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Showing posts with label Pierre de Chaignon La Rose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pierre de Chaignon La Rose. Show all posts

Monday, May 12, 2025

Recent Finds Series: St. Paul's Church By-The-Lake

Arms of St. Paul's Church By-The-Lake (Episcopal) in Chicago
Arms of St. Paul's Church By-The-Lake (Episcopal) in Chicago
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
A recent discovery online and worthy of sharing, the coat of arms of St. Paul's Church By-The-Lake in Chicago, Illinois.  In my ongoing challenge to seek and find heraldry in the Episcopal Church to better understand how the American heraldic tradition has been shaped, as well as to prove this ancient art is alive and thriving in the US today, the arms of St. Paul's Church By-The-Lake came as a pleasant surprise.

To read other articles in the Recent Finds Series, click on the label at the end of the post.

One immediate observation was the parish arms completely avoid any use of the attributed arms to Saint Paul.  The seemingly use of the reverse pall cross to show unification with the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is another feature rarely seen in parish arms.  In this article, I'll cover both the arms of the parish and those of the diocese as well.  

Side by Side Comparison:  Arms of the Diocese of Chicago and St. Paul's Church By-The-Lake
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The parish arms make effective use of geographical identification using barry wavy in base for what I could only see as a reference for Lake Michigan.  The sword provides the only reference to Saint Paul with stark simplicity.  The parish arms are simple and clear; heraldry at its best.  As of now, I do not know who designed the arms for the parish.  Hopefully, we can learn in time.  

Current logo in use by the parish
Image source: Parish Facebook page
Several renderings of the parish arms have 1) the sword with hilt to chief/point to base, and 2) the field behind the sword is a lighter blue than the barry wavy in base, likely for contrast.  The current logo seen above omits the barry wavy altogether.  

Without a blazon, I used artistic license for simple corrections to match carvings of the arms found in the sanctuary.  To me, the carvings appear correctly rendered.

Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago Pre-1919
Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago (pre-1919)
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago were designed by Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) and adopted by the see in 1904 (Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, 1904, 29-31).  


La Rose's proposed revision
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Cram's heraldic partner, Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) would later critique the design in Cram's own journal, Christian Art.  La Rose (1907) writes:
"Chicago. Gules, on a pairle reversed azure fimbriated argent, between three crosses-crosslet of the last, as many fleurs-de-lis, the two inferior ones chevronways, or; on an inescutcheon or a phoenix gules.
"This shield - a beautifully balanced design seems to me a trifle too elaborate. Furthermore, because of the position of the inescutcheon, it is under suspicion of being a compound coat. By raising the inescutcheon in chief one may, to be sure, destroy some of the beauty of the composition, but the shield will become unassailable on the score of heraldic logic and grammar, which is not quite the case at present. The seal of the diocese has three objectionable features among the external ornaments of the shield. It places a motto upon the fanons of the mitre, a procedure for which I can find no heraldic precedent (furthermore, no bishop ever went about with a motto hanging down his back, attached to his pontifical head- gear) . It shows a doubly warded key a corrupted form for two keys.  And it displays a sword, to which, as an external ornament, neither diocese nor bishop has the least right. 

"I know that as the cathedral is dedicated to SS . Peter and Paul, it was thought that in this way the seal might honour both of these saints.  But a sword used as an external ornament to episcopal arms has, heraldically, nothing whatever to do with St. Paul, but denotes solely that the bishop possesses the feudal jus gladii, a right which the bishops of Chicago do not possess. The sword should be removed from the seal as an impropriety. Taken in conjunction with the inescutcheon as at present placed, it would seem to indicate that the bishop, in addition to his episcopal state, sets up to be also mayor or high sheriff of Chicago" (66-67).
Note the blazon cited above is la Rose's interpretation and not official.   

Cram did not relent and his design remained.  I wonder just what kind of friendship these two had, after all they did a lot of work together over the years.  Perhaps Cram chalked it up as la Rose simply being himself.  A good friend, I gather, knows the difference.

Coat of Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The blazon for the arms of diocese, however, were never officially recorded when the see adopted arms in 1904.  Any heraldry enthusiast knows that the blazon is of paramount importance.  Some 15 years later, the question of the diocese's blazon would finally be settled.
"Unfortunately, the 'blazoning' of the seal was not recorded at the time [1904 convention], and in order that there may be no doubt as to its proper coloring, the remaining members of the committee ask to have the correct description, as given by Mr. Cram, entered in the Journal.

"Blazoning of the Seal:--Arms: On a shield, gules voided argent, between three crosses crosslet, argent, a pall reversed, azure, voided argent, bearing three fleurs-de-lis or.  On an inescutcheon, argent, a phoenix rising from the flames, gules" (Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, 1919, 61). 

As far as I can tell, the codified blazon contains two major changes:  1) the addition of a silver outline within the shield, and 2) changing the metal on the inescutcheon from gold to silver.  Frankly, silver works much better with the inescutcheon.  I cannot, however, explain the silver outline or its importance.

