An ( el, επανωκαλυμμαύχιον, also () is an item of clerical clothing worn by

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

s who are rassophor or above, including

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

s. It is a cloth

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...

, usually black, which is worn with a .

Overview

The is attached to the front of the and extends over the top to hang down the back, with

lappet A lappet is a decorative flap, fold or hanging part of a headdress or garment. Lappets were a feature of women's headgear until the early twentieth century, and are still a feature of religious garments. Examples of lappets are to be found on th ...

s hanging down on each side. In some traditions,

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s leave the lappets hanging over the shoulders, but

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s bring them together and fasten the

behind the

apostolnik An apostolnik or epimandylion is an item of clerical clothing worn by Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic nuns. It is a cloth veil that covers the head, neck, and shoulders similar to a form of hijab worn by Muslim women, usually black, but s ...

. In the Russian tradition, the covered by its is collectively referred to as a .

Hierodeacon A hierodeacon (Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a monk who has been ordained a deacon (or deacon who has been tonsured monk). T ...

s (i.e., monastic deacons) will remove the when they are

vested In law, vesting is the point in time when the rights and interests arising from legal ownership of a property is acquired by some person. Vesting creates an immediately secured right of present or future deployment. One has a vested right to an ...

and serving at liturgical services; if they are not serving, however, they will wear it whenever attending services. Monks who have been ordained to

minor orders Minor orders are ranks of church ministry. In the Catholic Church, the predominating Latin Church formerly distinguished between the major orders —priest (including bishop), deacon and subdeacon—and four minor orders—acolyte, exorcist, lec ...

( subdeacon,

reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...

, altar server) do not wear the when vested.

Hieromonk A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church an ...

s (monastic priests) always wear the whenever they wear the . In the Russian tradition, the of an archbishop has a jewelled cross stitched to the front of it near the crown of the . A metropolitan wears a white with the same jewelled cross. The

Patriarch of Moscow The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' (russian: Патриарх Московский и всея Руси, translit=Patriarkh Moskovskij i vseja Rusi), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the official title of the Bishop of Mo ...

's is often richly embroidered with seraphim or other symbols on the lappets and is attached to a conical called a . The Patriarch of the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * Som ...

, which is not in communion with Moscow, also wears the . The

Patriarch of Bulgaria The Patriarch of All Bulgaria is the patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The patriarch is officially styled as ''Patriarch of All Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia''. Patriarch Neophyte acceded to this position on 24 February 2013. Hist ...

wears a white with small cross. The Patriarch of Romania also wears a white . On Mount Athos, particular practices may vary from

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

to monastery, but generally speaking—in the Greek monasteries, at least—the is not attached to the , but is merely laid over it. The reason for this is that the Athonite

typicon A typikon (or ''typicon'', ''typica''; gr, , "that of the prescribed form"; Slavonic: Тvпико́нъ ''Typikonə'' or Оуставъ, ''ustavə'') is a liturgical book which contains instructions about the order of the Byzantine Rite off ...

s call for it to be removed from the and laid over the shoulders at certain moments during the services.

References

Pictures of Epanokalimavkion and other clerical headgear
* {{Hats Headgear Eastern Christian vestments * Hats Eastern Christian monasticism