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Through this third Newsletter, we will discover that the costumes worn in the religious world are divided into two categories : the liturgical ones, and the religious ones. The difference is functional : the liturgical costume is reserved for the religious use, while the religious costume defines a status and a social function.
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THE LITURGICAL COSTUME
Origin :
The liturgical costume is composed of many pieces : the amice, the alb, the cincture, the maniple, the stole, the tunicle, the dalmatic, the chasuble, the sandals, the buskin, the pallium. They all derive, at various degrees, from the costume worn by the polite society people at the end of the Roman Empire, from the 3rd to the 5th centuries after Jesus Christ.
Our liturgical vestments sprang from a slow appropriation of this costume which turned into a religious use, and thanks to their giving up by the laity.
At the end of the 4th century, Saint Jérôme uses the Old Testament to recommand the use of special garments. A decree, by Etienne the First, registered in the Liber Pontificalis, indicates that, at the beginning of the 6th century, the priests and the Levites were authorised to use their sacred vestments only in church. Thus, there were garments which were exclusively reserved for the liturgical solemnity. Therefore, these clothes couldn’t be distinguished from usual ones thanks to their cut, but only by their purpose, exclusively religious.
In the continuity of this practical, during the 9th century, the vestment had to be blessed by the bishop before its first use. That’s how it became a “sacred” object.
Evolution :
Between the 9th and the 12th centuries, the cope appears ; two centuries later, the rochet starts to be distinguished from the alb, and then, it is the turn of the surplice. From this moment, all the new vestments which extend the liturgical wardrobe, are episcopal ornaments. It testifies to the bishops increasing power, and the honour place they were occupy in the feudal hierarchy.
Since then, the evolution continued and still carries on today. At the end of the 16th century, the roman use prescribes a practical which had already started to develop right from the 9th century : the exclusive use of five colours.
- the white, festive colour above all else, marks the powerful moments of the religious year (Christmas, Easter, Weddings, Saints feasts)
- the red, blood colour, is used for the Crucifixion feast, the Martyrdom, the Pentecost, the Apostles feast, the Conclave Mass.
- the green, ordinary colour, is used out of the solemnities
- the purple evokes sadness and affliction, therefore this colour is worn during the penitence time, the Advent, the Septuagesima, the Lent. The priest wears a violet stole for the exorcisms, the baptisms, the confessions and the Extreme Unction.
- the black, grief colour, is worn for the Good Friday, and for the Masses of the Deceased. Today, the violet sometimes stands it for, to mellow the dramatic nature of these ceremonies.
- the rose is an optional colour, and the blue is allowed in a few churches for the Blessed Virgin feasts.
The gold and silver ornaments are allowed only because of their richness : the gold can replace the white, the red and the green ; the silver can only replace the white.
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Composition :
The liturgical costume is divided into two categories : the undergarments, and the outer vestments.
The liturgical undergarments are :
- the amice, with a double symbolism : the Missal compares it to the Salvation Helmet, and the Pontifical to the wisdom and reserve of the words.
- the alb which symbolises the heart purity
- as appendix, the surplice, the rochet, and the cincture, which is used for holding tight the alb, and symbolises the privation of the carnal delights.
The outer liturgical vestments are :
- the chasuble, which the roman liturgy attaches three symbolisms to : charity, the Christ yoke in the 9th century, the innocence dress in the 12th century.
- the cope, regarded as a solemnity and pomp vestment, has no symbolic meaning. In the appellation “cope”, we also find the mantum, the cappa magna, the almuce, the mozzetta.
- the dalmatic and the tunicle : the first one is regarded as a joy, salvation and justice vestment ; the second one represents the joy and happiness.
Beside these vestments, we find also the liturgical insignia :
- the maniple is classed as the charitable works fruit, often realized in tears and pain.
- the stole has a triple symbolism : the Christ yoke, the white dress offered by God, and the immortality vestment.
- the pallium is the symbol of the fullness of the pontifical power, exercised in communion with the Apostolic See.
- the shoes, the gloves (which represent the heart and works purity, but also, in memory of Jacob’s ruse, the ressemblance of the sin the Christ covered himself with, in order to redeem us), the sandals and the buskin (which the bishop puts on with a prayer, and which point to him as the Gospel herald), the mitre (which mystically reminds the Salvation Helmet and the tiara of the Great Priest Aaron, and whose horns represent the two Testaments and the Moses face two rays).
- as appendix : the biretta, the skull-cap and the tiara. We find also the episcopal insignia, which are classified as silversmith’s trade : the crosier (insignia of dignity and jurisdiction of bishops), the bishop’s ring (insignia of covenant and jurisdiction), the cross.
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THE RELIGIOUS COSTUME
The religious costume splits in four categories : the ecclesiastical orders one, the civilian orders one, the military orders one, and the Rome Court one.
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One of the first trace indicating the use of a prayer special dress, dates back the 3rd century, when Clement of Alexandria recommended such a differentiation.
Then, this differentiation continued in a natural and spontaneous way, without resulting from an imposed codification. Its purpose was above all to give the possibility to show a belonging to such-or-such ecclesiastical order, or to indicate a social status in the society. This differenciation was at the very least useful and precise, since there were 96 religious civilian orders in 1869, according to Priest Thiron (Historical album of the religious costumes 1869), 13 religious military orders and 30 costumes for the Rome Court.
For example, the album of Priest Thiron mentions threee costumes : the Canons of Latran, the Canonesses of Latran, and The Canons of Windensheim. The book “Figures of the different vestments of The Canons in our century”, by PC du Molinet in 1666, presents 31 different figures, all inherent in the Canons order : we can then imagine the impressive quantity of costumes created, because of the high number of orders, and differences within each one.
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Sources :
Liturgia - Publiée sous la direction de l'Abbé R.AIGRAIN - 1935.
Figures des différents habits des Chanoines Réguliers - par le P.C Du Molinet, à Paris, 1666.
Album historique des costumes religieux depuis l'établissement du Christianisme jusqu'à nos jours - par l'Abbé THIRON - 1869.
Les objets du sacré - Marc Déceneux - Edition Ouest France.
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