The meaning of the colors of church vestments. Colors of Liturgical Vestments

To participate in the service, deacons put on the following garments: surplice, orarion, and ruffles.
Stikhari is a long garment without a slit in the front and back, with a hole for the head and wide sleeves. The stiche marks the purity of the soul. The right to wear the surplice can be given to both the psalmists and the laity serving in the temple.
Orard is a long, wide ribbon made of the same material as the surplice. It signifies the grace of God which the deacon received in the sacrament of the Priesthood. It is worn by a deacon, protodeacon, hierodeacon and archdeacon on the left shoulder, over the surplice.
Armbands - narrow sleeves tied with laces. Pull up the sleeves of the surplice at the deacon and the priest of the priests and bishops. They are broad stripes of dense fabric with the image of a cross. The handrails resemble the bonds (ropes) on the hands of the Savior during His suffering.

Priest's Vestments.

To correct the divine service, the priest dresses up with such robes as a priestnik, an epitrachelion, a belt, a rug, a phelonion (or robe), a legguard.
Priznik is a kind of surplice intended for vesting a priest and bishop. The podriznik is a long toe-length garment with narrow sleeves of light (white, yellow) color. The bishop's priznik has gammas, or springs - ribbons tightening the sleeves at the wrist, which are seen as a symbolic image of the flow of blood from the pierced hands of Jesus Christ. The podriznik resembles a tunic (underwear) in which Jesus Christ walked on earth.
Epitrachil is a long ribbon that goes around the neck and goes down at two ends. It signifies a double, in comparison with the deacon, grace given to the priest for the performance of the sacraments. The epitrachilus is worn over a bedclothes or cassock. Without an epitrachilia, a priest or bishop cannot perform the sacrament. Seven crosses are sewn on the epitrachelium. Six in front (three on each half), indicating that the priest can perform six ordinances. Another cross, the seventh, is on the neck and symbolizes that the priest received his priesthood from the bishop and is subject to him, and bears the burden of serving Jesus Christ.
The belt is worn over the epitrachelium and podriznik. The belt resembles a towel that Jesus Christ girded with when he washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper.
Riza (Felon) is a priest's outer garment worn over other garments. The garment is long, wide, sleeveless, with an opening for the head and a large cut in the front, reaching to the waist, for free movement of the arms. The upper mantles of the phelonion are firm and high. The back, upper edge of the phelonion looks like a truncated triangle or trapezoid and rises above the shoulders of the clergyman.
By its appearance, the phelonion resembles a purple robe, in which the suffering Jesus Christ was exposed and is interpreted as a garment of truth. There is a pectoral cross over the vest on the priest's chest.
Legguard - a rectangular plate, hung on a ribbon over the shoulder at two corners on the right thigh. Issued to priests of the Russian Orthodox Church as a reward for diligent, long-term service. Symbolizes a spiritual sword.

Vestments of the Bishop (Bishop).

The bishop (bishop) puts on all the clothes of the priest: the priest, the epitrachelion, the belt, the bindings. Only the robe is replaced by a sakkos, and the legguard is replaced by a mace. In addition, omophorion, mitra, panagia are worn.
Sakkos is the bishop's outer garment that replaces the robe and has the same symbolic meaning - the Savior's purple robe. In cut, it is a long, loose garment (usually not sewn on the sides) with short wide sleeves and a cutout for the head. From under the sakkos one can see both the cassock and the epitrachelion.
Mace - a rectangular board, hung at one corner, over the sakkos on the left thigh. In a symbolic meaning, a club, like a legguard, has the same meaning of a spiritual sword, that is, the Word of God, with which a shepherd should always be armed. But in comparison with the legguard, the club belongs to a higher level, since it also symbolizes the edge of the towel with which Jesus Christ wiped the disciples' feet.
Omofor - a long, wide, ribbon-like plate decorated with crosses. It is placed on the shoulders of the bishop in such a way that, embracing the neck around, one end descends from the front, and the other from the back (the great omophorion). Without an omophorion, a bishop cannot perform any service. The omophorion is worn over the sakkos and symbolizes a sheep, lost and brought by the good shepherd on his shoulders into the house ( Luke 15: 4-7), that is, the salvation of the human race by Jesus Christ. And the bishop dressed in it depicts Christ the Good Shepherd, who took the lost sheep on his shoulders and carried it to the non-lost (that is, the angels) in the house of the Heavenly Father.
Panagia is a small round image of the Savior or the Mother of God, decorated with colored stones. It is worn on the chest, over the sakkos.
Orlets - a small round rug with an image of an eagle, placed under the feet of the bishop during the divine service. Means that the bishop should, like an eagle, ascend from earthly to heavenly. The spiritual meaning of the eagle with the image of the city and the eagle soaring above it indicates primarily the heavenly origin and dignity of the episcopal dignity. Standing on the eagle everywhere, the bishop, as it were, rests on the eagle all the time, that is, the eagle, as it were, constantly carries the bishop on it.

Vestments of the Priests (Video).

Signs of the Pastoral Authority.

During divine services, bishops use a rod or staff as a sign of the highest pastoral authority. The staff is also given to archimandrites and abbots, as heads of monasteries.

Hats.

The head of the clergy is decorated with a miter, or kamilavka, during the service. Skufia is used for more everyday needs.
Mithra is a bishop's headdress, decorated with small images and colored stones. It marks the crown of thorns that was placed on the head of Jesus Christ. The miter adorns the priest, since during the service he depicts the King Christ, and at the same time reminds of the crown of thorns with which the Savior was crowned. In the Orthodox Church, when putting on a miter on a bishop, a prayer is read: “ Put, Lord, on your head a crown and precious stones ...»As in the performance of the sacrament of marriage. For this reason, the miter is also understood as the image of the golden crowns with which the righteous in the Kingdom of Heaven are crowned at the marriage feast of uniting Jesus Christ with the Church.
In the Russian Orthodox Church, until 1987, not all bishops wore a miter with a cross, but only archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs. On the proposal of Patriarch Pimen, the Holy Synod at its meeting on December 27, 1987 determined that all bishops have the right to wear a miter with a cross. It should be noted that in some pre-Chalcedonian churches (in particular, Armenian and Coptic) subdeacons wear a miter with a cross.
A variation of the Orthodox miter is the miter-crown, which has a toothed crown above the lower girdle (usually of 12 petals). The miter-crown was the main type of miter until the 18th century.

Kamilavka is a tall, cylindrical, purple headdress with an extension upward, an honorary award of Orthodox priests.
Skufia is the everyday headdress of Orthodox clergy of all degrees and ranks. It is a small round black softly folding cap; the folds of the skufia put on form the sign of the cross around the head.
In the ancient Russian church, skufia was worn, according to the ancient custom of the Greek church, not only by priests, but also by deacons to cover their heads, on the top of which a small circle (gumense) was cut.
The purple velvet skufia is given to the white clergy as a reward - second to the legguard. Skufia has received the value of the award since 1797.

Casual Apparel.

The main daily attire of the clergy and monks of all degrees are the cassock and cassock.
The cassock is an undergarment; it is a long, toe-length garment with a tightly buttoned collar with narrow sleeves. For monastics, the cassock should be black. The color of the cassocks of the white clergy is black, dark blue, brown, gray and white for summer. Material: broadcloth, wool, satin, linen, combed, less often silk fabrics.
The cassock is an outer garment with long, wide sleeves below the palms. The most common color of the cassock is black, but cassocks can be dark blue, brown, white, less often cream and gray. Materials for cassocks are the same as for cassocks. Both cassocks and robes can be lined. For everyday use, there are robes, which are demi-season and winter coats. These are robes of the first type, with a turn-down collar trimmed with black velvet or fur. Winter robes-coats are made with a warm lining.
All divine services, except for the liturgy, are performed by the priest in a cassock and cassock, over which special liturgical garments (vestments) are worn. During the service of the liturgy, as well as on special occasions when, according to the Charter, the priest must be in full liturgical vestments, the cassock is removed and a cassock and other vestments are put on over the cassock. The deacon serves in a cassock, over which the surplice is worn. The bishop performs all divine services in a cassock, which is worn with special hierarchical vestments. The only exceptions are some molebens, lithias, cell and other priestly services of the bishop, when he can serve in a cassock or cassock and mantle, over which the epitrachelion is worn.
Thus, the daily robes of the clergy are an obligatory basis for the liturgical vestments.

