Eastern Vestments: Why the simplicity?

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While these vestments look very beautiful, I’d hate to have to be the guy who wears them in tropical temperatures.

JR 🙂
 
Hesychios said:
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”.
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The OCA also have a smaller omphorion that doesn’t get looped.

There was a thread on it in the old Eastern Christianity forum.
 
Diak said:
There is much variety; as I understand it was not unknown in antiquity to have a smaller one piece omophorion. From the recent Synod of the UGCC:

ukrarcheparchy.us/synod01_files/Photos/IMG_5218%20%28web%29.jpg
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Just for the sake of comparison, there’s a noticeable lack of facial hair on a number of these bishops. They look like Latin bishops who decided to throw on eastern vestments one day. 😛

All kidding aside even if you aren’t familiar with a particular hierarch you can often tell whether they’re Eastern Catholic or Orthodox, they just look different somehow.

Yours in Christ
Joe
 
Aramis said:
The OCA also have a smaller omphorion that doesn’t get looped.

There was a thread on it in the old Eastern Christianity forum.
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Yes, the Russian tradition bishops have a short omophorion as well. The bishop will switch from one to the other and back again during liturgy. It is very helpful to have subdeacons.


Another difference, the Russian tradition has the “high back” phelonion (worn by priests). In the OCA one will see either the high back or the Greek style (used in many Ruthenian Orthodox parishes). This Vespers image below has phelonions of either type on the gathered priests…
http://ocaphoto.oca.org/filetmp/2007/February/1388/Detail/DSC_0149.jpg

The Russian “high back” pops over the head, like a poncho. The Greek style also, but sometimes may have a zipper or some other fasteners straight down the front, in which case it can go on over the shoulders like a cape.

As I understand it (not sure if this is 100% accurate) the high back style came into use under Peter the Great. He was enforcing western style of clothing, headdress and beard shaving on the Boyars of Russia, but had to leave the clergy alone. The high back was to make their long hair less obvious.
*
Michael*
 
Hesychios said:
Yes, the Russian tradition bishops have a short omophorion as well. The bishop will switch from one to the other and back again during liturgy. It is very helpful to have subdeacons.
http://www.istok.net/images/T/ve-003t-bishop-vestments-01.jpg

Another difference, the Russian tradition has the “high back” phelonion (worn by priests). In the OCA one will see either the high back or the Greek style (used in many Ruthenian Orthodox parishes). This Vespers image below has phelonions of either type on the gathered priests…
http://ocaphoto.oca.org/filetmp/2007/February/1388/Detail/DSC_0149.jpg

The Russian “high back” pops over the head, like a poncho. The Greek style also, but sometimes may have a zipper or some other fasteners straight down the front, in which case it can go on over the shoulders like a cape.

As I understand it (not sure if this is 100% accurate) the high back style came into use under Peter the Great. He was enforcing western style of clothing, headdress and beard shaving on the Boyars of Russia, but had to leave the clergy alone. The high back was to make their long hair less obvious.
*
Michael*
Click to expand...
Having read the prikaz on that, yup. Basil Dmytryshyn included that prikaz in his Sourcebook on Imperial Russia. And not just on the Boyarij… upon all Russian men. Except clergy not otherwise employed.
 
josephdaniel29 said:
Just for the sake of comparison, there’s a noticeable lack of facial hair on a number of these bishops. They look like Latin bishops who decided to throw on eastern vestments one day. 😛

All kidding aside even if you aren’t familiar with a particular hierarch you can often tell whether they’re Eastern Catholic or Orthodox, they just look different somehow.
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I suppose the “ringer” in testing your theory of being able to tell an Orthodox from a Catholic just on sight may work well so long as you don’t throw in a photo of ++PHILLIP of the Antiochian ArchD. His Grace is commonly spotted in clergy suits with the “Anglican” clerical collars…

http://www.scoba.us/assets/images/mphilip.jpg

I honestly don’t see some of these externals as any big deal or even all that telling.
 
