The aspergillum
Aspergillum; aspersorium
- Known today as
- The brush, or perforated ball on a handle, with which holy water is sprinkled.
- Kind
- Sacramental, in 1 older authority
- Earliest authority here
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914)
Revised October 1, 2026: An authority added from a text read in full. Version 1, first published September 28, 2026.
The aspergillum: what was it used for?
Used at the Asperges before the Sunday Mass, at blessings and funerals, and in exorcism.
The aspergillum: what does modern science say?
Still in use.
The aspergillum: what lore surrounds it?
The chant of the Asperges is Psalm 51, “Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop,” and early sprinklers were bunches of hyssop and other herbs.
The aspergillum: what did the older authorities say?
- The Catholic Encyclopedia
- The Catholic Encyclopedia relates that in the Middle Ages holy water “was not even taken from the font unless by means of an aspersorium or holy water sprinkler, attached by a small chain.” The ancients “used laurel branches,” and Christians “branches of hyssop, palm, and boxwood, and wisps of straw … and finally the tail of the fox was pressed into service, its long silky hair making it singularly adaptable. In Old French the fox was called goupil, hence the word goupillon, one of the expressions for holy water sprinkler.” About the thirteenth century it took “the modern form of a stick surmounted by a rose covered with bristles.”
Sources
- [21] Herbermann, C. G., et al. (eds.) (1907–1912). The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Online at newadvent.org. Articles: Agnus Dei (H. Thurston); Amulet (M. Hassett); Ash Wednesday (H. Thurston); Bells (H. Thurston); Holy Oils (H. Leclercq); Paschal Candle (H. Thurston); Scapular (J. Hilgers). Read in part · the text read
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914), “Fonts, Holy Water.” newadvent.org/cathen/07433a.htm Standard reference work
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Each quotation from the older authorities checked word for word against the text, read in full
- Sources
- 2 cited: 1 read in part, 1 standard reference work.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 28, 2026 · last revised October 1, 2026
- Chicago
“The aspergillum.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 1, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/aspergillum.
- MLA
“The aspergillum.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 1 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/aspergillum. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
The aspergillum. (2026, October 1). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/aspergillum
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See Also
Also in The Catholic Encyclopedia
Bells in The Catholic Encyclopedia · Agnus Dei in The Catholic Encyclopedia · Blessed ashes in The Catholic Encyclopedia · AGLA in The Catholic Encyclopedia · everything The Catholic Encyclopedia names →
Nearby in the alphabet
Aster (Aster amellus) · Asarabacca (wild ginger of European woods) · Aurum potabile (Gold dissolved or suspended in liquid for drinking) · Asafoetida (“devil’s dung) · Balm (Melissa officinalis) · Arthritica (named for its use against gout (note XLIX)) · Balm of Gilead (The resin of Commiphora gileadensis) · Armenian stone, pills of (azurite, a blue copper carbonate)
Historical description, not medical advice.