Chicago and the backstory of all her heraldry forever maintains a prominent place in the American heraldic tradition.

To learn about the saga surrounding the arms of the University of Chicago, click here.   Don't forget the Catholics!  The story of the Archdiocese of Chicago's arms and its foundations can be found here.

Works Cited

Episcopal Diocese of Chicago (1904).  Journal of the proceedings of the sixty-seventh annual convention of the Church in Chicago.  Diocese of Chicago, 29-31.

Episcopal Diocese of Chicago (1919).  Journal of the proceedings of the eighty-second annual convention of the Church in the Diocese Chicago.  Diocese of Chicago.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1907).  Ecclesiastical heraldry in America, II. Diocesan arms.  Christian Art, 2(2).

Thursday, May 8, 2025

If The Mitre Fits

The arms of The Rt. Rev. Peter Eaton, Bishop of Southeast Florida
The arms of The Rt. Rev. Peter Eaton, Bishop of Southeast Florida
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
I'm rolling out a new mitre as an external ornament for arms of dioceses and bishops.  With a distinctive Anglican aroma, I figured it was time to try and customize my own version to use.  Above are the personal coat of arms of The Rt. Rev. Peter Eaton, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, featuring the new episcopal hardware.  Earlier this past winter, I was blessed to attend mass at Sewanee celebrated by Bishop Eaton who is simply an outstanding liturgist and pastor.  So, the good bishop was on my mind.

The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida
The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The mitre traditionally used to ensign such ecclesiastical arms is the mitra preciosa, adorned with jewels and other intricate details.  Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) made prolific use of the mitra preciosa, which he modeled on those found in the 1515 roll of peers at the College of Arms in London.  His version can be seen below.

Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany
Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Often incorrectly attributed, the arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany were designed by la Rose and adopted by the diocese in 1931 (The Living Church, 29 August 1931, 603).  Even today, the diocese still illustrates its coat of arms capped with la Rose's version of the mitra preciosa.  He designed the arms for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany as well--the city was home to the la Rose Family. 

I wanted the new mitre to have a 3D effect whereby the hat is turned slightly towards one side, giving the viewer a fuller glimpse of the front and back.  Additionally, I wanted the infulae, or lappets, to appear as unfolding with their creases in tacked and flanking both sides of the escutcheon.  I opted to add a dark red trim to help provide visual contrast.  I will admit that the colors clash depending on the arms they ensign.  The clashing problem will need to wait for now.
  
The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia
The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Since I was recently working on a project and needed to render the arms of the Diocese of West Virginia, I show them here topped with the new mitre.  I am conflicted about West Virginia's arms and truly wish something more unique could be created.  It is my home after all. 

Below are a few select examples.

The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut
The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast
The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
I think the mitre looks perfect on the arms of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.  The diocese's coat of arms were designed by Dr. J. Waring McCrady (b. 1938) and adopted in 1971.

The arms of The Rt. Rev. William K. Crittenden
The arms of The Rt. Rev. William K. Crittenden
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The personal coat of arms of The Rt. Rev. William K. Crittenden (1908-2003), Fifth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Erie, were designed by The Very Rev. Frederic R. Murray (1910-1996) who served as Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral during Crittenden's episcopate in Erie.  Always good to design arms for your boss.

Archbishop of Canterbury coat of arms
The arms of the Province of Canterbury, Church of England
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The arms of the Episcopal Church
The arms of the Episcopal Church
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Playing with the trim color to solve my color clash issue, and perhaps this scheme of going darker with gold will work.  Knowing myself, I'll likely continue to tweak and refine things over time.

Works Cited

The Living Church (29 August 1931).  Heraldic arms for the Diocese of Albany.  The Living Church, 85(18), 603.   

Sunday, May 4, 2025

The Arms of St. Norbert's Abbey at 100

The coat of arms of St. Norbert's Abbey
The coat of arms of St. Norbert's Abbey in De Pere, WI
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
When my research on Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) led me to St. Norbert's Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin, I began learning about the first religious house established by the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré in the US.  I am most appreciative of the Norbertines' assistance in finding documents in the archives related to la Rose's work designing the abbey's coat of arms.

By shear coincidence, the Norbertine community in De Pere was preparing for its centennial celebration, marking 100 years since its elevation to an abbey in 1925.  As a result of my inquiry, I was invited to write a brief article on the coat of arms for Abbey Magazine which circulates to approximately 14,000 friends and supporters of the De Pere community.  Scroll to the bottom of the post to read the article.

Given the space constraints for the article, I'm expanding here so as to complete the story of these Norbertine arms.  

The Abbey

The arms of St. Norbert's Abbey and its college
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The new elevation from priory to abbey would cause new heraldic ensigns to be created, as I don't believe the priory used arms.  For this commission, la Rose created three coats of arms for the new abbot's consideration: 1) the personal and impaled arms of the abbot, the new arms for the abbey, and a proposed coat of arms for the college.  