Aramis said:
Having read the prikaz on that, yup. Basil Dmytryshyn included that prikaz in his Sourcebook on Imperial Russia. And not just on the Boyarij… upon all Russian men. Except clergy not otherwise employed.
Click to expand...
Interestingly in the move to “westernize” Russia beards were not banned - they were taxed! The clergy were tax exempt.
 
ASimpleSinner said:
Interestingly in the move to “westernize” Russia beards were not banned - they were taxed! The clergy were tax exempt.
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The tax was more than well enough to break most of the urban Russians… and Most Boyars couldn’t afford it, either, what with their extensive debts…
 
josephdaniel29 said:
Just for the sake of comparison, there’s a noticeable lack of facial hair on a number of these bishops. They look like Latin bishops who decided to throw on eastern vestments one day. 😛

All kidding aside even if you aren’t familiar with a particular hierarch you can often tell whether they’re Eastern Catholic or Orthodox, they just look different somehow.

Yours in Christ
Joe
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Okay–Take a guess, who are these people?(click on the thumbnail to get the full image)

Answer in my next post
 
2007 Synod of the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philly.

That’s where I attend Sunday D/L.

GladCatholic
 
Ghoti said:
No offense to his late Eminence…

…but the expression on his face is similar to my cat’s when we put antlers on her head at Christmas.😃
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OK YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHO THIS IS? I’VE NEVER SEEN THAT TYPE OF OMOPHORION…
 
http://danielmitsui.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/slipyj2.jpg
Major Metropolitan Josip Cardinal Slipyj
UGCC
Eastern_Guy said:
OK YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHO THIS IS? I’VE NEVER SEEN THAT TYPE OF OMOPHORION…
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That is not an omophorion. Though the knotted ornamentation does remind one of an exotic type of omophor.

That is a Latin Catholic Cardinals hat (galero) popped on top of a matching color klobuk or koukoulion. They look rather incongruous together. If I’m not mistaken, the Cardinals don’t get this hat anymore, just the ring.

I suppose it is a klobuk, that’s what Diak called it and I’m sure he’s correct, but it looks like it was crushed to fit into the galero. Nice that they made one in matching red material for him 😃

Here is an illustration of the Cardinals hat with those fancy tails (tassels) on it…

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/b/b1/300px-Kardinalcoa.png

I wonder if he ever wore the klobuk again? :hmmm:
 
Eastern_Guy said:
OK YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHO THIS IS? I’VE NEVER SEEN THAT TYPE OF OMOPHORION…
Click to expand...
As mentioned it was not an omophoron… and as it goes, I very much doubt it will ever been seen again!

I rather believe that it was a one-time “Greek Catholic Special”
 
Hesychios said:
http://danielmitsui.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/slipyj2.jpg
Major Metropolitan Josip Cardinal Slipyj
UGCC

That is not an omophorion. Though the knotted ornamentation does remind one of an exotic type of omophor.

That is a Latin Catholic Cardinals hat (galero) popped on top of a matching color klobuk or koukoulion. They look rather incongruous together. If I’m not mistaken, the Cardinals don’t get this hat anymore, just the ring.

I suppose it is a klobuk, that’s what Diak called it and I’m sure he’s correct, but it looks like it was crushed to fit into the galero. Nice that they made one in matching red material for him 😃

Here is an illustration of the Cardinals hat with those fancy tails (tassels) on it…

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/b/b1/300px-Kardinalcoa.png

I wonder if he ever wore the klobuk again? :hmmm:
Click to expand...
Every time I see this photo it reminds me of this…

http://www.rpi.edu/~boughc/Photos/p_spanish[1].jpg

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!
 
Why the simplicity? Because they don’t want to be like this:



I presume he needed an attendant to walk (I’ve seen a few Orthodox vestments which lead me to the same conclusion).
 
Yeah, he needs attendants for the cappa magna (called a “trainbearer”) and also an attendant to carry his biretta.

You can see Archbishop +BURKE of St. Louis’ cappa magna being carried by a trainbearer in a few photos, most of which are (I think) on the website of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest. So, it still happens, but mostly in connection with the Traditional Rites of the Latin Church.

Actually, I just found the photos of His Grace. Here’s the address: institute-christ-king.org/stlouis2/giftshop.html
 
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