BYZANTINE LITURGICAL VESTMENTSBYZANTINE LITURGICAL VESTMENTS

Christian Church vestments were not inherit-ed from any other religion but graduallyevolved out of the ordinary dress of thepeople of the Roman Empire. In those firstdays of Christianity the clergy presided in

their ordinary clothing, although undoubtedly costlierand more beautiful garments were used. The Churchtherefore, did not invent vestments but rather a conser-vative instinct naturally retained something of the gra-cious and ample vesture once worn by all Mediter-ranean peoples. Beyond conservatism it seems that adeep human instinct prefers special clothing for cere-monial occasions and thus many of the ancient worldreligions have evolved ritual garments for their priests.

The use of such dress over the course of cen-turies and in all parts of Christendom gave rise to asense of stability and continuity which is important in areligion concerned with external verities. Vestmentsstrikingly remind the participants at the sacred myster-ies that they are wonderfully joined to all generationsof past believers forming but one undivided family offaith which spans both time and space. Finally, the sa-cred vestments of the clergy clothe over, to some ex-tent, the individual personality of the officiating priestwho acts at the altar not simply in his own name but asthe one Christ who still “is offered and offers” the Holyand Divine Liturgy. The use of noble and flowing vest-ments born in Christian antiquity tend to underscorethe uniqueness of this Christ-action.

At present the following liturgical vestments areused by Byzantine clergy, both Orthodox and Catholic(numbers refer to indications on the center illustration):

VESTMENTS OF THE DEACONVESTMENTS OF THE DEACON

1. Sticharion1. Sticharion – the tunic, which is worn by anyoneserving in The Holy Place, is in fact the baptismalgarment, the robe of glory. Since no other vestmentis worn over the deacon's Sticharion, it is generallymore ornamented then that of the priest who usesit as an undergarment.

2. Epimanikia2. Epimanikia – the cuffs worn by the deacon andhigher ranks of clergy. The priest and bishop wearthe cuffs over the sleeves of the sticharion whilethe deacon places them underneath his sticharion'sbroader sleeves.

3. Orarion3. Orarion – the diaconal stole, a long band orna-mented with crosses and often the word “holy” re-peated three times. The orarion is worn on the leftshoulder, passes across the chest and falls downfront and back.

VESTMENTS OF THE PRIESTVESTMENTS OF THE PRIEST

1. Sticharion1. Sticharion (discussed earlier)

2. Epitrachelion2. Epitrachelion – the priestly stole, a long bandworn around the neck and falling down to theground in front where the two extremities are sewntogether. It is usually marked with seven crosses.

3. Zone3. Zone – the sash or belt, girding the sticharion andpassing over the epitrachelion to hold it in place.

4. Epimanikia4. Epimanikia or cuffs (discussed earlier)

5. Phelonion5. Phelonion – this outer cloak has the same originas the Roman chasuble. Its very full form in theByzantine usage is reminiscent of the ancientpaenula which gradually replaced the Roman togaas the outer garment of the upper classes towardthe close of the imperial period. This ample vest-ment is often cut slightly up the front to facilitatearm movements and is marked by a large cross onthe back.

6. Epigonation6. Epigonation – a lozenge shaped ornament sus-pended by a cord from the left shoulder and hang-ing at the right knee. It is properly a Bishop's vest-ment but is worn by some priests as a sign of digni-ty. It probably originated in the imperial regalia as asort of purse or bag but now is purely ceremonial,marked with a cross and made of cloth coveredcardboard.

VESTMENTS OF THE BISHOPVESTMENTS OF THE BISHOP

1. Sakkos1. Sakkos – that vestment proper to Bishops whichgradually replaced their use of the phelonion.Directly copied from late imperial regalia, it is ashorter tunic with ample sleeves and marked witha cross on the back. It is worn over the sticharionor under-tunic.

2. Omophorion2. Omophorion is probably one of the most ancientof the Bishop's vestments with a strictly' symbolicorigin. Copied from the scarf of office worn by theRoman Emperor and other officials, it identified theBishop as head of the community. A large, longband of cloth it is marked with crosses and ispassed around the neck hanging in front and be-hind. A “small” omophorion worn simply around theneck and hanging in two pendants on the chest isproperly worn in place of the large one after thegospel at the Liturgy. The omophorion is worn byall Eastern Bishops and by Western metropolitans inan abbreviated form (the pallium).

3. Pectoral Cross3. Pectoral Cross (discussed later)

4. Engolpia4. Engolpia (discussed later)

5. Crown5. Crown – the Bishop's head covering, adaptedfrom the imperial regalia when the Byzantine clergybegan assuming civil functions. The crown is em-broidered and bears small icons and is often sur-mounted by a cross. Some Archimandrites andArchpriests, although not of episcopal character,have the right to the use of the crown.

6. Dikerion and Trikerion6. Dikerion and Trikerion – candlesticks used by theBishop to give solemn blessings. The dikerion holdstwo candles, symbolizing the dual nature of Christas God and Man. The trikerion holds three candles,symbolizing the Trinity.

The Bishop also wears all the vestments of apresbyter indicated above with the exception ofthe phelonion.

The Eagle RugThe Eagle Rug – Bishops stand at their throne on asmall oval or circular rug on which is embroideredan eagle in flight above a city. This represents hisgovernance of the local Church under his care.

PERSONAL CLERICAL DRESSPERSONAL CLERICAL DRESS

Besides these liturgical vestments, Byzantine cler-gy employ several distinctive garments for their ordi-nary dress. These are simply ritualized forms of the or-dinary dress of the Middle East which is still regularlyworn in traditional societies. These include:

MandyasMandyas – or mantle is the monastic choir andprocessional cloak. A Bishop's mandyas is gener-ally purple in color and is adorned by icons ofthe four evangelists and by ornamental bands,suggesting the streams of grace flowing throughthe Bishop's ministry. The mandyas is closed atthe front bottom as well as at the neck.

PateritsaPateritsa – the pastoral staff of a Bishop or Ab-bot. It is terminated by two serpents looking to-ward an orb surmounted by a cross, and is remi-niscent of the brass serpent erected by Moses toheal the Israelites. The Bishop carries a shorterand simpler staff of wood topped by a simpleknob when walking.

Pectoral CrossPectoral Cross – In the Byzantine usage this isnot a distinctive emblem of Bishops but may beworn by any priest as a sign of a special honoror dignity. In the Russian usage all priests makeuse of it. The Bishop wears the pectoral cross inconjunction with the Engolpion.

EngolpiaEngolpia or medallions depicting Christ and theMother of God are a distinctive sign of the Bish-op in the Byzantine Church. A Bishop usuallywears one with the pectoral cross; a Metropoli-tan, Archbishop or Patriarch employs two.

KamelavkionKamelavkion – a cylindrical hat with a small brimon top worn by the three orders of priesthood.Monks, Bishops (since they were monks) and cer-tain dignitaries cover this hat with the Epano-kamelavkion, the black monastic veil.

The (outer) RasonRason -a wide-sleeved tunic wornover the AndirionAndirion or inner rason (not visible inthe illustration). The andirion, which may be ofany color, is usually girt by a sash or, in the caseof monks, by a leather belt. The outer rason isusually black although Russian metropolitans of-ten wear white.

Originally published by The St. Paul Center, Washington, DC.

BYZANTINELITURGICALVESTMENTS

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