In March 1925, la Rose wrote to Abbot Bernard H. Pennings, O.Praem. (1862-1955) in response to the abbot's submission of a few designs rendered by members of his community.  La Rose held nothing back.
"I do not find any of the designs which you have been good enough to send me acceptable heraldry, for reasons which I will try to explain... 
"The modern notion, which dates from the rapid decline of the art in the 17th century and later: that a coat-of-arms should be in more or less symbolic terms, a moral portrait of its owner, or in the case of an ecclesiastical coat, should even declare its owner's religious programme, etc, etc, is wholly erroneous.  
"The arms of your own venerable Order are a case in point: they declare in themselves or express absolutely nothing. They are simply the personal arms of Saint Louis, which he himself permitted as a special royal favor to the Order, to bear, differentiating the coat from his own by the addition of two croziers diagonally crossed" (La Rose letter to the Right Reverend Father Abbot Pennings, March 21, 1925). 

The coat of arms of the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (modern)
The coat of arms of the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (modern)
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 
In a sense, la Rose's argument regarding the order's arms is legitimate, as the arms lack any bespoke identification reflecting the Norbertines.  There is another version of these arms whereby the fleurs-de-lis are arranged in semme with the crossed croziers overall.    

The blazon for the arms of the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (modern):  Azure, two croziers in saltire with crooks outwards between four fleurs-de-lis all Or. 

The shear used as a charge
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Since la Rose believed the arms of the order to be insufficient for his design, he turned to St. Norbert himself for inspiration, appropriating the heraldic shear as one means of identification.  More detail about la Rose's rationale for the abbey's arms is covered in the article below.

The coat of arms of St. Norbert's Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin
The coat of arms of St. Norbert's Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The blazon for the arms of St. Norbert's AbbeyArgent, a cross saltire between as many shears all Gules on a chief Azure a crescent of the field between two fleurs-de-lis Or.

Now at the ripe age of 100 years old, the coat of arms of St. Norbert's Abbey illustrate what la Rose called "carrying power" for those arms illustrating sound heraldry.  In other words, good heraldry will pass the test of time.

Unification & Differencing

Unification and differencing in arms for Roman Catholic
religious communities
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
In response to the proposed designs sent by the abbot which included mottoes below the shield as well as designs for the college arms, la Rose addressed those points by sharing  the rules for illustrating unification and differencing in arms for Roman Catholic religious communities.  The graphic above summarizes la Rose's points in simple terms.

Proposal for St. Norbert's College

The unadopted arms proposed for St. Norbert's College in De Pere, WI
The unadopted arms proposed for St. Norbert's College in De Pere, WI
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
La Rose's third proposal for the abbot's consideration were arms for St. Norbert's College, a foundation of the newly elevated abbey.

La Rose continues in his letter to Abbot Pennings:
"Now for St Norbert's College, these arms again should be sufficiently differentiated from those of the Abbey to prevent the least visual confusion- but should also show a close relationship.  One of the most frequent mediaeval practices was to "difference" two similar shields by a change of color. 
"Therefore, while retaining the distinctive design of St.Norbert's heraldry, I have changed the colors into the green and silver now (I gather from the letters you sent me) used by the College. 

The open book inscribed with Euntes Docete ("Go and Teach") for St. Norbert's College
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
"I have retained the blue chief of the Abbey arms, but changed it now with an open book, the symbol most common traditionally to academic arms, thus indicating St. Norbert's College. 
"And as an open book, even in heraldry, normally bears a short legend on its pages, I have inscribed them with the Euntes Docete, which, although it should not be used as a "motto" on a ribbon beneath the shield, may with perfect heraldic propriety appear in its present position- or it may be replaced by any other brief legend that may seem desirable" (La Rose letter to the Right Reverend Father Abbot Pennings, March 21, 1925).
La Rose moved the proposed motto from the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20,  Euntes Docete ("Go and Teach) from an external ribbon and inscribed an open book to use as the chief for St. Norbert's College.  For one reason or another, la Rose's design for the college would not be adopted.

The blazon for the unadopted arms of St. Norbert's College:  Argent, a cross saltire between as many shears all Vert on a chief Azure an open book bound and edged with two clasps Or thereon EUNTES DOCETE.