The color of the service garments symbolizes the holidays, events, days of remembrance on which the service is performed. Let's list these colors:
- Gold (yellow) of all shades (Tsar's color).
Days of remembrance of prophets, apostles, saints, equal to the apostles, other servants of the Church, as well as noble kings and princes and on Lazarev Saturday (sometimes they also serve in white).
Golden vestments are used in Sunday services, as well as on most days of the year, if someone is not commemorated.
- White (Divine color).
Holidays: Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Meeting, Transfiguration and Ascension, on Lazarev Saturday (sometimes they also serve in yellow), disembodied heavenly forces, as well as at the beginning of the Easter service. White vestments symbolize the light that shone from the tomb of Jesus Christ at His Resurrection.
White vestments are used in the performance of the sacrament of baptism, weddings and at funeral services, as well as in the vesting of a new ordained person.
- Blue (the color of the Highest purity and purity).
Theotokos holidays: Annunciation, Deposition of the Robe, Dormition, Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, Intercession, Introduction, days of commemoration of the Theotokos icons.
The robes of the metropolitans have a blue color of various shades, up to blue.

Purple or dark red.
Week of the Cross of Great Lent; The origin (wear) of the honest trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord; Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.
Episcopal and archbishop's robes, as well as award scufia and kamilavka, are purple.
- Red, Crimson, Burgundy, Crimson.
The color of holidays and days of memory of martyrs. Maundy Thursday.
At Easter - the joy of the Resurrection of Christ. In the days of the memory of the martyrs - the color of the blood of the martyrs.
- Green (the color of life-giving and eternal life).Disqus

Why do priests have vestments of different colors in their service?

The colors of liturgical vestments in the Orthodox Church are the colors of the vestments of the clergy and clergymen, as well as the garments of the throne, altar, veil, lecterns, air, patrons and bookmarks in the altar gospel. The colors used represent the spiritual meanings of the celebrated events.
Some parishioners of Orthodox churches have a tradition to wear clothes of the appropriate color (especially for women's headscarves), and also to cover the shelf of the red corner with a headscarf of the appropriate color at home.

Symbolism
The liturgical literature does not contain explanations about the symbolism of the colors used, and the iconographic originals only indicate which color should be used when writing the clothes of this or that saint, but do not explain why. The symbolism of flowers can be determined based on a number of indications of the Old and New Testaments, the interpretations of John Damascene, the works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, as well as the acts of the Ecumenical and Local Councils.
The established canon of colors of liturgical vestments consists of white (symbolizes the divine uncreated light), seven basic colors of the spectrum of sunlight that make up the white color (in fulfillment of the words of John the Theologian - “there was a Sitting One on the throne ... and a rainbow around the throne” (Rev. 4: 3-4), as well as black (symbolizes the absence of light, nothingness, death, mourning, or vice versa, renunciation of worldly vanity).

Using colors

Colour- Red.
- Easter, holidays and days of memory of the martyrs.
What does it symbolize- at Easter - the joy of the Resurrection of Christ.
In the days of the memory of the martyrs- the color of martyr's blood.
Note- The Easter service begins in white vestments, symbolizing the light that shone from the tomb of Jesus Christ at His Resurrection.

Color - gold (yellow) of all shades.
Group of holidays, events, days of remembrance- days of remembrance of prophets, apostles, saints, equal to the apostles, other servants of the Church, as well as noble kings and princes and on Lazarev Saturday (sometimes they also serve in white).
What does it symbolize- royal color.
Note- golden vestments are used at Sunday services, as well as on most days of the year, if someone is not commemorated.

Colour- white gold (yellow) of all shades.
Group of holidays, events, days of remembrance- the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Meeting, Transfiguration and Ascension, on Lazarev Saturday (sometimes they also serve in yellow), disembodied heavenly forces, as well as at the beginning of the Easter service.
What does it symbolize- divine Light.
Note- white vestments are used in the performance of the sacrament of baptism, weddings and at funeral services, as well as in the vesting of a new ordained person.

Colour- blue.
Group of holidays, events, days of remembrance- Theotokos holidays (Annunciation, Deposition of the Robe, Dormition, Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, Intercession, Introduction, days of commemoration of the Theotokos icons).
What does it symbolize- the highest purity and purity.
Note- the robes of the metropolitans are blue. It can have shades up to blue.

Colour- purple or dark red.
Group of holidays, events, days of remembrance- feasts of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord (Holy Cross Week of Great Lent, the Origin (wear) of the honest trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, Exaltation).
What does it symbolize- Christ's sufferings on the cross.
Note- the color of the episcopal and archbishop's robes, as well as the premium scufia and kamilavka, are purple.

Colour- green.
Group of holidays, events, days of remembrance- holidays and days of memory of the monks, ascetics, holy fools, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the Day of the Holy Trinity.
What does it symbolize- the color of life-giving and eternal life.
Note- the mantle of the patriarch has green color.

For more than 1030 years, the Russian Orthodox Church has been presenting to the world the biblical teaching on the temple and worship. Scripture compares the Flesh and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ with the temple curtain (Heb. 10: 19-20), which was torn in two at the time of the death of the Savior on the cross (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45).

For more than 1030 years, the Russian Orthodox Church has been presenting to the world the biblical teaching on the temple and worship. Scripture compares the Flesh and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ with the temple curtain (Heb. 10: 19-20), which was torn in two at the time of the death of the Savior on the cross (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Like the temple curtain, the vestments of the clergy indicate the union of the earthly and the heavenly in the divine-human organism of the Church.

Color diversity is an integral part of church liturgical symbolism, a means of influencing the feelings of worshipers. The color scheme of liturgical vestments consists of the following primary colors: White , Red , Orange , yellow , green , blue , blue , purple , black ... They all symbolize the spiritual meanings of the celebrated saints and sacred events.

The most important holidays of the Orthodox Church and sacred events that have mastered certain colors of robes can be grouped into six main groups:

• Lord Jesus Christ, prophets, apostles and saints ... The color of the vestments - gold (yellow), all shades
• Group of holidays and days of remembrance Blessed Virgin Mary, disembodied forces, virgins and virgins ... The color of the vestments - blue and White
• A group of holidays and days of remembrance The cross of the lord ... The color of the vestments - purple or Dark red
• Holidays and days group memory of the martyrs ... The color of the vestments - Red (on Maundy Thursday, the color of the vestments is Dark red , although all the decoration of the altar remains black , on the throne - white shroud)
• Holidays and days group memory of saints, ascetics, holy fools ... The color of the vestments - green . Day of the Holy Trinity, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the day of the Holy Spirit celebrated, as a rule, in green robes of all shades.
• During the period of fasting, the color of the vestments is Navy blue , purple , black , Dark red , dark green . Black used mainly during the days of Great Lent. On the first week of this fast and on weekdays of other weeks, the color of the vestments black ; on Sundays and holidays - dark with gold or colored trim.

Burials are usually performed in white robes.

In ancient times, the Orthodox Church did not have black liturgical vestments, although the everyday clothes of the clergy (especially monks) were black. In ancient times, in the Greek and Russian Churches, according to the Charter of Great Lent, they put on "scarlet vestments" - in vestments of dark red color. In Russia, for the first time, it was officially proposed to dress the St. Petersburg clergy, if possible, in black vestments in 1730 to participate in the funeral of Peter II. Since then, black vestments have been used for funeral and Lenten services.

In the canon of liturgical vestments, there is no "proper place" for orange colors. However, he has been present in the Church since ancient times. Being a combination of red and yellow colors, orange in fabrics almost constantly slips: with a tint towards yellow, it is perceived as yellow (gold often gives an orange tint), and with a predominance of red, as red.

In church vestments there are White color as a symbol of light, all seven colors of the sunlight spectrum and black.

The seven basic colors of the rainbow (spectrum) correspond to the mysterious number seven, put by God in the orders of heavenly and earthly existence, - six days of the creation of the world and the seventh day of the Lord's rest; Trinity and Four Gospels; the seven sacraments of the Church; seven lamps in the heavenly temple, etc. The presence of three non-derivative and four derivative colors in paints corresponds to the idea of ​​an uncreated God in the Trinity and the creation created by Him.

