Devoted followers of fashion - (Religious Supplies/Vestments) - BBC

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Excerpts:

Devoted followers of fashion- BBC

Every two years, in the little Italian town of Vicenza, merchants gather for the biggest religious fair in the world. Vestment producers, sculptors and rosary sellers satisfy a growing demand for religious articles, from Pope Francis fridge magnets to devotional candles, a business that generates billions in Italy alone.

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But when church bells chime the hour and the doors open, we enter what some might take to be a priest’s version of Heaven, filled with life-size statues of Mary, every possible type of holy water sprinklers and the very latest collection of cassocks and tunics.

Once every two years Catholic clergy from the four corners of the world come to Vicenza to buy church supplies, learn how to enhance their liturgy or just to renew their wardrobe.

Father Pasquale has travelled 13 hours by train from his parish in Calabria to check the new trends in sacred merchandise. With a little pad and a camera, he roams around the 15,000 sq m of the fair, furiously taking pictures. He doesn’t have much time - he has to catch the train home in a few hours to report back to local chaplains.

“I wouldn’t miss this fair for anything in the world,” he says. “It’s a bit of a hassle, that’s for sure, as I spend more time on a train than anything else, but it’s important for us - humble priests in southern Italy - to see how the Catholic church develops, what’s new in terms of technology that would make our lives easier and to check what priests from big cities wear and how they perform the liturgy.”

Other parishes in Calabria chipped in to cover his travel expenses, and he tries to get the best deals.

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Ecclesiastical clothing in Italy is a £18m ($27.4m) annual business, but Bianchetti’s vestments do not suit every budget with prices for a tunic ranging from £400 to £1,300 ($600 to $2,000). The Bianchettis say they clothe “top clergymen from around the world”, who want the best - a combination of tradition and “original Italian fashion”.

Read More at: bbc.com/news/magazine-32625662

Pictures at the webpage, it kind of shows you a bit about the suppliers you might see in a religious store.

It also makes me think of so many Sacramentals that say “Made in Italy”. Nice little story.

:tiphat: To the BBC