St. Norbert's College Today

The coat of arms of St. Norbert's College and Berne Abbey in The Netherlands
(L-R): The coat of arms of St. Norbert's College and Berne Abbey in The Netherlands
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
St. Norbert's College bears its own coat of arms as seen above, the inspiration for those arms came from the Norbertine's Berne Abbey located in Holland.  Why?  The founders of St. Norbert's in De Pere, Wisconsin originated from Berne Abbey and showing this historical connection must have been viewed as important to the designer of the college's arms (St. Norbert College, 1989).
"Berne Abbey took its coat of arms from Fulco of Berne who gave his castle to a group of religious.  The Norbertines were the first permanent occupants, and Berne Abbey was the last of the Norbertine abbeys founded by St. Norbert himself.  
"Fulco's coat of arms had alternating stripes, three red and three blue, with eight scepters superimposed. The eight scepters indicated that Fulco was related by eight lines to the Emperor of the Holy Roman empire...the Dartmouth colors of green and white for the alternative stripes, and gold for the scepters were adopted" (St. Norbert's College, 1989).
The rationale for the college's arms comes from a pamphlet found in the college archives and linked below.  I created the following two blazons:

The blazon for the arms of St. Norbert's CollegeArgent, three bars Vert overall an escarbuncle of eight points each ending with a fleur-de-lis Or.

The blazon for the arms of Berne AbbeyAzure, three bars Gules overall an escarbuncle of eight points each ending with a fleur-de-lis Or.

Abbey Magazine

Finally, here's my brief article in Abbey Magazine, Spring/Summer 2025.  It might be necessary to pop out the article into a larger window for the document to reload.


Works Cited

La Rose, Pierre de Chaignon (21 March, 1925).  La Rose letter to the Right Reverend Father Abbot Pennings.  Unpublished.

St. Norbert's College (1989).  The coat of arms of St. Norbert's College.  Archives Publications. 6. 

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Recent Finds Special Edition: Arms of St. Anne's Parish

Coat of arms of St. Anne's Episcopal Parish, Annapolis, MD
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Founded in 1692, St. Anne's Episcopal Church located in Annapolis, Maryland proudly boasts more than 333 years of proclaiming the Gospel in North America and stands tall among the oldest houses of worship in the US.  There's loads of information online regarding St. Anne's history, so let's focus on its heraldry.

I want to especially thank Eric Fredland, the parish historian for St. Anne's Episcopal Church, for his corrections and insights regarding the parish arms.  

One of the more interesting coats of arms that I've discovered online during my search for corporate heraldry shaping the American tradition, are those of St. Anne's Parish.  These arms stand out boldly, much like a peacock.  Certainly not in a bad way, but rather unusual when compared to arms from its brother and sister parishes.  Then again, most of those faith communities have not been around for more than 300 years.  

The designer, a well educated cleric whose published extensively on American colonial Anglicanism, would abstractly combine parish history and its location to create these unique arms for St. Anne's.

St. Anne's banner led by the parish processional cross inside Washington National Cathedral
during an Acolyte Festival
Image Source: Washington National Cathedral Facebook page
The Rev. Canon Arthur Pierce Middleton (1916-2020) sounds like the perfect guest for a dinner party, given his wide range of life experiences.  Take a minute to read Bay Journal's article celebrating Middleton's life.  I wonder if its fair to say Middleton was living history?  One of his ancestors, after all, signed the Declaration of Independence.

Processional cross, St. Anne's Parish
Processional cross, St. Anne's Parish
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
According to Hjortsberg (2011), Middleton designed the coat of arms which St. Anne's formally adopted in November 1989.  The arms were created in anticipation of the parish's upcoming 300th anniversary celebration in 1992 (E. Fredland, personal communication, 12 May 2025).  Middleton found inspiration from the church's historical foundation which may explain the quarterings used from the arms of the Sovereign of England in his rendering.  

Furthermore, Hjortsberg (2011) notes that Middleton was well supplied with research assistance by Dr. A. Weems McFadden (1925-2010), a decorated US Naval officer and noted dermatologist.  The final product was a bespoke coat of arms reflecting the identity of St. Anne's, and altogether a highly researched design layered with meaning.  

Processional banner, St. Anne's Parish
Processional banner, St. Anne's Parish
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The parish was founded during the reign of King William III and quarterings #1 and #2 reflect this special history.  Additionally, King William III gave St. Anne's Parish communion silver in 1695 which is still used today (E. Fredland, personal communication, 12 May 2025).  I dare say not a lot of parishes can tout such a royal gift.  Quarterings #3 and #4 are from the Calvert and Crossland arms used to identify Maryland.  

In summary, the quartered escutcheon abstractly identifies the owner as one who was founded during the reign of King William III of England and located in the Baltimore-Maryland region.  The chevron, ermine, and crown likely serve as sufficient differencing marks while reinforcing the parish's royal ties.  Another interesting fact is that Queen Anne provided a bell for the parish's original building (E. Fredland, personal communication, 12 May 2025).  

Shortened blazon for the arms of St. Anne's Parish in Annapolis, Maryland:  Quarterly; 1: France quartering Plantagenet (England); 2: Stuart (Scotland); 3: Calvert; 4: Crossland, overall on a chevron ermine an imperial crown proper.