Feast of Holidays - Easter of Christ begins in white vestments as a sign of Divine light that shone from the Tomb of the Risen Savior. But already the Easter Liturgy, and then the whole week are served in red vestments, marking the triumph of the ineffable fiery love of God for the human race, manifested in the Redemptive Labor of the Son of God. In some churches it is customary at Easter Matins to change the vestments at each of the eight canons of the canon, so that the priest appears each time in a vestment of a different color. It makes sense. The play of the colors of the rainbow is very much in line with this celebration of celebrations.

Sundays, commemoration of the apostles, prophets, saints are marked in robes of gold (yellow) color, since this is directly related to the idea of ​​Christ as the King of Glory and the Eternal Bishop and those of His servants who in the Church signified His presence and had the fullness of grace of the highest degree of priesthood.

Feasts of Our Lady are marked by the blue color of the vestments because the Ever-Virgin is the chosen vessel of the grace of the Holy Spirit, twice overshadowed by His inspiration - both in the Annunciation and at Pentecost. Designating the deep spirituality of the Most Holy Theotokos, the blue color at the same time symbolizes Her heavenly purity and purity.

On holidays where the action of the Holy Spirit is glorified directly - Holy Trinity Day and Holy Spirit Day green is used. This color is formed by a combination of blue and yellow colors, signifying the Holy Spirit and God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which exactly corresponds in meaning to how the Lord fulfilled His promise to send from the Father to the Church united with Christ and in Christ the Holy Spirit, “the Lord who gives life ". Everything that has life is created by the will of the Father through the Son and is quickened by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the tree is shown as a symbol of eternal life both in Holy Scripture and in church consciousness. So the usual earthly greenery of trees, forests and fields has always been perceived by the religious feeling as a symbol of life, spring, renewal, revitalization.

If the spectrum of sunlight is presented in the form of a circle, so that its ends are connected, then it turns out that the violet color is the mediastinum of the two opposite ends of the spectrum - red and blue (blue). In paints, the color is purple and is formed by the combination of these two opposite colors. Thus, violet combines the beginning and the end of the light spectrum. This color is assimilated to memories on the Cross and Lenten Services , which recalls the suffering and the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of people. The Lord Jesus said about Himself: "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the First and the Last" (Rev. 22, 13)

The death of the Savior on the Cross was the repose of the Lord Jesus Christ from His works of salvation of man in the earthly human nature. This corresponds to the rest of God from the works of the creation of the world on the seventh day, after the creation of man. Purple is the seventh color from red, from which the spectrum begins. The violet color inherent in the memory of the Cross and the Crucifixion, containing the red and blue colors, also denotes the special presence of all the Hypostases of the Holy Trinity in the feat of the cross of Christ. The violet color expresses the idea that by His death on the Cross, Christ conquered death.

The festivals of the martyrs are served by the red color of liturgical vestments as a sign that the blood they shed for their faith in Christ was evidence of their fiery love for the Lord “with all their heart and with all their souls” (Mark 12:30). Thus, red in church symbolism is the color of the boundless mutual love of God and man.

The green color of vestments for the days of memory of ascetics and saints means that spiritual exploit, killing the sinful principles of the lower human will, does not kill the person himself, but revives him by combining with the King of Glory (yellow) and the grace of the Holy Spirit (blue) to life eternal and renewal of all human nature.

The white color of liturgical vestments is adopted on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, the Epiphany, the Annunciation because it signifies the uncreated Divine Light that comes into the world and sanctifies the creation of God with itself, transforming it. For this reason, they also serve in white vestments on the feasts of the Transfiguration and Ascension of the Lord.

White color is also adopted for the commemoration of the departed, because it very clearly expresses the meaning and content of prayers for the dead, in which repose with the saints is asked for those who have departed from earthly life, in the villages of the righteous, clothed, according to Revelation, in the Kingdom of Heaven in white robes of Divine light.

The Lord Himself bears witness to the sanctity of the service garments. Being on the verge of the material and spiritual worlds, church vestments are a shrine and a visible image of Divine Glory: “And so, a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years, came up from behind and touched the hem of His garment, for she was saying to herself: if I only touch the garment Him, I will recover ”(Matthew 9: 20-21; Mark 5: 25-34; Luke 8: 43-48); “And they brought all the sick to Him, and asked Him to only touch the hem of His garment; and those who touched were healed ”(Matt. 14: 34-36); “And His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light” (Matthew 17: 2)

Alexander A. Sokolovsky

Priests, for the performance of services, must wear special sacred clothes. Sacred garments are made of brocade or any other suitable material and are decorated with crosses.

Clothes deacon make up: surplice, orarion and hand.

Surplice there are long clothes without a slit in the front and back, with a hole for the head and with wide sleeves. The stanza is also used for subdeacons. The right to wear the surplice can be given to both psalmists and laymen serving in the temple. The stiche marks the purity of the soul, which the persons of the priestly dignity should have.

Orard there is a long wide ribbon of the same material as the surplice. It is worn by the deacon on the left shoulder, above the surplice. The orarion marks the grace of God that the deacon received in the ordinance of the Priesthood.

Handrails called narrow sleeves, pulled together with laces. The commissions remind the clergy that when they perform the sacraments or participate in the administration of the sacraments of the faith of Christ, they do this not by their own strength, but by the power and grace of God. The handrails also resemble the bonds (ropes) on the hands of the Savior during His suffering.

The priest's vestments are: podriznik, epitrachelion, belt, arms and phelonion (or robe).

Podryznik there is a surplice in a slightly modified form. It differs from the surplice in that it is made of thin white matter, and its sleeves are narrow with laces at the ends, with which they are tightened on the hands. The white color of the bed reminds the priest that he must always have a pure soul and lead a blameless life. In addition, the podriznik also resembles that tunic (undergarment) in which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself walked on earth and in which He completed the work of our salvation.

Stole there is the same orarion, but only folded in half so that, bending around the neck, it descends from the front downward with two ends, which for convenience are sewn or connected in some way. Epitrachelus marks a special, double, in comparison with the deacon, grace given to the priest for the performance of the sacraments. A priest cannot perform a single service without an epitrachil, just as a deacon can do without an orarion.

Belt worn over epitrachili and podriznika and signifies a willingness to serve the Lord. The belt also signifies Divine power, which strengthens the clergy in the passage of their ministry. The belt also resembles the towel that the Savior girded with when washing the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper.

Riesa, or felon worn by the priest over other garments. These clothes are long, wide, without sleeves, with a hole for the head on top and with a large cut in the front for free hand action. In its appearance, the robe resembles the purple robe in which the suffering Savior was clothed. The ribbons sewn on the vest resemble the streams of blood that flowed through His garments. At the same time, the robe reminds the priests of the garment of righteousness, in which they should be clothed as servants of Christ.

Pectoral cross located on the chest of the priest, over the robe.

For diligent, long-term service, priests are rewarded legguard, that is, a quadrangular plate, hung on a ribbon over the shoulder at two corners on the right thigh, meaning a spiritual sword, as well as head decorations - skufia and kamilavka.

Bishop(the bishop) puts on all the clothes of the priest: the priest, the epitrachelion, the belt, the bindings, only his robe is replaced sakkos and the legguard mace... In addition, the bishop puts on omophorion and miter.

Sakkos- the bishop's outer garment, similar to the deacon's surplice, shortened at the bottom and in the sleeves, so that from under the sakkos the bishop can see both the priznik and the epitrachelion. Sakkos, like the priest's robe, marks the Savior's purple robe.

Mace This is a rectangular plate, hanging at one corner, over the sakkos on the right thigh. As a reward for excellent and diligent service, the right to wear a club is sometimes received from the ruling bishop and honored archpriests, who also wear it on the right side, and in this case the legguard is placed on the left. For archimandrites, as well as for bishops, the club serves as a necessary accessory for their vestments. A club, like a legguard, means a spiritual sword, that is, the word of God, with which clergy should be armed to fight unbelief and wickedness.

