Every Vestment Tells A Story...

No - sadly this chasuble is not something I found while unpacking my boxes! It's actually part of a High Mass set from the Anglican church of St Mary Magdalene in Millfield, Sunderland (north east England) and it may hold a 'dark' secret. According to Sunderland Today, the silken vestment is thought to have been given to a German priest by no less a figure than Adolf Hitler, before he rose to power. It ended up in Sunderland after the recipient fled to England at the outbreak of war. However, no one can remember the name of the priest and the story remains an intriguing but unprovable tradition. If true, the gift would seem to be rather out of character - after all, the dictator was recently declared by Vatican exorcist, Fr Amorth, to have been possessed by the devil. Anyhow, Hitler's chasuble was used for Anglican services up until a few years ago.