Clerical garments and vestments

[Sunny]

Greetings to all,
Can anyone tell me where I can find information concerning the origins of the garments that the Bishops, Priests, Deacons, etc. wear? How we got to those robes and headgear from simple New Testament garb? I would like to find a book that dealt in depth with this topic. Also the origin of wedding crowns and walking thrice around the altar during the ceremony? Also why our women monastics cover so much more of the face and neck than do, say, the early Catholic nuns?
The information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Sunny

[Father David Moser]

I'm not at home so I can't give you the exact title of the book even, but there is a book about the origin of the vestments from Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna. I think it is published by his in house press, The Center for Traditionalist Studies (http://www.ctosonline.org/).

Fr David Moser

[Sunny]

Hello to all!
The link from Father David I was unable to access. Does anyone have information about a source that can explain about the origins of vestments? When clergy began wearing them and how they originated?
Thank you!
Sunny

[Andreas Moran]

Dear Sunny,

I can pass on something Bishop Eirenaios told me about the bishop's crown or mitra. Bishops, he said, didn't wear these before the fall of Constantinople. The Sultan made the Patriarch responsible for the Sultan's Greek subjects in place of the emperor, and the emperor's crown was then worn by the patriarch to symbolise this. This function was delegated to the other bishops who also started wearing crowns. This being so, it makes no sense for bishops in, say, the Russian Church to wear crowns. It also means that icons showing pre-1453 bishop saints wearing crowns also makes no sense.

The bishop's omophorion symbolises the bishop, as Christ, bearing the 'lost sheep' on his shoulders. It was originally a simple woollen item but is now part of the regalia.

Bishop Eirenaios has never been enthusiastic about all he has to wear.

In Christ,

Andreas.

[Andrew]

Why is the Russian phelonion different from the modern day Greek one... on Mount Athos they have the raised back one, but almost all Greek priests have the more capelike one. Also, is the cape like one more common in the non-Slavic Churches? In most of the pictures of Romanian priests that I've seen they wear the draping one, same with a lot of Serbian priests. Is there any reason for this, or is it mainly personal preference/whatever is available? What is the meaning of the raised back on the Russian/Athonite phelonion?

[Father David Moser]

The link from Father David I was unable to access.

I just tried it and couldn't access it either. I then "googled" Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies (CTOS) and couldn't connect at any of the various urls that were produced for them. They must be off the air or maybe just out of the internet business - who knows.

Fr David Moser

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

I just tried it and couldn't access it either. I then "googled" Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies (CTOS) and couldn't connect at any of the various urls that were produced for them. They must be off the air or maybe just out of the internet business - who knows.

Fr David Moser


Both of these work although I didn't check for the book in question (which I also remember reading quite a few years ago. So it was in print at least at one time).

ctosonline.org (ctosonline.org)
synodinresistance.org (http://synodinresistance.org)


In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Father David Moser]

Both of these work although I didn't check for the book in question (which I also remember reading quite a few years ago. So it was in print at least at one time).

ctosonline.org (ctosonline.org)
synodinresistance.org (http://synodinresistance.org)


In Christ- Fr Raphael

Funny, those were one's I tried and they didn't work before, but now they seem to work fine. Oh well, I guess it's the vagaries of the internet.

Fr David

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

... Oh well, I guess it's the vagaries of the internet.

Fr David


I've heard they have the internet connections set up in special "I love Canada' mode. ;)

[Kosta]

In and around Asia Minor the everyday dress especially for women were very ornate, more so than the priestly garb.

In fact on the greek island of Karpathos in a village known as Olymbos the women still commonly wear these tradional costumes during holidays. You can google Traditonal greek costumes, most originate during the early byzantine empire

[Kostas Katsaris]

Maybe you can find briefly what you ask here http://www.kurskroot.com/monastic_clothing.html