On their shoulders, over the sakkos, bishops wear an omophorion. Omofor there is a long wide ribbon-like plate decorated with crosses. It is laid on the shoulders of the bishop so that, covering the neck around, one end descends from the front, and the other from the back. Omophorus is a Greek word and means shoulder pad. The omophorion exclusively belongs to the bishops. Without an omophorion, a bishop, like a priest without an epitrachelium, cannot perform any service. Omophorus reminds the bishop that he must take care of the salvation of the erring ones, like the good Gospel shepherd who, having found the lost sheep, carries it home on his shoulders.

On the chest, over the sakkos, in addition to the cross, the bishop also has panagia, which means "All-Holy". This is a small round image of the Savior or the Mother of God, decorated with colored stones.

On the head of the bishop is placed miter decorated with small images and colored stones. Mithra marks the crown of thorns that was placed on the head of the suffering Savior. Archimandrites also have mithras. In exceptional cases, the ruling bishop gives the right to the most honored archpriests during divine services to wear a miter instead of a kamilavka.

During divine services, bishops use wand or staff as a sign of the highest pastoral authority. The staff is also given to archimandrites and abbots, as heads of monasteries.

During the service, under the feet of the bishop, eagles... These are small round rugs with the image of an eagle flying over the city. Eagles mean that the bishop should, like an eagle, ascend from earthly to heavenly.

The home clothes of the bishop, priest and deacon are cassock (half-jacket) and cassock... Over the cassock, on his chest the bishop wears cross and panagia, and the priest - cross

What do the colors of the priests' clothing symbolize?

The everyday clothes of the priests of the Orthodox Church, cassocks and cassocks, as a rule, are made of black fabric, which expresses the humility and simplicity of a Christian, disregard for external beauty, and attention to the inner world.

During services, church vestments, which come in various colors, are worn over everyday clothing.

White vestments are used when performing divine services on holidays dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ (with the exception of Palm Sunday and the Trinity), angels, apostles and prophets. The white color of these vestments symbolizes holiness, permeation with uncreated Divine Energies, belonging to the heavenly world. At the same time, the white color is a memory of the Tabor light, the dazzling light of Divine glory. Liturgy of Great Saturday and Easter Matins are celebrated in white vestments. In this case, white symbolizes the glory of the Risen Savior. It is customary to perform burials and all funeral services in white vestments. In this case, this color expresses the hope for the repose of the deceased in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Red vestments are used during the liturgy of the Bright Resurrection of Christ and at all divine services of the forty-day Easter period. In this case, red is a symbol of the all-conquering Divine Love. In addition, red vestments are used on holidays dedicated to the memory of the martyrs and on the feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist. In this case, the red color of the vestments is the memory of the blood shed by the martyrs for the Christian faith.

The vestments of blue, symbolizing virginity, are used exclusively for the divine services of the Mother of God.

Vestments of gold (yellow) color are used at services dedicated to the memory of saints. The golden color is a symbol of the Church, the Triumph of Orthodoxy, which was affirmed by the labors of the holy bishops. Sunday services are performed in the same vestments. Sometimes divine services are performed in golden vestments in the days of the memory of the apostles who created the first church communities by preaching the Gospel.

The vestments of green are used in the services of Palm Sunday and Trinity. In the first case, the green color is associated with the memory of palm branches, a symbol of royal dignity, with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem greeted Jesus Christ. In the second case, the green color is a symbol of the renewal of the earth, purified by the grace of the hypostatically appearing and always abiding in the Church of the Holy Spirit. For the same reason, green vestments are worn at divine services dedicated to the memory of the monks, holy ascetic monks, who were more than other people transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Vestments of purple or crimson (dark burgundy) are worn on holidays dedicated to the Honest and Life-giving Cross. They are also used in the Sunday services of Great Lent. This color is a symbol of the suffering of the Savior on the cross and is associated with the memories of the purple robe in which Christ was clothed by the Roman soldiers who laughed at him (Matthew 27, 28).

Black vestments are currently worn at the everyday services of Great Lent. Like the everyday clothes of priests, they remind of the need for humility, without which repentance is impossible.

In preparing the material, the following works were used: "The Law of God", Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy Priest Mikhail Vorobyov, Rector of the Church in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Life-Giving Cross of the Lord in Volsk

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EVERYDAY CLOTHING

Everyday attire, which distinguishes the ministers of the Church from worldly people and testifies to their dignity and rank, once descended from the attire used in the world, and quickly, already in ancient times, acquired special characteristics, so that the clergy and monasticism began to outwardly stand out from the worldly Wednesday. This deeply corresponded to the concept of the Church as a kingdom not of this world, which, although it passes its journey and service in the world, nevertheless is deeply different from it in its nature. In the minds of the ancients, the priesthood or monastic rank obliged the bearers of such to be always and everywhere what they are before God and the Church.

The main daily attire of the clergy and monasticism of all degrees are cassock and cassock.

It is a long, toe-length robe with a tightly buttoned collar with narrow sleeves. The cassock is an undergarment. For monastics, it should be black. The color of the cassocks of the white clergy is black, dark blue, brown, gray and white for summer. Material: broadcloth, wool, satin, linen, combed, less often silk fabrics.

- outer garment with long, below the palms, wide sleeves. The robes are predominantly black in color, but can be dark blue, brown, white, less often cream and gray. Materials for cassocks are the same as for cassocks. Both cassocks and robes can be lined.

For everyday use, there are robes, which are demi-season and winter coats. These are robes of the first type, with a turn-down collar trimmed with black velvet or fur. Winter robes-coats are made with a warm lining.

All divine services, except for the Liturgy, are performed by a priest in a cassock and cassock, over which special liturgical garments are worn ( vestments). During the service of the Liturgy, as well as on special occasions when, according to the Charter, the priest must be in full liturgical vestments, the cassock is removed and a cassock and other vestments are put on over the cassock. The deacon serves in a cassock, over which he wears surplice.

The bishop performs all divine services in a cassock, which is worn with special hierarchical vestments. The only exceptions are some molebens, lithias, cell and other priestly services of the bishop, when he can serve in a cassock or cassock and mantle, over which the epitrachelion is worn.

Thus, the daily robes of the clergy are an obligatory basis for the liturgical vestments.

Long-sleeved clothing with narrow sleeves was widespread in the world among eastern and western peoples. Loose long clothes with wide sleeves are of oriental origin. It was also widespread in the Jewish environment during the earthly life of the Savior, Who Himself wore such clothes, as evidenced by tradition and iconography. Therefore, the cassock and cassock are considered the garment of the Lord Jesus Christ. The antiquity of this type of clothing is indirectly confirmed by the fact that even today, many eastern peoples use a wide, long, slit and uncut front garment with wide long sleeves, very similar to a cassock, as traditional national clothing. The word “cassock” comes from the Greek adjective “to rason”, which means - scraped, wiped, devoid of lint, worn. It was this kind of almost beggarly clothing that monastics were supposed to wear in the Ancient Church. From the monastic environment, the cassock entered the everyday life of all the clergy, which is confirmed by many testimonies.

In the Russian Church until the 17th century, robes were not required. In an ordinary setting, the clergy wore long, single rows of a special cut of cloth and velvet of green, purple and crimson colors. The collars were also trimmed with velvet or fur. The uniforms of secular persons differed in many respects from the attire of the clergy, so that the clergy in Russia from ancient times stood out for their appearance from the secular environment. Even the wives of the white clergy always wore such clothes in which one could immediately recognize them as mothers. The expanding ties with the Orthodox East in the second half of the 17th century contributed to the penetration of the robes of the Greek clergy into the Russian church environment. The Great Moscow Cathedral of 1666-1667 decided to bless for Russian clergy and monks the spiritual vestments adopted at that time in the Orthodox East. At the same time, a reservation was made that the Council does not force, but only blesses the wearing of such robes and strictly forbids condemning those who do not dare to wear them. This is how the Greek cassock appeared for the first time in Russia. But a loose straight cassock, convenient for countries with a hot climate, seemed, apparently, unacceptable in our country, and due to the fact that external conditions created the habit of wearing clothes that tightly fit the body, moreover, loose clothes with a slit in the middle, in the front, were worn in that time the Turks. Therefore, Russian robes began to be wrapped and sutured at the waist, a straight sleeve was made in the form of a bell. At the same time, there were two cuts of robes - Kiev and Moscow. The “Kiev” cassock is slightly sutured at the waist from the sides, and leaves the back straight, while the “Moscow” cassock is significantly sutured at the waist, so that it fits to the body from the sides and from the back.

