A cappello romano (pl. ''cappelli romani''; Italian: "") or saturno (pl. ''saturni''; because its appearance is reminiscent of the ringed planet

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

) is a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

's hat with a wide, circular brim and a rounded crown worn outdoors in some countries by

Catholic clergy The sacrament of holy orders in the Catholic Church includes three orders: bishops, priests, and deacons, in decreasing order of rank, collectively comprising the clergy. In the phrase "holy orders", the word "holy" means "set apart for a sacre ...

, when dressed in a

cassock The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denom ...

. Unlike many other articles of

clerical clothing Clerical clothing is non- liturgical clothing worn exclusively by clergy. It is distinct from vestments in that it is not reserved specifically for use in the liturgy. Practices vary: clerical clothing is sometimes worn under vestments, and some ...

, the cappello romano serves no ceremonial purpose, being primarily a practical item. (The galero is a ceremonial wide brim hat no longer usually worn. However, on February 19, 2011, Raymond Cardinal Burke became the first

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

in recent times to wear or a single photothe galero.) The cappello romano is not used in liturgical services. Since the general abandonment of the cassock as street dress, it is uncommon even in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

today. However, it was quite popular there and in some other countries with a Catholic majority population from the 17th century until around 1970.

Description

The cappello romano is a round, broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat made of either beaver fur,

felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

or straw and lined in white

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...

. There are some, mostly minor, differences in the designs of cappelli, depending on the rank of the wearer: * The

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

may wear a red cappello with gold cords. * Cardinals may wear a black cappello with red and gold cords and scarlet lining. They formerly also had the privilege of wearing a red cappello. However, this rule was overturned by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

, and now cardinals' cappelli are black, as are those of all other clerics. *

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 ...

may have a black cappello with green and gold cords and violet lining. * A

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

may wear a black cappello with black lining. * Cappelli romani for

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

s and

seminarians A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

have no distinguishing features. File:Hábito piano papal completo.svg, Papal vestment File:Hábito piano cardenalicio completo.svg, Cardinal's vestment File:Hábito piano episcopal completo.svg, Episcopal vestment File:Hábito piano sacerdotal completo.svg, Priest's vestment

Notes

References

External links

Picture of the cappello romano of Pope Benedict XVIPicture of hand embroidered cappelli romani: red summer cappello romano of Pope Benedict XVI, white summer cappello romano of Pope John XXIII and a black beaver-hair winter variation of an archiepiscopal cappello romano.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cappello Romano Hats Papal vestments Catholic clerical clothing

Description

See also

Notes

References

External links