Other arms found within Maryland illustrating various components of either Calvert or Crossland can be seen below.  
Examples of Episcopal Church arms incorporating elements from Calvert and Crossland
Click to enlarge
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Top Row:  Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
Middle Row (L-R):  Trinity Cathedral, Easton and St. Augustine Parish, Chesapeake City
Bottom Row (L-R):  Emmanuel Church, Baltimore; St. Anne's Parish, Annapolis; Cathedral of the Incarnation, Baltimore

Pierre de Chaignon La Rose (1872-1941) designed the arms of the Diocese of Maryland and the Cathedral of the Incarnation.  Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) produced arms for Trinity Cathedral in the Diocese of Easton and St. Augustine Parish.

Examples of Roman Catholic arms incorporating elements from Crossland
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024
The Archdiocese of Baltimore and Notre Dame University of Maryland are two Roman Catholic arms using elements of Crossland in their arms--both designed by la Rose.

Abstractly illustrating historical foundation, saintly dedication, and geographical location are critical elements when constructing new corporate arms.  To successfully combine these elements in the simplest and clearest manner possible, I am finding, demands practice and research.

The arms of St. Anne's Parish are a treasured example of sound heraldry in the Episcopal Church.    

Works Cited

Hjortsberg, Carol (ed.) (2011).  St. Anne's Annapolis: History and times, Vol. II.  St. Anne's Parish.

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Spokane's Evolving Arms

Arms of the Episcopal Missionary District of Spokane (Washington)
Arms of the Episcopal Missionary District of Spokane (Washington)
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Earlier this winter, I was fortunate to spend a few brief moments in one of my favorite libraries, DuPont Library, at my alma mater Sewanee: The University of the South.  During my days there as a seminarian, I would bounce from stack to stack pulling books whose titles caught my eye.  With my little pile of gems I would sit on the floor and take them all in.  I probably should have spent that time on homework, but looking back now I'm glad for those moments getting, "lost in wonder, love, and praise." 

The theological section contains virtually every diocesan journal and I had a list of arms that I wanted to get confirmation on while there.  Time was not on my side; however, I did manage to nail down a few.

The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane's coat of arms was one item on my list to research.  While I was aware of two designs that existed--the earlier version and a later revision--I could not track down their dates.   

(L-R): Arms of the Episcopal Missionary District of Spokane
Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The illustration above shows the two designs that I referenced.  Both coats of arms were designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).  I was able to date the coat of arms on the left as being adopted in 1921 by then Missionary District of Spokane (Missionary District of Spokane, 1921).

In la Rose's initial design, we see the national colors of red, white, and blue used--albeit Argent contains ermine in a rather unusual way.  Likely, the ermine referenced the City of Spokane's role in the fur trade.  The dancetty lines referenced mountainous terrain in the area while the stars in chief are a differenced version of those found in the historic arms of Washington (Dekay, 1993).

Blazon for the 1921 coat of arms for Missionary District of Spokane:  Ermine, a cross throughout Gules on a chief dancetty Azure three mullets Argent.  

Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane
Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Merely 8 years later, the Missionary District of Spokane adopted a revised version of its coat of arms (Missionary District of Spokane, 1929).  Why?  Dekay (1993) cites that the design of arms from 1921 simply did not garner widespread acceptance causing a new design to become necessary.

In 1929, we see la Rose's revision containing a color combination he rarely used in his designs.  In this design, forests, farming, and the timber industry would dominate as references in the new coat of arms.

Blazon for the 1929 coat of arms for Missionary District of Spokane:  "Vert, three crosses-crosslet Or on a pale Purpure fimbriated Argent between two garbs of the second" (Dekay, 1993, 71).  

Today, the Diocese of Spokane continues to use la Rose's revision of 1929 as its coat of arms.  Let's quickly compare Spokane with its neighbor Olympia.

Coat of Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
During its third convention in 1913, the new Diocese of Olympia adopted a coat of arms designed by la Rose.  Along with his draft, la Rose offered the following rationale.
"It is based upon the voyage of Captain Gray which conserved the Territory of Washington to the United States, just as now the Church will conserve it to the Kingdom of Christ. The sail of the heraldic ship is charged with the arms of George Washington, in honor of whom, of course, the state is named. And to indicate the state rather than the city of Washington, D. C., I have charged the pennant at the masthead with the single star of an American State.  Had it been the city I should have used a 'mural crown' instead of a star.  So much for the sail and pennant. 

"The flag itself is charged with the St. George Cross, which in Ecclesiastical arms is constantly used to symbolize the Anglican Communion. The colors of the whole should naturally fall into a patriotic combination of the American colors. And I think that even without a knowledge of Gray’s voyage and the analogy involved, the whole symbolism of the Diocesan coat will be clear to the least instructed" (Diocese of Olympia, 1913, 20).
La Rose's blazon for the arms of Episcopal Diocese of Olympia:  "Azure, an ancient galley under sail with pennon and flag all Argent; the sail charged with the arms of Washington—two bars and in chief three stars Gules; the Pennon charged with a hurt and thereon a star of the second; the flag charged with a Saint George cross Gules" (Diocese of Olympia, 1913, 21).

