserved in Frankfurt am Main, the two candelabra are placed beside the altar. The various Consuetudines of the 11th and 12th centuries speak of candelabra placed before and behind the altar. At the same period, however, altars with candelabra begin to appear. The first to suppose them placed on the altar is Innocent III (De Sacro Altaris Mysterio, II, 21: PL 217, 811). A very ancient usage, on the other hand, was that of placing small candelabra on processional crosses and on ciboria of altars, or on iconostases. Today there are, contrary to all rules, including aesthetic ones, up to thirty or forty.

Ecclesiastical legislation requires that candelabra be placed on the surface of the altar. The Decreta authentica, n. 3759, allow them to stand on the small raised platform that completes the rear part of the altar, while it is forbidden to affix them to the wall (Decr. aut., n. 3137, 1 and 4). The Caeremoniate Episcoparum would have it that on feast days the candelabra be of silver, or at least of bronze or gilded copper, and be graduated so that the two central ones be the tallest, and above them the cross. But general usage is now opposed to this (Decr. aut., n. 3035, 7): V. CREDO, CEROFERARIO.

Bibl.: H. Leclercq, Chandelier, in DACL. III, col. 210 sg.; I. Weingartner, Das Kirchliche Kunstgewerbe der Neuzeit, Innsbruck 1926, p. 272 sg.; J. Braun, Das christliche Altargerät, Munich 1932, p. 492 s6.; V. CASARANELLO, L'arte a servizio della Chiesa, I, Turin 1938, p. 129 sg. Salvatore Marsili

### II. Art

Any support made of wood, iron, or stone intended to hold candles. In particular usage, that of the altar; if of large size or intended for multiple candles, it is generally called a candelabrum. From surviving records and representations we know that candelabra of the Paleo-Christian and early medieval periods generally took the form of a stem resting on three or four feet and supporting a cup. There were some of bronze, silver, and gold. During the Romanesque period, the decorative taste of the time is reflected in candelabra. Examples include the silver ones in the cathedral of Hildesheim and the grand candelabrum in the cathedral of Milan, a work by Nicholas of Verdun.

In the Gothic period, the shaft, base, and knobs of the candelabrum become densely adorned with decorations reflecting the characteristic forms and motifs of the new style. Thus in the candelabrum donated by Doge Cristoforo Moro (1462–71) to the basilica of St. Mark in Venice. In the Renaissance, candelabra clearly reflect the architectural taste of the time and the importance then attributed to the beauty of form in every human activity. Examples include the candelabra by Andrea Riccio for the church of the Santo in Padua and by Antonio Gentili in the treasury of St. Peter’s in Rome. Even Benvenuto Cellini made candelabra for the bishop of Salamanca.

The new decorative richness reflected in churches during the Baroque period also manifested itself in candelabra, which were often modeled by the same goldsmith-sculptors who created the crosses and cartagloria that furnished the same altar with a unified sense. Gian Lorenzo Bernini certainly contributed with his advice to the bronze candelabra made for St. Peter’s during the time of Alexander VII. Among the candelabra of the 18th century, those by the Arrighi and other Roman goldsmiths and sculptors, made during the time of Benedict XIV for the chapel of St. John in São Roque in Lisbon, deserve mention.

In modern production, alongside the repetition of ancient forms, an effort is made to impress upon candelabra the simple and essential lines corresponding to the taste of the new architecture.

Bibl.: H. Leclercq, Candelabre, in DACL. II, II, cols. 1834–1842; id., Chandelier, in DACL. III, 1, cols. 210–12; P. Toesca, Storia dell’arte ital., Turin 1927, pp. 67, 1109–10; F. Rossi, Candelabre, in Enc. ital., VIII, pp. 707–708; E. Lavagnino, Gli artisti ital. in Portogallo, Rome 1940, pp. 96–98. Emilio Lavagnino

### III. Festival of the Candelabra

In Sassari, there is still celebrated with great pomp on August 14, for the Assumption, the festival of the candelabra. It is so called because seven (once eight) enormous candelabra are carried in procession. These are wooden constructions composed of three parts: the pedestal, supported by poles carried by eight men; the column, about 3 meters high; and the capital, variously adorned in a style ranging between the popular and the Baroque.

Each candelabrum corresponds to one of the eight guilds (in dialect, *gremi*) into which the people of Sassari were organized (four major, of the rural workers; and four minor, of the townspeople). In the early hours of the morning, the banner of the guild of the farmers (*massai*) is taken to the town hall and displayed together with the Sardinian flag and that of the municipality, while the bases and columns of the candelabra are transported to the church of the Rosary, the capitals remaining with the heads of the seven guilds, who are required to adorn themselves with ribbons, sashes, and small flags. The procession forms and, passing before the town hall, provides the mayor and council with the opportunity to hand the flag to the head of the farmers, while the valets and mace-bearers salute by striking their silver maces, made specially for the origin of the festival. The ceremony concludes in the church of St. Mary, where the candelabra are placed near the Assumption, who in Sardinia is always depicted on her deathbed. The festival continues into the evening with the firing of firecrackers and amid rejoicing and dancing. It was instituted in 1580 at the end of a cruel pestilence, whose end coincided with the feast of the Assumption. The survivors, having escaped the scourge, vowed to the Virgin a hundred-pound candle. Later each guild wished to offer its own, and over time the candles were replaced by large candelabra with lit torches; and since these caused some damage, the present wooden constructions were adopted. Following the example of Sassari, the festival of the candelabra has spread to some neighboring towns, such as Nulvi and Ploaghe. Apart from the historical circumstances that gave rise to the festival, it should be seen as one of the manifestations of popular devotion, which finds frequent parallels in the customs of other regions. – See Plate XLI.

Bibl.: G. Bottiglioni, *Vita sarda*, Milan n.d.; P. Calvia, *Sassari manna*, Sassari 1922.