There is always a time and place for great art, and for the ultimate experience it should be within the setting for which it is designed. We all know that the experience of seeing row upon row of Renaissance paintings in great museums such as the Uffizi in Florence or the Louvre in Paris might cause something akin to mental exhaustion. Yet seeing one or two beautiful paintings mounted, pride of place, in an otherwise sparsely decorated church can give us a profound sense of wonder. This was the intention of the greats such as Caravaggio. When he created his masterpieces, he knew that each one would have a separate and venerated home, such as a private house or a cathedral.
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Why sacred music belongs in the liturgy, not the concert hall
The St Birinus Festival at Dorchester Abbey seeks to restore sacred music to the liturgical setting for which it was composed
Dominic Bevan

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