In the
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
and
Eastern Catholic
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of t ...
liturgical tradition, the ''omophorion'' ( grc-gre, ὠμοφόριον, meaning "
omethingborne on the shoulders";
Slavonic: омофоръ, ''omofor'') is the distinguishing
vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this ...
of a
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 ca ...
and the symbol of his spiritual and ecclesiastical authority. Originally woven of wool, it is a band of
brocade
Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "embos ...
decorated with four
crosses
Crosses may refer to:
* Cross, the symbol
Geography
* Crosses, Cher, a French municipality
* Crosses, Arkansas, a small community located in the Ozarks of north west Arkansas
Language
* Crosses, a truce term used in East Anglia and Lincolnshire ...
and an eight-pointed star; it is worn about the neck and shoulders.
St Vladimir's Seminary
By symbolizing the lost sheep that is found and carried on the Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd ( el, ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, ''poimḗn ho kalós'') is an image used in the pericope of , in which Jesus Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Similar imagery is used in Psalm 23 ...
's shoulders, it signifies the bishop's pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
al role as the icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
of Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
. All Eastern Orthodox bishops wear the ''omophorion.'' Clergy and ecclesiastical institutions, including seminaries, subject to a bishop's authority are often said to be "under his ''omophorion''" (see Ecclesiastical jurisdiction
Ecclesiastical jurisdiction signifies jurisdiction by church leaders over other church leaders and over the laity.
Jurisdiction is a word borrowed from the legal system which has acquired a wide extension in theology, wherein, for example, it is ...
).
The equivalent vestment in Western Christian usage is the archiepiscopal ''pallium
The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...
,'' the use of which is subject to different rubrics and restrictions.
Use
The ''omophorion'' has two forms: the ancient great ''omophorion'', which passes around the neck, is folded in the front, and hangs down past the knees in both the front and the back, like a loosely worn long scarf
A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of diff ...
; and the small ''omophorion'' which is much simpler, passing around the neck and hanging down in the front similar to an ''epitrachelion
The ''epitrachelion'' ( grc-gre, ἐπιτραχήλιον "around the neck"; Slavic: епитрахиль, ''epitrachil''; often called simply a '' stole'' in casual English-language usage) is the liturgical vestment worn by priests and bisho ...
'' (stole), only wider and shorter, coming down a little past the waist. Because of the complexity of the great ''omophorion'', and because of the dignity of the episcopal office, whenever the bishop puts on the ''omophorion'' or takes it off, he is assisted by two subdeacon
Subdeacon (or sub-deacon) is a minor order or ministry for men in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed between the acolyte (or reader) and the deacon in the order of precedence.
Subdeacons in ...
s.
Whenever the bishop presides at any divine service, he will be vested in the ''omophorion''. If he is serving the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of C ...
, he will wear both the great and the small ''omophorion'' at different times over his liturgical vestments. At any service other than the Divine Liturgy, he will usually wear the small ''omophorion''.
At the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of C ...
, the rubrics
A rubric is a word or section of text that is traditionally written or printed in red ink for emphasis. The word derives from the la, rubrica, meaning red ochre or red chalk, and originates in Medieval illuminated manuscripts from the 13th cen ...
call for the bishop to put on and take off the ''omophorion'' numerous times. When he is first vested, the subdeacons place the great ''omophorion'' on him, but afterwards, when the rubric calls for him to wear the ''omophorion'', it is replaced, for the sake of convenience, with the small ''omophorion''.
In modern practice in the Slavic tradition, when several bishops concelebrate, it is now the custom for the chief celebrant to use the great ''omophorion'' when called for, and the other bishops to wear the small ''omophorion'' throughout, with all bishops wearing their mitres. In modern Greek Patriarchal practice, on the other hand, all concelebrating bishops wear the great omophorion at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, with only the chief celebrant wearing the mitre and the other bishops wearing their kalimavkia with the Epanokalimavkion
An ( el, επανωκαλυμμαύχιον, also () is an item of clerical clothing worn by Orthodox Christian monastics who are rassophor or above, including bishops. It is a cloth veil, usually black, which is worn with a .
Overview
Th ...
. In other local Churches, notably the Church of Greece, all concelebrating bishops wear both the great omophorion and the mitre, and even carry their staffs.
In the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church ( rue, Русиньска ґрекокатолицька церьков; la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Ruthenica), also known in the United States simply as the Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Cath ...
and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
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, caption_background =
, image = StGeorgeCathedral Lviv.JPG
, imagewidth =
, type = Particular church (sui iuris)
, alt =
, caption = St. George's C ...
, often only the great ''omophorion'' is used. In this simplified usage, the great ''omophorion'' is not replaced by the small ''omophorion'', and is worn by the 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 ca ...
throughout the entire liturgy
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
. In such cases, the ''omophorion'' is often sewn into shape and can be simply draped onto the shoulders rather than wrapped on by assistants. Some Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops, however, insist on the full ceremonial.
During the All-Night Vigil The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches consisting of an aggregation of the canonical hours of Compline (in Greek usage only), Vespers (or, on a few occasions, Great Compline), Matins, and the First H ...
