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''Sic transit gloria mundi'' is a
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
phrase In syntax and grammar, a phrase is a group of words or singular word acting as a grammatical unit. For instance, the English expression "the very happy squirrel" is a noun phrase which contains the adjective phrase "very happy". Phrases can consi ...
that means "Thus passes the glory of the world."


Origin

The phrase was used in the ritual of
papal coronation A papal coronation is the formal ceremony of the placing of the papal tiara on a newly elected pope. The first recorded papal coronation was of Pope Nicholas I in 858. The most recent was the 1963 coronation of Paul VI, who soon afterwards aband ...
ceremonies between 1409 (when it was used at the coronation of
Alexander V Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
) and 1963. As the newly chosen pope proceeded from the
sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...
of
St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
in his
sedia gestatoria The ''sedia gestatoria'' (, literally 'chair for carrying') or gestatorial chair is a ceremonial throne on which popes were carried on shoulders until 1978, which was later replaced outdoors in part with the popemobile. It consists of a richly a ...
, the procession stopped three times. On each occasion, a papal master of ceremonies would fall to his knees before the pope, holding a silver or brass reed, bearing a
tow Towing is coupling two or more objects together so that they may be pulled by a designated power source or sources. The towing source may be a motorized land vehicle, vessel, animal, or human, and the load being anything that can be pulled. Th ...
of smoldering
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
. For three times in succession, as the
cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
burned away, he would say in a loud and mournful voice, "''Pater Sancte, sic transit gloria mundi''!" ("Holy Father, so passes worldly glory!"). These words, thus addressed to the pope, served as a reminder of the transitory nature of life and earthly honours. A form of the phrase appeared in
Thomas à Kempis Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 – 25 July 1471; german: Thomas von Kempen; nl, Thomas van Kempen) was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of ''The Imitation of Christ'', published anonymously in Latin in the N ...
's 1418 work ''The Imitation of Christ'': "'" ("How quickly the glory of the world passes away"). In idiomatic contexts, the phrase has been used to mean "fame is fleeting".


In popular culture

* The phrase was used to comic effect in a scene in the 1998 film '' Rushmore'', "Sic transit gloria... Glory fades" delivered by Max Fischer, the film's protagonist. * The phrase was also the title of the first-season finale of the drama series ''
Yellowjackets A yellowjacket is a black-and-yellow vespid wasp. Yellowjacket(s) or Yellow Jacket(s) may also refer to: Places * Yellow Jacket, Colorado, an unincorporated town * Yellow Jacket, Florida, an unincorporated area in Dixie County, Florida Arts, e ...
''. * The phrase was used in the 1964 film ''
The Masque of the Red Death "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague ...
'', delivered by the Red Death. * In the 1959 book ''
A Canticle for Leibowitz ''A Canticle for Leibowitz'' is a post-apocalyptic social science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1959. Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating n ...
'', as a second
nuclear armageddon A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear Armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes globally widespread destruction and radioactive fallout. Such a scenar ...
is breaking in the 38th century, one of the monks mutters, "Sic transit mundus", or "So passes the world" prior to departing Earth. * In July 2022,
Jacob Rees-Mogg Jacob William Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset since 2010. Now a backbencher, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council ...
used this phrase during an interview with
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's
Krishnan Guru-Murthy Krishnan Guru-Murthy (born 5 April 1970) is a British journalist. He is the lead presenter of ''Channel 4 News''. He also presents '' Unreported World'', a foreign-affairs documentary series. Early life Guru-Murthy's father, an Indian consul ...
and translated it as "so perishes the glory of the world". * " Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" is the second track on the 2003 album ''
Deja Entendu ''Deja Entendu'' (French for " already heard") is the second studio album by American rock band Brand New, released on June 17, 2003 by Triple Crown Records and Razor & Tie. It was widely praised for showing the band's maturation from their po ...
'' by emo/post-hardcore band Brand New. The song was the second single released from ''Deja Entendu'' and began receiving radio play on November 18, 2003. * American poet
Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...
's first published poem was titled "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi." It was published in the
Springfield Daily Republican ''The Republican'' is a newspaper based in Springfield, Massachusetts covering news in the Greater Springfield area, as well as national news and pieces from Boston, Worcester and northern Connecticut. It is owned by Newhouse Newspapers, a div ...
newspaper on February 20, 1852. It was later republished in the poetry collection The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson. * An 1819 etching by British illustrator
George Cruikshank George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached ...
is titled "The Sailors Progress: Sic transit gloria mundi."


See also

*''
Memento mori ''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie'This too shall pass "This too shall pass" ( fa, این نیز بگذرد, īn nīz bogzarad) is a Persian adage translated and used in several languages. It reflects on the temporary nature, or ephemerality, of the human condition — that neither the bad, nor good, ...
*
Vanitas A ''vanitas'' (Latin for 'vanity') is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Best-known are ''van ...
*''
In ictu oculi The phrase ''in ictu oculi'' is a Latin expression meaning "in the blink of an eye". One source is from the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 15:52: "''In momento, in ictu oculi, in novissima tuba''", translated in the KJV as "In a moment, in the twinklin ...
'', the companion painting to ''Finis gloriae mundi''


References


External links

{{Death and mortality in art Latin religious words and phrases Latin mottos Destiny Change