Eastern Vestments: Why the simplicity?

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Pope_Noah_I

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I think that, when compared to some of the Roman vesture (some of which, no offense intended, look as if they were made from recycled banquet tablecloths), even the simplest Eastern vestments look ornate. Add to that the fact that a set of priest vestments for the East consists of: phelon, epitrachelion, epimanika, zone, and in some cases the epigonation; while for a Roman (Latin) priest it is only chasuble and understole. I can see the point even if they aren’t nearly as ornate as the pictures you posted. Plus, optimally the aer and veils match the priest’s vestments so there are 3 more pieces. To a Latin, even the plainest Eastern vestment set looks way more ornate simply due to there being more items in the set. IMHO.
:twocents:
 
I think it depends on many things–the money the parish has for vestments, for one, and perhaps the priest’s preferences. At my former Orthodox church, I would say the vestments were simple in line, but ornately embroidered. The deacon and subdeacon had ornately embroidered vestments as well. The parish was well funded by its congregation, which was considerable.

At my current Ruthenian church, our priest is a monastic, and also we are a very small parish (15 people tops) and his vestments are in the Eastern cut/style, but very simple with no embroidery.
 
Plain vestments in the ROC:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Plain vestments in the OCA:

 
Eastern clerics, Catholic and Orthodox, usually purchase their own vestments. They need two complete sets–dark and light–and should eventually have more. White, black, red, gold, and blue are common. At $1500-3000 a set times by 5 sets, you have $7500-15000 out of pocket. The headgear costs just as much and is separate. Under cassocks are also separate. That comes right after living on a pittance for 4-5 years after paying their way through seminary, easily in the $50,000 plus range.

Some priests are not able to afford even the most inexpensive printed vestments and get old hand-me-downs. Beggers can’t be choosers.
 
I think it’s more a matter of taste. I prefer elegant simplicity myself, though what seems simple to one person might be either ridiculously plain to another and extremely ornate to yet a third.
 
Volodymyr_988 said:
Plain vestments in the ROC:
Plain vestments in the OCA:

http://www.holy-trinity.org/photo/2000.06.11/graphics/2000.06.11.31.jpg
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That’s an old photo… the priest to the bishop’s right (viewer’s left) is now Bishop Nicolai of Sitka… and the deacon next to the bishop is now one of the priests attendant upon Bishop Nicolai.

And his tastes vary widely… from extremely simple to very rococo.

In a lot of parishes, the simpler vestments are made by parisioners to fill out the liturgical need for colored vestments, while more ornate sets are donated by wealthy parishioners, bought by the priest from personal preference, or bought by the parish.

If one wants to see more ornate vestments on one’s priest, tell him, and then offer to buy some if he doesn’t have them.

Also, Patriarchs tend to get the more gilt stuff simply because the entirety of their church has donated them over the years, and their vestry gets handed down to their successors far more often.
 
Add to that the fact that a set of priest vestments for the East consists of: phelon, epitrachelion, epimanika, zone, and in some cases the epigonation; while for a Roman (Latin) priest it is only chasuble and understole.
Click to expand...
Traditionally, Latin Rite priests wear cassock, alb, amice, cincture, chasuble, maniple, and stole.
 
Alexios said:
Traditionally, Latin Rite priests wear cassock, alb, amice, cincture, chasuble, maniple, and stole.
Click to expand...
oops. Shoulda said ‘for the Ordinary Form’. And even then I forgot to mention the alb and cincture…but I was mainly talking about the outer vestments. I shall review my posts more closely before hitting the send button in the future!😊
 
My point was just that overall there is a Roman equivalent to every Byzantine priestly vestment, except for the epimanikon (though appareled albs would sort of give the same look). I’m not aware of any Byzantine equivalent to the Roman amice.
 
As I understand that was the one and only time Patriarch Josyp wore that gear; he was requested by the Oriental Congregation to be photographed after accepting the cardinalate. Even then he slipped in a kamilavka underneath…😉

I hear the hat rested on a shelf in his office the remainder of his life; all of the photos of him at Vatican II were either in his white kamilavka or the episcopal miter.

I liked the cat and antlers analogy…I can almost hear Blazhenishy rumbling under his breath in the photo…

Woodstock’s post about cost is well taken. I know for deacons we generally procure our own vestments; it is a serious investment if desiring good brocades and silk.
FDRLB
 
Typically, Byzantine rite Catholic clerics and Orthodox clerics use the same sources for their vestments.

If we are to discuss just the bishops however, there is often a noticeable difference in the omophorion.

I cannot explain why, but most Byzantine Catholic bishops use a pre-sewn “bib” type omophorion, while the Orthodox use a loose fitting traditional garment. The bib is very symmetrical, it looks like a “Y”.

http://www.archeparchy.org/albums/funeral/images/photo001_jpg.jpg

Metropolitan Judson of Blessed Memory

I once had the theory that the use of the sewn bib by the Byzantine Catholics had to do with the lack of subdeacons to help formally vest. But, the Ukrainian Catholics do have subdeacons presently (I don’t know if they have continually had them) so that will not explain it. Now I think it might have something to do with the imitation of the Papal Pallium, which until this current Pope came on the scene had been reduced to a little sewn thing.

I happen to know that Byzantine Catholic Bishop John Kudrick ( of Parma) has been using a genuine omophorion for a few years now, he sticks out in group photos.

Here are two examples of the omophorion:

Ukrainian Catholic bishops (the one with five bars is Major Metropolitan Lubomyr)…
View attachment 2555

Orthodox bishops…
View attachment 2556

I just found a picture of Bishop John Kudrick in the standard type omophorion (simple white cloth material) followed by Bishop Andrew (now retired) and Metropolitan Basil, all of the Ruthenian Metropolia of Pittsburgh…
View attachment 2557
 
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