, the bishop will wear the small ''omophorion'' at the beginning, but near the end will change into the great ''omophorion'' for the Great Doxology.
Development
In the early church
Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish ...
, the ''omophorion'' was a broad band of white wool ornamented with crosses and draped loosely over the neck, shoulders, and breast. The modern Roman ''pallium
The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...
'' developed from this early ''omophorion.'' In the West, over the centuries, its form has changed into a circular, thin woolen garment for the shoulders, with short, weighted pendants before and behind.[ The papal ''pallium,'' originally adopted by ]Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
at the beginning of his pontificate, is closer to the original ''omophorion''. Pope Benedict XVI later reverted to the original design of the ''pallium'', but with red crosses instead of black.
In the East, the only change in the ''omophorion'' has been an increase in its width and a shift in the material from which it is made. The ''omophorion'' was documented about the year 400 AD as a liturgical vestment of the bishop in Isidore of Pelusium
Isidore of Pelusium ( grc-gre, Ἰσίδωρος ὁ Πηλουσιώτης, d. c.450) was born in Egypt to a prominent Alexandrian family. He became an ascetic, and moved to a mountain near the city of Pelusium, in the tradition of the Desert Fat ...
. It was made of wool and was already seen as symbolic of the duties of bishops as shepherds of their flocks. In the miniatures of an Alexandrian ''Chronicle of the World'', written probably during the fifth century, the ''omophorion'' was represented in an image. In later times, it was shown on the renowned ivory tablet of Trier, depicting the solemn translation of relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
. Among the pictures dating from the seventh and eighth centuries, in which the ''omophorion'' is illustrated, are the lately discovered frescoes in ''S. Maria, Antiqua'' in the Roman Forum
The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient ...
. The representation of the ''omophorion'' in these frescoes is essentially the same as the vestment in its present form.[
The ''omophorion'' probably developed from the civil ''omophorion'', a shoulder garment or shawl in general use. Bishops may have introduced directly by a positive precept a humeral cloth resembling the ordinary ''omophorion'' and called by that name, to be used as a liturgical pontifical badge. Alternatively, bishops may have used the civil ''omophorion'' as an ornament without any special significance, but in the course of time it gradually developed associations as a distinctively episcopal ornament. Finally it symbolized an episcopal badge of office.]
Early omophorion
File:Gregory of Nyssa (Menologion of Basil II).jpg, Omophorion seen in the Menologion of Basil II
The ''Menologion of Basil II'' (also called ''Menologium of Basil II'', ''Menology of Basil II'') is an illuminated manuscript designed as a church calendar or Eastern Orthodox Church service book (''menologion'') that was compiled c. 1000 AD, f ...
, ca. 1000 AD
File:Hosios Loukas (south west chapel, south side) - Ignatios.jpg, 11-12th century fresco from the Hosios Loukas Monastery, Boeotia, Greece
File:Johnchrysostom.jpg, 11th century mosaic from Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
File:Chora Church Constantinople 2007 014.jpg, Frescoes from Chora Church
'' '' tr, Kariye Mosque''
, image = Chora Church Constantinople 2007 panorama 002.jpg
, caption = Exterior rear view
, map_type = Istanbul Fatih
, map_size = 220px
, map_caption ...
, Constantinople
File:Basil of Caesarea.jpg, 11th century mosaics from Saint Sophia Cathedral
Churches dedicated to Holy Wisdom (''Hagia Sophia'', also rendered ''Saint Sophia'') include:
See also
{{commons category, Holy Wisdom churches
*Sophia of Rome#Churches, for churches named after Saint Sophia of Rome
*Sofia Church (disambigua ...
in Kyiv
Oriental Orthodoxy
In Oriental Orthodoxy
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent ...
, the ''omophorion'' takes a number of different forms:
* The Armenian Apostolic
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
''emip'oron'' is similar to the Byzantine great ''omophorion''.
* The Syriac Orthodox
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...
''baţrašil'' or ''uroro rabbo'' ('great stole') is a straight strip of embroidered material, about 20 cm wide, with a head-hole midway along it, that hangs down a bishop's chest and back.
* Coptic Orthodox
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي ...
hierarchs (Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
, Metropolitans and bishops
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 ca ...
) wear the ''omophorion'', usually folded, due to its large width. It is white in colour, with extensive ornamental embroidery. It is wider than its Byzantine counterpart, wrapped over the head over the monastic ''kouklion'', then crossed from the front over the chest, wrapped again from the back, crossed over the back by the waist level, then over the shoulders, then coming straight down, tucked under the frontal (over the chest) crossed wrapping. It is called a ''Ballin'' which is derived from the Greek word "Πάλλιον" (Pallium in Latin) and it is almost double the length of the Byzantine ''omophorion''.
See also
*Pallium
The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...
Notes
External links
Great omophorion
(front)
Great omophorion
(back)
Small omophorion
Patriarch of Constantinople with small omophorion and mitre
Omophorion from the Moscow Kremlin Museums
Byzantine clothing
Eastern Christian vestments
Formal insignia
History of clothing
History of clothing (Western fashion)
History of fashion
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