Since the eighteenth century, the secular clothing of the upper classes acquired a completely different look from traditional Russian clothing. Gradually, all classes of society began to wear short clothes, often of the European type, so that the attire of the clergy was in a particularly sharp contrast to the mundane. At the same time, in the eighteenth century, the everyday clothes of the clergy acquired greater uniformity and stability in cut and color. Monastics began to wear mainly only black cassocks and robes of the first type, whereas in antiquity they often wore green uniforms, and the white clergy narrowed the color range of their clothes.

The general symbolic meaning of the cassock and cassock is evidence of detachment from worldly vanity, a symbol of spiritual peace. Peace and rest of the heart in its constant spiritual abiding with God is the highest goal of the efforts of any believer. But especially the clergy and monastics, as those who have devoted their whole lives to serving God, should have as a result of their spiritual activity this inner renunciation of worldly care and vanity, peace and tranquility of the heart. The outer garment of the clergy corresponds to this state, reminds of it, calls to it, helps to achieve it: being the image of the outer garment worn by the Lord Jesus Christ during his earthly life, the cassock and cassock mean that the clergy and monasticism imitate Jesus Christ, as He is and commanded to His disciples. The long robe of the clergy is a sign of God's grace, clotheing His servants, covering their human infirmities; the monks' cloth or woolen cassock, girded with a leather belt, is an image of a hair shirt and a leather belt worn in the wilderness by the preacher of repentance John the Baptist (Matthew 3: 4). Particularly noteworthy is the black color of cassocks and cassocks: black is, in essence, the absence of color, that which lies outside the light spectrum. When applied to the attire of the clergy and monasticism, this means the color of perfect rest as the absence of movements of passion, as if spiritual death for sin and renunciation of everything vain, from the external, carnal life and concentration on the invisible, internal life. The everyday attire of the clergy is also important for the surrounding believers, as evidence of the spiritual state to which all who seek salvation in God should strive.

The particular detachment of monks from the world means mantle, or paliy, - a long, sleeveless, cape with a clasp only on the collar, going down to the ground and covering the cassock and cassock. In early Christian times, this was the clothing of all Christians who converted to the faith from paganism and renounced those titles and ranks that they had in a pagan environment. Such a long cape of the simplest material meant renunciation of idolatry and humility. Subsequently, it became the property of some monastics. According to the interpretation of Saint Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, a free, unbelted mantle is a sign of the angelic wings, which is why it is called the “angelic image”. The robe is only a monastic robe. In ancient Russia, monks wore a mantle always and everywhere and had no right to leave their cells without it. For going to the city without a mantle, monks were punished in the 17th century by exile to remote monasteries under close supervision. Such severity was due to the fact that at that time the monks did not yet have robes as mandatory outerwear. They wore uniforms with narrow sleeves, so that the gown was the only outer garment. The robes of monks, like their cassocks and robes, are always black.

The clergy and monastics in everyday use have special headdresses. White clergy can wear scufia... In ancient times, a scufia was a small round cap, similar to a bowl without a stand. Since ancient times, in the Western Church and in Russia, the part of the head shaved at the top of the clergy was covered with such a hat. After ordination to the priestly dignity, the henchmen immediately shaved off their hair on their heads in the form of a circle, which was called in Russia the name gumentsó, which meant the sign of the crown of thorns. The shaved part was covered with a small cap, which received the Slavic name also gumenzo, or the Greek name - scufia.

In ancient times, priests and deacons constantly wore scufia, even at home, taking it off only during divine services and before going to bed.

By the decree of Emperor Paul I of December 18, 1797, purple scufia and kamilavkas were introduced into church use as awards to the white clergy. In the premium skufia, the priest can also stay in the church, perform divine services, removing it in the cases provided for by the Charter. Priests can wear such a scufia on a daily basis.

The daily headdress of bishops and monks, in which they can perform some of the services, is also cowl... This is a headdress consisting of a kamilavka and kukul. Klobuk has been known in the Slavic environment for a long time. Initially, it was a princely headdress, which was a cap trimmed with fur, with a small veil sewn to it, falling down to the shoulders. Such caps with veils were also used by other noble people in Russia, men and women. On ancient icons, Saints Boris and Gleb are often depicted in hoods. There are references to hoods as a princely headdress in the annals. It is not known when the hood became the headdress of Russian monks. It appeared in the church environment a very long time ago and had the appearance of a deep soft cap made of simple material with a fur band. The etymology of the verb “to put on” (to put on, to pull a headdress low on the forehead, on the ears) goes back to the root of the klobuk. The cap was covered with a black blanket that fell over the shoulders. Such hoods were worn in Russia by both monks and bishops, only the bishops had hoods made of expensive fabrics and sometimes decorated with precious stones. In the Orthodox East, monastic headdresses had a different look. There, only a veil worn over a cap was considered to be the actual monastic corn. The lower part of that coverlet, which descended to the back, began to split into three ends.

Some Russian saints of antiquity wore white hoods. Iconography depicts the saints Metropolitans Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Philip in such hoods. With the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia in 1589, Russian Patriarchs began to wear white hoods. At the Council of 1666-1667, all metropolitans were granted the right to wear white hoods. But at the same time, the hoods of the metropolitans in shape did not differ in any way from the monastic hoods of the new (Greek) model (with a solid cylindrical kamilavka), only their “basting” (cockle) turned white. And the hoods of the Patriarchs retained the ancient shape of a spherical cap covered with white corn, the ends of which also differed from the ends of the monastic outline. The three ends of the patriarchal klobuk start almost from the cap, two of them descend from the front to the chest, the third to the back. On the top of the patriarchal klobuk (on the Makovets), a cross began to be supplied, the frontal side of the klobuk was decorated with icons, at the ends of the kukul cherubim or seraphim were depicted with gold embroidery.

At present, the hood of the Moscow Patriarch on the frontal side and at the ends of the kukul has the images of six-winged Seraphim, in all other respects it is similar to the hoods of the ancient Russian Patriarchs. The white color of the metropolitan and patriarchal hoods means a special purity of thoughts and enlightenment with Divine light, which corresponds to the highest degrees of the church hierarchy, which are designed to reflect the highest degrees of the spiritual state. In this regard, the hood of the Patriarch with the images of the Seraphim indicates that the Patriarch, as the primate of the entire Russian Church and the prayer book for her, is likened to the highest angelic ranks closest to God. The shape of the patriarchal klobuk, reminiscent of the dome of a temple with a cross at the top, also fully corresponds to the position of the Patriarch as the head of the local Church.

From the end of the eighteenth to the beginning of the nineteenth century, the custom that exists to this day has been established in the Russian Church to wear diamond crosses for archbishops on black, and for metropolitans on white hoods. The cross on the headdress is not new. In the ancient Russian and especially Ukrainian ecclesiastical environment, even simple priests wore crosses on everyday hats. This custom ceased among the priests at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. Subsequently, diamond crosses on the hoods became the insignia of archbishops and metropolitans (bishops wear the usual black monastic hood without a cross). A diamond cross can mean high spiritual perfection and special firmness of faith and teaching, corresponding to the highest degrees of the church hierarchy.

The modern monastic klobuk is a solid kamilavka in the form of a cylinder, slightly widened upwards, covered with black crepe, descending to the back and ending in three long ends. This crepe is commonly called basting (or kukul). In the rite of tonsure into monasticism called the klobuk, of course, only the crepe, the veil that covers the kamilavka. This veil is sometimes called corn, just like the veil worn during the tonsure of the Great Schema. In this sense, the klobuk is called “the helmet of the hope of salvation”, and the kukul of the great schema, according to the order of tonsure into the lesser and great schema, means “the helmet of the hope of salvation”.