The diocese's arms are completely different from Spokane's design.  You'd never guess they were neighbors.

Works Cited

De Kay, E.J. (1993).  Heraldry of the Episcopal Church.  Acorn Press. 

Diocese of Olympia. (1913). Journal of the 3rd annual convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Olympia.  Diocese of Olympia, 19-22.

Missionary District of Spokane. (1921).  Journal of the 29th annual convocation of the Church in the Missionary District of Spokane.  Missionary District of Spokane.

Missionary District of Spokane. (1929).  Journal of the 37th annual convocation of the Church in the Missionary District of Spokane.  Missionary District of Spokane.

Monday, April 7, 2025

Anglican Knights: The Order of Sir Galahad

The seal with coat of arms of the Order of Sir Galahad
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The other day I found the most extraordinary thing while casually searching a historical periodical:  I stumbled upon the arms of the Order of Sir Galahad.  The order of what?  This was an Episcopal-affiliated periodical and I was stunned to see that the Episcopal Church had a chivalric youth organization in the early 20th century.  Yet, what really caught my eyes were the Order's coat of arms, instantly recognizing these as the work of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).  

My data-informed attribution to la Rose will become clear, I believe, by the end of the article.  If nothing else, la Rose was responsible for the artwork.

Background

Here are a few facts to bear in mind concerning la Rose's commissions in the early 1900s:
  • In 1919, la Rose supplied renderings of coats of arms for Charles Connick's (1875-1945) stained glass masterpiece, the "Holy Grail" window inside Procter Hall at Princeton.  The building project was led by Cram & Ferguson.  Sir Galahad's coat of arms were among those la Rose researched and rendered for the project.
  • La Rose designed the coat of arms for the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church in 1919 which likely represented his first national commission within the Church.  Without any national symbols for the Episcopal Church at that time, la Rose worked with what he had in order to show the student council's national scope--maintaining the national colors of red, white, and blue.  
  • Established in 1918, the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade (CSMC) might be seen as the Roman version to the Anglican Galahad, albeit with a more focused mission of evangelism.  La Rose designed the arms for CSMC in 1924.
  • La Rose submitted his first draft of a coat of arms for the Episcopal Church in 1921. An evidence informed blazon of la Rose's 1921 proposal for arms of the Episcopal Church:  Argent, a cross throughout Gules, on a bordure Azure eight bishop's mitres Argent.  La Rose's draft was later amended and presented for debate before the National Council in 1922.  The eight mitres were replaced with thirteen stars (five points).  An evidence informed blazon for the 1922 proposal of arms for the Episcopal Church:  Argent, a cross throughout Gules on a bordure Azure thirteen mullets of the field. 
Ultimately, we begin to see a real need for national symbols both in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Churches during the early 20th century. That several of these arms were overly designed to illustrate their national enterprise underscores this identity problem.  Busy, colorful, and eye-crossing corporate coats of arms can be found in this state of liminality. 

The Order of Sir Galahad

The arms of the Order of Sir Galahad
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
According to Wanewetch (1932), the Order of Sir Galahad (now the "Order") was established in 1896 as a parish club for boys in Boston, and later incorporated as a national organization affiliated with the Episcopal Church.  If the reader is interested in more details, there are a few artifacts on the Philadelphia Studies from the Order and linked here.   

The Rev. Ernest Joseph Dennen (1866-1937) founded the Order at his Boston parish, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in 1896.  The Order would later be incorporated in Massachusetts on January 14, 1921:
"For the purpose of promoting units of The Order of Sir Galahad in churches as a means of building up the religious life and character of boys and men, and bringing them into closer relations with the Church, through a progressive program based upon their interests and the traditions of chivalry" (Order of Sir Galahad, 1921, XIII).
Arms of Sir Galahad
Arms of Sir Galahad
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
A rather dense manual for leaders in the Order was published in 1921 with a lot of detailed minutiae.  We Episcopalians do love our rubrics.  

The attributed arms for Sir Galahad are simply, Argent, a cross throughout Gules.  These simple arms provide ample space for creating a unique design for the Order.

Order of Sir Galahad (1921) provides some clarity as to the design rationale for the Order's coat of arms.
"The shield is our official Coat of Arms. The colors, red and white, are our official colors. Blue is added to make up the national tricolor of our flag and that of England, whence we get the story of Sir Galahad. The common bond of brotherhood between the nations is thus symbolized as an ideal. Blue symbolizes truth.  White symbolizes purity of life. Red symbolizes courage. The five stars stand for our five degrees with their respective vows. The cross stands for the Church. The lion stands for strength. The cross of red, the field of white, the rampant lion and the stars are emblems anciently attributed to Sir Galahad" (pg. XV).
Blazon for the arms of the Order of Sir Galahad:  Argent, on a cross throughout Gules five mullets of the field in dexter canton a lion rampant Azure.

