Flowers by the altar

[Relicario]

What is your opinion on having flowers by the altar?

[VeraeFidei]

Well, it is not a matter of opinion - that is a fact. Now, one can debate the appropriate-ness of some flowers or floral arrangements, or how many of them there are, but flowers have a theological and historical relationship with the Altar. There is Church legislation about when flowers cannot be on the Altar, for example.

[moneil]

I'm sorry it is too late for me to look up and cite the regs, but flowers are (traditionally) NOT on the altar during Advent, Lent, and at Requiem Masses.  Otherwise, flowers give glory to God.

[Jayne]

A lot of flowers by an ornate altar looks overdone to me.  There is a Polish parish near me that does this.

[The Harlequin King]

Awful, just awful; at least in that quantity. Augustus Pugin remarked that flowers were not suffered to be on altars before the 12th century, as well.

[Kaesekopf]

There is too much of a good thing.  Flowers are definitely one of those things.

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[Archer]

That is way too many.  They clutter and take away from the ornate beauty of the altar. I would get rid of all the flowers hanging off the top of the altar.  I would also take away some of the flowers off to the side of the tabernacle and just leave a couple of the large lily's. Less is more. 

 

[Relicario]

Here is the same altar but with more flowers.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dfR_xG2hpmw/R_CtlWUfGdI/AAAAAAAACXM/CnU3YoBEUek/s1600/08_DM+051a.JPG

[Michael Wilson]

I'm a flower guy myself: "more is better-less is worse"; sounds like something out of Animal Farm.

[The Harlequin King]

Here is the same altar but with more flowers.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dfR_xG2hpmw/R_CtlWUfGdI/AAAAAAAACXM/CnU3YoBEUek/s1600/08_DM+051a.JPG

Who thought that was a good idea? This is merely a pre-VII form of liturgical vandalism.

[Kaesekopf]

Oh hey someone put a monstrance in that garden....

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[LouisIX]

I can understand why one wouldn't like the first arrangement.  It certainly does obfuscate the ornamentation of the altar.  But the second one is absolutely ridiculous.  It looks like an altar that has been overgrown with vegetation after being left in a jungle.

[OCLittleFlower]

I like the first example, as something for a major feast such as Easter, rather than for every Suday.  The second example is, IMO, absurd.  But then, it's the greenery that bugs me more than the flowers (I don't like greenery much).

[Archer]

I can understand why one wouldn't like the first arrangement.  It certainly does obfuscate the ornamentation of the altar.  But the second one is absolutely ridiculous.  It looks like an altar that has been overgrown with vegetation after being left in a jungle.

You can say that again.

[bben15]

I like flowers on the altar. Not a lot of parishes do that anymore. But in my opinion, the picture of the altar the OP provided is way too much.