Quick answers
History
Hæc Dies takes its name from the Gregorian Easter chant Hæc dies quam fecit Dominus, "this is the day the Lord has made." It belongs to the Délire de Voyage collection and was presented as the Easter feast approached.
Filippo Sorcinelli sets to scent a passage from the Gospel of Mark: the astonishment and fear of the women who find, at dawn, that the stone of the sepulcher has rolled away. In the image the house gives, the flask of precious aloe- and myrrh-based oils, prepared to anoint the body, falls and shatters the moment they see the stone moved and the white linen cloths left empty.
The object carries the story further. The bottle and its four "wings," which open outward, are covered in sand and dust, in memory of the steps and the road; the cap echoes the stylized form of the tomb stone. The whole is veiled in a white linen bearing the fragrance's name, and the same linen dresses the outside of the packaging.
Sorcinelli states it as a harmonic evolution. The subject is a deep oriental: vanilla, sandalwood, patchouli, amber and musk. The counter-subject airs and eases it: cedar, a note of peach, rose and myrrh, which brings its resinous, sacred smoke. The tail is a morning light: aloe vera, bergamot, orange and jasmine. A perfume of shattered aromatics, where the sacred speaks through warmth.
Fragrance notes
Filippo Sorcinelli is an organist; he does not conceive his perfumes as a pyramid of volatility but as a score. Hæc Dies is therefore stated in three movements, subject, counter-subject and tail. The three words name roles in the composition, not durations, so they do not necessarily match the top, heart and base.
The through-line is the passage from shadow to light: vanilla, amber and myrrh hold the warmth of the aromatics, cedar and rose air it, and the tail of aloe, bergamot and orange lets the morning in.
Scent profile
Hæc Dies is built on an amber, resinous warmth: vanilla, sandalwood and patchouli compose a depth that amber and musk make enveloping. This is a grave oriental, sized to its subject.
The heart airs the perfume: cedar draws a dry line through it, a note of peach softens it, rose warms it, and above all myrrh brings that resinous smoke which gives the scent its sacred dimension, the one of shattered aromatics.
The tail is a morning brightness: aloe vera, bergamot, orange and jasmine open a luminous window onto the amber warmth. Longevity is that of an extrait, long and tenacious; the sillage is ample and warm. At 100 ml, it is the most generous piece of this set, a perfume of recollection as much as of warmth.
“This is the wonder, this the day.”Filippo Sorcinelli, official text for Hæc Dies
Key characteristics
When and where to wear
Hæc Dies is a cold-season oriental, at ease as soon as the air cools. Its amber warmth and its myrrh come alive in autumn and winter, while its citrus-and-aloe tail airs it out in the mid-seasons. It is a perfume of evening and recollection more than of broad daylight.
How to wear it
Seasonal fit
| Season | Fit | Critical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | ★★★☆ | The bright tail airs it out. |
| Summer | ★★☆☆ | The amber warmth weighs; keep it for evenings. |
| Autumn | ★★★★ | Its prime season, amber and myrrh come alive. |
| Winter | ★★★★ | The deep base reaches its full measure. |
Context fit
| Setting | Fit | Usage recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Recollection | ★★★★ | Its calling, a grave oriental. |
| Evening | ★★★★ | Ample and warm. |
| Indoors | ★★★★ | A fragrance of enveloping warmth. |
| Winter | ★★★★ | The cold carries its sillage. |
| Shared office | ★★☆☆ | Ample sillage, wear it light. |
Similar perfumes
The amber woody myrrh has kin in the house's liturgical vein and among the great incense-resins of niche perfumery.
| Perfume | House · year | Why it is close |
|---|---|---|
| Lavs | Filippo Sorcinelli · UNUM | The house's founding incense; the same liturgical root, on a smokier slope than vanilla. |
| Tu es Petrus | Filippo Sorcinelli · 2022 | The house's Rome exclusive; a vanillic oriental kin by amber warmth. |
| Opus 1144 | Filippo Sorcinelli · UNUM | The house's gothic incense; to set against for the sacred dimension of the sillage. |
| La Myrrhe | Serge Lutens · 1995 | A niche reference for myrrh, more powdery where Hæc Dies stays amber. |
Frequently asked questions
See also
Sources
- Official Filippo Sorcinelli document, Hæc Dies sheet (Italian and English editions)
- Fragrantica, Hæc Dies entry (2023 launch year)
- Filippo Sorcinelli, official Hæc Dies page