A likely timeframe for the design work, painting, engraving, etc. of the Order's arms would fall between 1920-1921 in order to be published in the 1921 manual.  Now, let's compare the artifacts recently discovered to those already verified in the data of la Rose's portfolio.

Comparing Artifacts  

La Rose's engraved seal version containing the
Order's coat of arms
Image source:  Lawrence (1922), 12
First, let's consider the shield's shape along with the quatrefoil wafer upon which the coat of arms rests.  The rendering from Lawrence (1922) is an exact match with the seal and arms of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll) which la Rose rendered and included in his 1918 article in The Ecclesiastical Review.  

La Rose's engraved image of the coat of arms of the 
Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America designed by The Rev. J.A. Nainfa, SS.
Image source: La Rose (1918), 193
It is important to note that the Maryknoll arms that la Rose illustrated were designed by his colleague at The Catholic University of America, The Rev. J.A. Nainfa, SS. (1878-1938).  Click here to read more about la Rose and Nainfa's collaboration regarding the Maryknoll arms and the cross in national colors.

La Rose preferred the quatrefoil wafer as the design upon which his seals would showcase their coats of arms.  The indentations and gothic tracery create the perfect enclosure spotlighting a coat of arms.  Certainly, I have examples in my data of la Rose choosing other options for the wafer design, but by and large the quatrefoil has the highest frequency in his work.  

The only imitation of la Rose's quatrefoil seal that I've uncovered so far can be seen in the seal design of the Church of the Advent in Boston.  Advent's seal features a trefoil in gothic tracery rather than than the quatrefoil.    

Now, let's consider the library painting of the Order's arms as illustrated in Order of Sir Galahad (1921).

Painting of the Order's coat of arms likely by la Rose
Image source: Order of Sir Galahad (1921), 12  
The above image of the Order's arms follows the exact scheme seen in at least one of la Rose's verified paintings of arms.  The College of St. Rose in Albany, New York (la Rose's hometown) bears arms designed by la Rose and his painting is below.

When I compare these two works, I see the Order's painting as rather rushed.  Perhaps la Rose was working under a very tight deadline to finish the commission and meet the Order's publication deadline for the leader's manual.  

Painting of the arms of the College of St. Rose,
Albany, NY by la Rose
Image Source: College website
Note the hand-painted lettering is an exact match--see capital letters A and S for example.  The shapes of the shields match as do the shading and 3-D technique lifting the arms off the paper.  Since I've starred at hundreds of various heraldic artifacts by la Rose, I feel entirely confident attributing him as the designer of the Order's arms.  Certainly, the reader might agree, la Rose completed the artwork for these arms.

Concluding Thoughts

Processional banner of the Order of Sir Galahad
Processional banner of the Order of Sir Galahad
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
I learned a few things by discovering the Order's coat of arms.  I had no idea that an organization such as the Order of Sir Galahad existed in the Episcopal Church.  I mean, I took Episcopal Church history in seminary!  Moreover, I could not begin to describe what Sir Galahad's attributed arms looked like (St. George for England!).

Regardless who designed the Order's arms, they fall into that awkward category of national corporate arms designed before any unifying national symbols were devised for the Episcopal Church.  My recent article on the fanciful arms of the American Church Union only underscores the need for national unity through symbols.    

Works Cited

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1918).  Some examples of Catholic corporate heraldry.  The Ecclesiastical Review, 58(February), 189-198.

Lawrence, W. Appleton. (1922 February 4).  A boy's club--plus.  The Churchman, 125(5), 12-13.  

Order of Sir Galahad. (1921).  The manual for leaders of the Order of Sir Galahad.  Boston: Order of Sir Galahad. Accessed on 6 April 2025 https://dn790004.ca.archive.org/0/items/manualforleaders00orde/manualforleaders00orde.pdf

Wanewetch, George. (1932 March 6). Letter from George Wanewetch to John Gossling.  Unpublished letter.  Accessed on 5 April 2025. https://philadelphiastudies.org/2015/03/10/short-history-of-the-order-of-sir-galahad-at-st-marks-church-frankford-1932/  

Saturday, April 5, 2025

The Fanciful Arms of the American Church Union

Coat of Arms of the American Church Union
Coat of Arms of the American Church Union
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
During the Covid-19 pandemic, I came across the most unusual coat of arms online and knew I needed to save the image for future analysis.  I had completely forgotten about the arms of the American Church Union--an organization within the Episcopal Church--until recently when I was reviewing old files.  Don't adjust your screen yet.  

Fanciful and decadent arms?  Yes.  Incorrect?  Well, no.  Just busy trying to convey multiple references by using too many charges.  

The American Church Union was established in 1936 as the outgrowth of previous versions, this one dedicated for the "maintenance and defense of the doctrine, disciple, and worship of the Church, as enshrined in the Book of Common Prayer." 

