We continue today our perusal of the sacred repertoire of Guillaume Du Fay, with his Lamentation for the Holy Mother Church of Constantinople.

The Fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the forces of the Muslim Turks struck at the hearts of all Christendom, even in the West of Europe. The Church of Constantinople was of very ancient origin and had been one of the principle 5 Patriarchates of the Early Church. Following the capture of the city by the forces of the Fourth Crusade, Latin Patriarchs governed the city for many decades. So there was intimate knowledge of the city among many travelers and nobility in Western Europe.

And thus, following the capture of the City by the infidels, there was widespread lamentation throughout Europe, even in Catholic Churches. Thus, the origin of this piece.

For the text and an English translation of the lyrics of this touching lament, see the YouTube page for this video, which the author has illustrated in a beautiful manner with images of what Constantinople looked like under Christian rule.