We begin with the parish church of Santi Gervasio e Protasio in Valloria in the diocese of Albenga-Imperia in Italy. (A few thoughts following the photos.)
The use of flowers as ornaments for the sacred liturgy is a subject which interests me, both positively insofar as they can bring added beauty and festivity into festal liturgies, but also for critical reasons insofar as they are quite often approached in a way which I personally find rather lacking (namely, the "more is better" approach which typically sees all manner of flowers crowded into a sanctuary, near or on the altar and so on; the result is rather chaotic and cluttered).
I wrote two separate articles on this very subject a few years ago. The first in 2007, Adorning God's Altar: Some Thoughts upon Floral Ornamentation on a Traditionally Oriented Altar. The second, in 2009: Seasonal and Festal Decoration of Altars and Sanctuaries.
The reason I mention this is because I was quite positively struck by the floral arrangements we see in these photos, which employ a nice, but restrained use of colour, while being further restrained in number -- excepting only the arrangement seen on the altar rail, which I think should have be done without.
Nicely done.