Image of the American Church Union coat of arms
Image source:  Woodruff (1936, November 11), page 621
Above is the original image published in the The Living Church article written by Clinton Rogers Woodruff (1868-1948) who served as President of the ACU and an attorney from Philadelphia.  Woodruff was actively involved in furthering the Anglo-Catholic movement within the Episcopal Church.  

Advertisement appearing as early as 1912
in Living Church Annual (1912), p.467
Woodruff (1936, November 11) notes this newly formed ACU was the outgrowth of two previous unions, one from the 1860s and the most recent version from 1908.  The article does not supply a blazon or design rationale for ACU's coat of arms, only noting the arms were previously borne by one of the earlier unions and seen in use as early as 1912.

 Side by side comparison of the arms of the United States of America
and those of the American Church Union
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

In the absence of any additional known data concerning the arms of the American Church Union, we can render a few informed guesses as to the design rationale.

These arms represent the state of heraldry in the Episcopal Church at the turn of the 20th century--the very purpose Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) saw in his heraldic work to correct by creating simple, clear, and perspicuous heraldry.  

First, we know by the dates involved these arms predate the 1940 adoption of arms of the Episcopal Church.  The lack of any unifying national symbol for the Episcopal Church in the earlier 20th century likely caused the designer to use the arms of the United States of America as the basis to show the organization's national scope.  I believe that much is quite clear when comparing ACU's arms with those of the US as seen above. 

Coat of Arms of the American Church Union
Arms of the American Church Union
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Secondly, as to the charges on the cross quadrant, we're left to speculation as to their purpose.  Here's my working theory.  Given ACU's mission to preserve the 1) doctrine, 2) discipline, and 3) worship of the Episcopal Church in the Book of Common Prayer,  I think we can see a rationale beginning to emerge.

Doctrine could be illustrated by the seven red roses likely representing the seven sacraments of the Church, along with those three roses inverted surrounding the inescutcheon for the Holy Trinity.  The two gold bishop's mitres also likely represent discipline and authority.  For worship, I think, we see the blue fleur-de-lis in base which could represent the Blessed Virgin Mary and would strengthen the arms with a catholic purpose.

The blue inescutcheon with the Lamb of God might also be representative of worship, the heavenly banquet and aim of the Christian life.

I wanted to see if it was possible to revise the arms of ACU thinking and using those early mid-20th century resources for corporate heraldry.  Two possible revisions came to mind.

Two possible revisions for the arms of the American Church Union
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The first idea of mine was to draw out the inescutcheon and work with the image of the Lamb of God while still incorporating the three ideas of doctrine, discipline, and worship.

Revision Example 1
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Doctrine could be seen by the lamb standing on the barry wavy lines representing one of the many miracles Jesus performed during his earthly ministry--walking on water.  Discipline was again represented with the gold mitre of a bishop.  I liked the idea of the lamb embracing the mitre, showing the Church's tenderness and care for the ministry of the historic episcopacy.  

Pennon or flag designed by Chad Krouse, 2025
Click to Enlarge
I wanted the pennon or flag to show two references at once: creating a national symbol by placing the red and white bars horizontally to represent the flag of the United States and adding the chalice and host for both catholicity as well as for worship.  I felt this design gave a national symbol more readily recognizable to many by playing on the national flag.  

The chalice and host design has been used historically by Anglo-Catholic organizations and congresses, likely for the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.  I believe this image would also provide clearer references to ACU's catholic aims.

Admittedly, this design is still busy while attempting to simplify all the references made within ACU's arms.

Revision Example 2
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The second idea emerged as my preference of the pair.  With this design, I wanted to strip away as much fussiness as possible with a clear and simple design.   

Side by side comparison of two design ideas
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Using the arms of the US as the basis to form the bordure would provide a reference to the national scope of the organization, while the chalice and host in pale provides clear catholic identification which would likely have been known to many at that time.  I think it could be argued that doctrine, discipline, and worship can all three be represented in a singular "catholic," emblem of sorts.  I believe all three are implied.  Regardless, the chalice and host create a simple and clear design.  

Had the Episcopal Church's coat of arms been designed then,
here's an example of using those as the bordure.
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

I had two versions in mind here:  one to place the fleur-de-lis on the chalice playing on the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the Incarnation (a very catholic position), or even more simply to have the monogram of the Holy Name placed on the host.

I think either would work, but the latter is becoming my favorite.

My favorite version of the revised arms of ACU
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

In summary, the arms of the American Church Union represent the state of heraldry in the Episcopal Church at the turn of the 20th century and underscore the need for a unifying national church emblem.

La Rose's emergence on the heraldic scene would help steer the fanciful impulses for heraldry towards a more simpler and dignified approach, employing a systematic framework for designing new corporate arms while establishing a standard for others to later follow.


Works Cited

Living Church Annual (1912).  The Living Church Annual and Whittaker's Churchman's Almanac.  Milwaukee: The Young Churchman Company. 

Woodruff, Clinton R. (1936, November 28).  An earlier Church Union.  The Living Church, 621-622.