This symbolic meaning of the monastic veils comes from the words of the Apostle Paul, who says: “We, being sons of the day, let us be sober, putting on the armor of faith and love and in the helmet of the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5, 8), and elsewhere : “Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and donned the breastplate of righteousness, and shod your feet with the readiness to preach the gospel of peace; and above all, take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one; Take the helmet of salvation, and the spiritual sword, which is the word of God ”(Eph. 6: 14-17). Thus, everyday spiritual, especially monastic, clothes signify by external means those inner qualities that any Christian who is called a soldier of Christ at Baptism should possess, since he will have to wage a relentless war with the invisible spiritual enemies of salvation.

Monastics of all degrees wear rosaries. This is a prayer subject used for the frequent recitation of the Jesus Prayer. Modern rosary is a closed thread, consisting of a hundred "grains", separated by dozens of intermediate "grains" of larger sizes than ordinary ones. Cell prayer beads sometimes contain a thousand "grains" with the same division. The rosary helps to count (hence their name) the number of prayers assigned by the monk to the daily rule, without focusing on the count itself. Rosary beads have been known since ancient times. In Russia, in the old days, they had the form of a closed ladder, consisting not of "grains", but of wooden blocks sheathed with leather or cloth, and were called "ladder" or "ladder" (ladder). Spiritually, they mean the ladder of salvation, “the spiritual sword”, they are the image of incessant (eternal) prayer (a circular thread is a symbol of eternity).

Pectoral Cross

Pectoral crosses for priests appeared in the Russian Orthodox Church relatively recently. Until the 18th century, only bishops were allowed to wear pectoral crosses. The cross of a priest testifies that he is a servant of Jesus Christ, who suffered for the sins of the world, must have Him in his heart and imitate Him. The two-pointed chain of the cross is a sign of the lost sheep, that is, pastoral care for the souls of the parishioners entrusted to the priest, and the cross that Christ carried on His back, as signs of deeds and suffering in earthly life. The cross and the chain are made silver-gilded.

At the beginning of the 19th century, priests began to be awarded on special occasions with crosses with decorations. By the decree of the Holy Synod of February 24, 1820, Russian priests departing abroad were blessed to wear special golden crosses there, issued from the office of the emperor. Such crosses are called cabinet crosses. Sometimes they were issued as a reward to some priests who did not leave Russia.

A state decree of May 14, 1896 introduced the cross into church use, which is the insignia of every priest and hieromonk. This cross, placed since then at the priestly consecration, is silver, eight-pointed in shape with a relief image of the crucified Savior on the obverse and the inscriptions in the upper part: “Where, King, Slvy” (“The Lord is the King of Glory”); at the ends of the wide crossbar “IC, XC” (“Jesus Christ”), under the lower oblique crossbar - “Nika” ( Greek- victory). On the reverse side of the cross there is an inscription: “Awake the image with a faithful word, life, love, spirit, faith, purity (1 Tim. 4, 12). Summer 1896, May 14 days ”. The cross is equipped with a silver chain made of single elongated rings. This chain is also divided into two parts by a jumper in the middle. The crosses of 1896 have become an indispensable sign of distinction for priests, which they wear over the vestments during divine services and can be worn in everyday situations over a cassock, while the crosses of 1797 have remained as awards, traditionally also awarded to all graduates of theological academies who have the dignity of priests.

In addition, in the nineteenth century, crosses with ornaments, similar to the bishop's pectoral crosses, began to be given to the archpriests as a reward.

Panagia- a distinctive badge of the bishop.

The first mention of panagia as an obligatory accessory of the bishop, which is given to him at consecration after the Liturgy, is contained in the writings of Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (15th century). The 17th century writer Jacob Gohar testifies that upon accepting the omophorion, the bishops of the Greek Church received a precious cross with the relics of saints, called encolpion, with the addition of a greeting with the word axios (worthy). The custom of placing an encolpion on a bishop at his consecration passed from the Orthodox East to the Russian Church. But in Russia panagiaras were already in wide use in the form of rectangular reliquaries with images of the Lord Christ, the Mother of God, and saints. Often one reliquary with relics had images of the Holy Trinity, Christ the Almighty, the Mother of God, and saints. There were only gilded icons with images of the Mother of God. Such icons were worn by bishops and archimandrites in the 16th century. Therefore, during the episcopal consecration in Russia, from the 17th century, they began to lay the cross. Since it was customary for Russian bishops to wear an icon of the Mother of God or an encolpion-reliquary with relics over their robes, the Moscow Cathedral of 1674 allowed Russian metropolitans to wear “encolpies and a cross” over the sakkos, but only within their diocese. An exception was made for the Novgorod Metropolitan, who had the right to wear a cross and an encolpion in the presence of the Patriarch.

Russian Patriarchs, as well as Kiev metropolitans, as exarchs from the middle of the 17th century, have worn two panagias and a cross.

Over time, the relics of the saints ceased to be an obligatory accessory for panagias. Currently, panagia is an image of the Mother of God, most often round or oval, with various decorations, without relics. Bishop crosses are now also without relics. Since 1742, archimandrites of some monasteries have been awarded panagias. In order to distinguish bishops from archimandrites, from the middle of the 17th century, bishops began to be given two nasal cords at consecration: a cross and a panagia. In everyday life, bishops had to wear a panagia, and during divine services, a panagia and a cross. This order continues to this day.

The episcopal cross and panagia are signs of the highest authority in the Church. These images spiritually mean the same as the altar Cross and the icon of the Mother of God, namely: the economy of the salvation of people in the Church is carried out by the grace-filled power of the feat of the Cross of the Son of God Jesus Christ and the intercession of the Mother of God as the Mother of the Church. The episcopal cross and panagia remind that the bishop must constantly have in his heart the Lord and the Representative before Him - the Ever-Virgin Mary, that for this he must have a pure heart and right spirit and from the excess of heart purity and truth his lips must wear out only good. This is also noted in the prayers uttered by the deacon when the bishop is put on the cross, and then the panagia. When putting the cross on the bishop, the deacon says: "And if anyone wants to follow Me, let him reject himself, - the Lord says, - and take up his cross and follow Me, always, now, and ever, and forever and ever, amen." When putting on the first panagia, the deacon says: "God will create a pure heart in you, and the spirit of rights will renew in your womb, always, now, and ever, and forever and ever." When putting on the second panagia, he says: "May your heart vomit the word good, speak your deeds Tsarevs, always, now, and ever, and forever and ever."

The episcopal cross and the panagia with the image of the Mother of God, which were fully defined in their basic features two hundred years ago, appeared, it would seem, by chance, but their symbolism deeply corresponds to the most ancient ideas of the Church about the participation of the Mother of God in the salvation of the world. Only Christ and the Mother of God are addressed with the words “Save us”. The rest of the saints are asked: "Pray to God for us."

The bishop's cross and panagia are worn on chains, which are separated by a bridge, so that the front half of the chain, covering the neck, descends on the chest and converges on the upper part of the cross or panagia, and the back part descends on the back. One cannot but see in this a repetition of the symbolism of the bishop's omophorion, which also has front and rear ends, signifying the lost sheep, which the good shepherd took on the shoulder, and the cross that the Lord Christ carried to Golgotha. In the consciousness of the Church, the lost sheep is an image of the nature of fallen mankind, which the Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself, incarnated in this nature and ascending it to Heaven, reckoning with the non-lost - the Angels. This is how Saint Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople (8th century) interprets the meaning of the omophorion, and Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, adds that the crosses on the omophorion are depicted for the sake of “as if Christ carried His cross on His shoulders; thus, those who want to live in Christ as a sword receive their cross, that is, malice. For the cross is a sign of suffering. " Saint Isidore Pelusiot (+ c. 436-440) emphasizes the idea that “the bishop in the image of this Christ does His work and shows everyone with his very clothes that he is an imitator of a good and great Shepherd who has taken on the weakness of the flock”.

The two ends of the chains of the episcopal cross and the panagia mark the imitation of the bishop Christ in pastoral care for the salvation of people - the sheep of the "flock of words" and in the deed of bearing his cross. The two ends of the chains correspond to the double character of the archpastor's service - to God and to people.

The chains or laces of the pectoral crosses of ordinary laity do not have a back end, since the laity does not have pastoral duties to other people.

