This was odd...

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I found this on an Orthodox convent’s website (the make liturgical vestements):
Is this an EO thing? Or just Eastern? In other words, what is its purpose, why the design, and do ECs do anything similar? I assume it is a rug for behind the Iconostasis.
 
That appears to be the rug that a bishop stands on before the throne when he is conducting the hierarchical Divine Liturgy.

-ACEGC
 
:byzsoc:Thanks Edward!:tiphat:
Looks a little to nice to stand on…
 
We have something similar. If its a hierarchical Divine Liturgy, we place three of those on the floor, one by the Bishop’s throne, one in front of the altar, and one in the ambo (between the royal doors and the tetrapod). Ours look different though, but I guess each bishop gets their own design.
 
Not sure what you find odd about it - it’s just not part of your praxis. It is an Eastern liturgical object, a small mat or rug placed where the bishop stands during the services. It shows an eagle flying over a city, symbolising the bishop overseeing his diocese - which, basically, is the meaning of the word episkopos.

Commonly it is called an ‘eagle’. There is often a small army of servers or subdeacons rushing to place one wherever the bishop is headed at various times during the service (not so much a problem in cathedrals which will usually have a whole pile of eagles).

At the beginning of an episcopal consecration a much larger one is used and the one to be consecrated is led first onto the tail, where he makes a profession of faith, then onto the body of the eagle, where he makes a further detailed profession of faith, and finally he is led onto the head of the eagle where he undertakes to observe and maintain the canons of the Church.

In former days kings and emperors stood on a rug or mat of silk or sable furs - particularly at their anointing and coronation,

Even today, in the Russian tradition at least, the bride and groom similarly stand on a silk mat or rug. There are various traditions (superstitions, really) concerning who should step on first - which might decide who will be head of the household - and the consequences of one or other of the couple turning their corner over as they step on to the rug (accidentally or deliberately!).

I don’t know which or any of the Eastern Catholic Churches use the eagle rug.
 
Not sure what you find odd about it - it’s just not part of your praxis. It is an Eastern liturgical object, a small mat or rug placed where the bishop stands during the services. It shows an eagle flying over a city, symbolising the bishop overseeing his diocese - which, basically, is the meaning of the word episkopos.

Commonly it is called an ‘eagle’. There is often a small army of servers or subdeacons rushing to place one wherever the bishop is headed at various times during the service (not so much a problem in cathedrals which will usually have a whole pile of eagles).

At the beginning of an episcopal consecration a much larger one is used and the one to be consecrated is led first onto the tail, where he makes a profession of faith, then onto the body of the eagle, where he makes a further detailed profession of faith, and finally he is led onto the head of the eagle where he undertakes to observe and maintain the canons of the Church.

In former days kings and emperors stood on a rug or mat of silk or sable furs - particularly at their anointing and coronation,

Even today, in the Russian tradition at least, the bride and groom similarly stand on a silk mat or rug. There are various traditions (superstitions, really) concerning who should step on first - which might decide who will be head of the household - and the consequences of one or other of the couple turning their corner over as they step on to the rug (accidentally or deliberately!).

I don’t know which or any of the Eastern Catholic Churches use the eagle rug.
I just didn’t understand why there was an eagle…(like if that was some greekism)…but I get it now!
 
On the topic on Liturgical items, what happend to the white Omophor? Is it still in use? (I ask because the bishop on this Website has a red on that isn’t too visible, considering all the other red.)
Yes, it is used plenty. IIRC, the last time I saw our bishop, he had a white one on. Our vestments aren’t color-coded. We have either bright or dark and that’s it. Priests and bishops have a lot of freedom in deciding what look and color they want their vestments to have.
 
Yes, it is used plenty. IIRC, the last time I saw our bishop, he had a white one on. Our vestments aren’t color-coded. We have either bright or dark and that’s it. Priests and bishops have a lot of freedom in deciding what look and color they want their vestments to have.
Yes, bright could mean gold or white. Dark could mean red or purple. And of course there’s the different shades of each color. For red you will see some wear bright red, while others a darker red. You can even see maroon, which is I guess somewhere in between red and purple.

The only real color specific is blue, which is for Marian feasts, and green for Pentecost. But even that there are different shades of the color.

I notice at least in our parish that the bishop and our priest wear white on Feast Days and gold on any other day that prescribes bright vestments.
 
It is a thigh shield, and hangs from the waist.

It derives from the Roman empire, bishops can wear it as well as some priests are granted the privilege.
It hangs at the waist (on a loop or cord over the shulder) rather than from the waist, It may have originated as an undercloth for an ornamented sword but, symbolically, it is a sword - the vesting prayer begins ‘Gird your sword upon thy thigh, O Mighty…’.

It is (now) essentially an episcopal vestment so all bishops should (rather than ‘can’) wear it; the privilege to wear the epigonation is extended to some priests as a sign of advancement.
 
On the topic on Liturgical items, what happend to the white Omophor? Is it still in use? (I ask because the bishop on this Website has a red on that isn’t too visible, considering all the other red.)
I think it’s called… ‘fashion’! 😃

The Eastern Catholic Churches seem to favour the white omophorion more than the Orthodox but they do seem to fold it (the great omophorion) in a slightly odd manner (from an Orthodox perspective). 🙂
 
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