An Eagle rug, (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
αετός, aëtos;
Church-Slavonic орлецъ, orlets) is a small rug, usually round, upon which
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 those ]Eastern Catholic Churches
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 ...
which follow the Byzantine Rite bishops stand during
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 ...
and other services.
The Orlets ("Eaglet") is a small round or oval rug, whereon is represented an eagle, with a glory around his head, flying above a city. During divine service, the bishop stands on such rugs, as a reminder that he should, by his teaching and his life, rise above his flock, and be to them an example of a soul aspiring from the things of earth to those of heaven.
Appearance
The eagle rug is normally woven or embroidered so as to depict an eagle soaring over a city that is surrounded by walls and towers. The walled city represents the bishop's episcopal authority over his
Diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
, and his defence of the faithful in it. The eagle soaring above the city represents the bishop's uprightness of life, and his sound theological preaching of the
Gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
, which should soar above all worldliness and elevate the hearts and minds of the faithful. Around the eagle's head is a
halo
Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to:
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Video games
* ''Halo'' (franch ...
, in imitation of the eagle used to depict
St. John the Divine, and symbolizing theological attainments and the grace of the
Holy Spirit. The eagle is also a reminder that, "as an eagle can see clearly over distances, so must a bishop oversee all parts of his diocese."
Use
Any time a bishop is present in the church, or functioning at some service outdoors - whether vested and serving or whether simply wearing the
mantle - he stands on an eagle rug. During the
Hierarchical 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 ...
many eagle rugs are used, there always being one where he is seated or standing, and before he moves to a spot (such as on the
Ambo) to give a blessing, an eagle rug is placed there for him to stand on as he blesses. The eagle rug placed at the bishop's
cathedra is slightly larger than the others used during the services. The eagle rug is always placed so that the head of the eagle faces the direction the bishop is facing.
Special Form
Before his
consecration, a bishop-elect is led onto a very large eagle rug, used specifically for this purpose, as the consecrating bishops examine him regarding his faith.
Notes
References
External links
Embroidered Bishop Eagle
{{Rugs and carpets
Christian religious objects
Rugs and carpets
Eastern Christian liturgical objects
Embroidery