In everyday life, bishops wear staves, different from the wands-staffs that are used by them during divine services. Bishops' everyday staves are usually long wooden sticks with rims and a bulge at the top of carved bone, wood, silver, or other metal. Everyday staves are of a much more ancient origin than liturgical wands. The liturgical bishop's baton was separated from the ordinary everyday staff of bishops because, according to canonical rules, bishops and other clergymen are prohibited from decorating themselves with expensive and bright clothes and household items. Only during the divine service, where the bishop must show people the image of the glory of the Heavenly King, does he put on specially decorated vestments and headdresses and take a magnificent rod in his hands.

POSITIVE VESSELS OF THE DIAKON AND PRIEST

The liturgical robes of the clergy have a common name - vestments and are divided into diaconal, priestly and bishop's robes. The priest has all the deacon's garments and, moreover, those inherent in his dignity; the bishop has all the priestly garments and, moreover, those assigned to his episcopal rank.

The liturgical garments of the Orthodox clergy are typified in the Old Testament by the garments of Aaron and other priests, made at the direct command of God (Ex. 28, 2; 31, 10) and intended only for the priesthood, for the glory and splendor of Divine services. They cannot be worn and used in everyday life. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord commands the Old Testament priests, leaving the temple to the outer courtyard to the people, to take off their liturgical robes and put them in the barriers of the saints, putting on different clothes (Ezek. 44, 19). In the Orthodox Church, at the end of the service, the vestments are also removed and remain in the church.

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ in the parable of those invited to the royal feast, which figuratively tells about the Kingdom of God, speaks of the inadmissibility of entering it not in a wedding garment (Matt. 22: 11-14). The parable depicts a wedding feast on the occasion of the marriage of the king's son. According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, marriage, which is often spoken of here and in other similar images in the Holy Scriptures, is the mysterious marriage of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ (the Lamb) with His beloved bride - the Church (Rev. 19: 7-8). At the same time, the Apocalypse notes that “it was given to her (the wife of the Lamb) to be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright; fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. "

Thus, the general symbolic meaning of church service vestments is the expression in visible material garments of the spiritual garments of righteousness and purity, in which the souls of believers should be clothed in order to participate in the eternal joy of uniting Christ with the Church of His elect.

Historically, liturgical vestments did not appear immediately. Basically, the canon of liturgical vestments took shape in the 6th century. It is known that until this time the Apostle James, the brother of the Lord, the first Jerusalem bishop, wore the white linen long clothes of the Jewish priests and a headband. The Apostle John the Theologian also wore a gold band on his head, as a sign of the high priest. Many believe that the phelonion left by the Apostle Paul with Carp in Troas (2 Tim. 4:13) was his liturgical garment. According to legend, the Mother of God made an omophorion with her own hands for Saint Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by Christ and who was then the bishop of Cyprus. Thus, the apostles already used some of the liturgical garments. Most likely, from them in the Church the tradition, expressed by the blessed Jerome (IV century), was preserved from them, according to which it is by no means permissible to enter the altar and perform services in common and simply used clothes.

The common garment for all orders of the priesthood is surplice, or podriznik. This is the most ancient garment in terms of the time of origin. The sticherry corresponds to the podir of the Old Testament high priests, but in Christianity it acquires a slightly different look and meaning.

For deacons and lower clerics, the surplice is an upper liturgical garment with wide sleeves. For priests and bishops, the surplice is the lower garment, over which other vestments are worn. Therefore, it has a special name - podriznik.

Stikha is a long garment without a slit in the front and back, with a hole for the head and with wide sleeves. The stanza is also used for subdeacons. The right to wear the surplice can be given to both the psalmists and the laity serving in the temple. The stiche marks the purity of the soul, which the persons of the priestly dignity should have.

The priests and bishops is the lower liturgical garment. She is put on a cassock, and other vestments are put on her. This vestment has some differences from the surplice. The podriznik is made with narrow sleeves, since handrails should be worn on them. The sleeves of the bed have slits at the ends. A braid or lace is sewn to one of the sides of the cut, so that when this lace is put on, the lower edge of the sleeve of the bed is tightly pulled together at the wrist. These laces mark the fetters that bound the hands of the Savior, led to judgment. For this reason, there are no stripes on the sleeves of the bed. They are not on the shoulders of the podriznik, because his shoulders are covered with the outer service garment (felonne or sakkos).

Only a cross is sewn on the back of the bed, and on the hem, since it protrudes from under the outer garment and is visible to everyone, there is the same sewn stripe as on the surplice, with the same symbolic meaning. On the sides of the bed there are the same cuts as on the surplice. Podrezniki are made of lightweight fabric and, in accordance with the considered value, should be white. A distinctive feature of the bishop's priznik may be the so-called gammas - springs, streams in the form of ribbons hanging in front. They mean both the blood flowing down from the plagues of Christ, and, according to Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, the teaching grace of the hierarch, and various gifts given to him from above and through him poured out on everyone. The priznik is worn only during the service of the Liturgy and on some special occasions.

On the left shoulder, over the surplice, the deacons have orarion- a long strip of brocade or other colored fabric, descending from the front and back, almost to the floor. The orarion is fastened with a loop on a button on the left shoulder of the surplice, so that its ends hang down freely. Taking the lower front end of the orarion in his right hand, the deacon raises it when pronouncing litanies (petitions), overshadows himself with the sign of the cross with this end, indicates to them, in appropriate cases, the priest and bishop the order of liturgical actions. At the Liturgy on "Our Father", preparing himself for the reception of the Holy Mysteries, the deacon girdles the orarion over the Persians (along the chest) so that the orarion first crosses the lower part of the chest, across, passes with two ends under the arms on the back, crosses crosswise on the back , rising on both shoulders, the ends of the orarion descend over the shoulders to the chest, intersect here also crosswise and pass under the part of the orarion that crossed the lower part of the chest across. Thus, the chest and back of the deacon are embraced by the orarion in a cruciform manner. After communion, the deacon again unbinds the orarion and hangs it on his left shoulder.

Deacon is the first sacred degree. The orarion, worn by him almost always on one left shoulder, means precisely the grace of the priesthood, but only the first degree of the priesthood, which gives the deacon the right to be a minister, but not a performer of the sacraments. However, this grace of the sacred deacon's dignity is the yoke and the yoke of the work of God and people, it is the bearing of the cross. The symbolic expression of these spiritual truths also contains the deacon's orarion. On the other hand, the orarion reminds the deacon of the need in his service and life to imitate the angels, always ready for the quick fulfillment of the will of God, keeping the integrity and purity, staying in perfect chastity.

The words of the angelic chant "Holy, Holy, Holy" are sometimes written on the orari even now. Most often, this inscription is found on the so-called double orari of protodeacons and archdeacons. This orarion is much wider than the usual, deacon's, and has the peculiarity that its middle part passes under the right hand so that one end of the orarion rises through the back to the left shoulder and falls down in front, and the other end passes from under the right hand through the chest up and down the same left shoulder down from behind. This arrangement of the orarion signifies the seniority of protodeacons and archdeacons within the same deacon rank, which is an image of the seniority of some Angels over others.

On the sleeves of the cassock, and with full vestment, on the sleeves of the cassock, priests and bishops put charge, or arm ruffles. The deacons put them on the cassock sleeves. The handrail is a slightly curved strip of dense material with a cross in the middle, trimmed along the edges with a ribbon of a different shade than the handrail itself. Covering the hand in the wrist, the handrail is connected from the inside of the hand with the help of a cord threaded through metal loops at the side edges of it, and the cord is wrapped around the hand, so that the handrail tightly pulls the sleeve of the cassock or cassock and holds firmly on the hand. In this case, the sign of the cross is on the outside of the hand. Armbands are worn on both sleeves and signify God's power, strength and wisdom given to His priests for the performance of Divine ordinances. By the sign of the cross, the commission means that it is not the human hands of the clergy, but the Lord Himself through them performs the sacraments by His Divine power. This meaning of the arms is reflected in the prayers when putting them on for the service of the Liturgy. For the right hand it reads: "Thy right hand, O Lord, glorify in the fortress, Thy right hand, O Lord, crush the enemies and with a multitude of Thy glory wiped out this adversary." This prayer also contains the idea that the commissions, as a sign of the power of God, protect the clergyman from demonic wiles when performing the sacraments. For the left hand it reads: "Thy hand create me and create me, give me understanding and I will learn Thy commandment."

The history of the origin of the arms is as follows. There were no commissions in the original Church. Since ancient times, the narrow sleeves of the imatiy (cassock) and the cassock were decorated with a special decoration in the form of two or three stripes that covered the edges of the sleeves. At the same time, a cross was sometimes depicted between these stripes. The church authors of antiquity do not find interpretations of this decoration. Armbands first appeared as a garment for the Byzantine kings. They were used to decorate and tighten the sleeves of the lower garment, protruding from under the wide sleeves of the sakkos, the upper royal vestment. Wishing to honor the patriarchs of their metropolitan throne of Constantinople with a special honor, the emperors began to grant them items of royal vestments. The Byzantine kings granted the patriarchs with rods, the right to depict a two-headed eagle on shoes and carpets. In the XI-XII centuries, the saints of Constantinople received sakkos and orders from the kings; then the instructions passed to the primates of other Orthodox Churches, to the most prominent Eastern metropolitans and bishops. A little later, the orders passed to the priests. Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonian (12th century), writes about commissions as a necessary accessory for priestly and episcopal vestments. In the XIV-XV centuries, commissions as a reward appeared first from some archdeacons, and then from all deacons. Ancient arms were often richly decorated with gold and silver embroidery, pearls, sometimes they depicted a deisis, an icon of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, John the Baptist, sometimes they did not have any images. In the future, the only image on the rails becomes a cross - a sign of the power of the cross, communicated to the servant of the throne of God. Thus, the symbolism of the arms reaches its completion in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With the advent of ribbons on the sleeves of the cassock and cassock, stripes and crosses were no longer sewn. The handles, as an object external to the sleeves, clearly testified that the power and wisdom in the performance of the sacraments and services does not belong to the clergyman himself, but is given to him from outside, from God. This is the dogmatic meaning of the change that took place in the symbolism of the sleeves. Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, attaches to the commissions, in addition to the sign of God's power and wisdom, the meaning of the image of the fetters that bound the hands of the Savior, led to judgment. When worn on a cassock or a cassock without cords on the sleeves, they really acquire this meaning. When they put on the priest, the sleeves of which are already tied with a cord-image of the bonds of Christ, - only their first meaning remains behind the orders - the power and wisdom of God performing the sacraments.

The stitch, the orarion and the bridle are the vestments of the deacon. Other liturgical vestments belong to the vestments of the priestly order.

Beginning in the 15th century, the bishop, ordaining a deacon to the rank of priest, wrapped around his neck with a deacon's orarion, so that both ends evenly descended down his chest, down to the hem, and at the same time joined one to the other. It turned out stole- an article of clothing for priests and bishops. (The word epitrachel in the Greek is masculine, but in Russian books it was used in the feminine gender.) This is exactly what the bishops did starting from the 15th century, ordaining a deacon to the dignity of a priest. The epitrachelion formed from the orarion meant that the priest, without losing the grace of the deacon dignity, acquires a double, in comparison with the deacon, special grace, which gives him the right and duty to be not only a minister, but also a performer of the Sacraments of the Church and the entire work of the priesthood. This is not only a double grace, but also a double yoke, a yoke.

In later times (approximately from the 16th-17th centuries), epitrachelios began to be made not from the deacon's orarion, but especially, for the convenience of wearing. In the part that covers the neck, the epitrachelion is made curly and narrow, so that this part can comfortably fit the collar of the cassock or cassock. When a deacon is ordained to the priesthood, the bishop now no longer puts the orarion around the initiate's neck, but immediately places the finished epitrachelion on him. The separation of the epitrachelium from the orarion does not, however, abolish the meaning of the epitrachelium as an orarion joined in front. Therefore, at present, the epitrachelion is sewn in such a way that it represents two separate stripes in front, connected only in several places where conditional buttons are placed, since there are no loops, the buttons are planted in those places where the halves of the epitrachelium are simply sewn to one another. But along the entire length, the epitrachelion is not sewn together, with rare exceptions. The deacon's orarion, as a rule, has seven sewn crosses on him in commemoration of the fact that the deacon is the minister of all seven Sacraments of the Church, and the priest performs six Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance, Communion, Marriage, and Blessing of Oil. Only the bishop has the right to perform the ordinance of the Priesthood. When bending the orarion around the neck, the cross in its middle part is on the back of the neck, and the six others are located opposite each other on both halves of the orarion, connected in front. In the same way, the signs of the cross are sewn on the epitrachelion, so that in front it has three pairs of crosses on both halves, which indicates that the priest is performing the six Sacraments of the Church. The seventh sign of the cross, located on the priest, means that he received his priesthood from the bishop and is subject to him, and also that he bears on himself the yoke (yoke) of service to Christ, who redeemed the human race by the feat of the cross.

The priest can perform all divine services and services only in the epitrachil, which is imposed over the cassock, and with full vestment over the priest, as it always happens during the service of the Liturgy and on some special occasions .

Felonne(in everyday life - the robe) is the upper liturgical garment of priests and, in some cases, bishops. In the plural, the word "robe" means all vestments in general, but the singular form implies a phelonion.

This garment is very ancient. The phelonion in ancient times was a cloak made of a long rectangular piece of woolen fabric and served to protect from cold and bad weather. It was worn on both shoulders, with the front ends pulled together on the chest, and over one shoulder; sometimes a cutout was made in the middle of this cloak for the head, and a phelonion worn over the shoulders covered the whole body of a person with long ends in front and behind. At the same time, among the Jews, the edges of the phelonion were sometimes decorated with ryasns or omets - trimmings from sewn lace; and along the very edge of this decoration, the so-called cracks were sewn - a blue cord with tassels or fringes as a sign of the everlasting remembrance of the commandments and the Law, which was taught by God Himself (Num. 15, 37-40). The phelonion was worn by the Lord Jesus Christ in His earthly life. This is confirmed by ancient icons, where the Savior is almost always depicted in a cloak, sometimes worn on both shoulders, and sometimes over one shoulder. Perhaps, it is the phelonne-cloak that John the Evangelist has in mind when he says that at the Last Supper the Lord, going to wash the feet of the disciples, took off His outer clothing. The phelonion was also worn by the apostles, as evidenced by the apostle Paul (2 Tim. 4, 13). Many believe that this was his liturgical garment. In any case, even if the Lord and the apostles used the phelonion only as an ordinary outer garment of those times, in the consciousness of the Church it acquired a sacred meaning for this very reason and from the most ancient times began to be used as a liturgical vestment.

The shape of the phelonion changed. For the convenience of wearing, a larger or smaller semicircular cut began to be made at the front of the hem, that is, the front hem of the felonie did not reach far to the feet. Over time, the upper mantle of the phelonion began to be made hard and high, so that the rear upper edge of the phelonion in the form of a truncated triangle or trapezoid now began to rise above the shoulders of the clergyman.

On the back, in the upper part of the phelonion, under the shoulder band, as well as on the surplice, the sign of the cross is placed for the same reasons. And at the bottom of the dorsal part of the phelonion, closer to the hem, an eight-pointed star is sewn in line with the cross. The eight-pointed star in the Christian concept means the eighth century - the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, a new earth and a new heaven, since the earthly history of mankind has seven periods - seven centuries. Thus, in two short symbols - a cross and an eight-pointed star, the beginning and end of the salvation of mankind in Christ Jesus are indicated on the phelonion. These symbols can also mean the Nativity of Christ (a star over Bethlehem) and His Feat of the Cross. However, the Star of Bethlehem also contains a sign of the future age, for with the coming of the Son of God in the flesh, “the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near” to people. The star and cross on the phelonion also signify the union in the Orthodox Church of the grace of the priesthood of the Old (star) and New (cross) Testaments.

Containing in itself many lofty spiritual concepts, the phelonion in its general appearance predominantly means the radiance of the Divine glory and the strength of the Divine light, clothe the clergy, the robe of righteousness and spiritual joy. Therefore, in prayer, when putting on the phelonion, it reads: “Your priests, Lord, will clothe themselves in righteousness and Your reverend will rejoice always, now, and ever, and forever and ever. Amen ”(Ps. 131: 9). The concepts of Divine light, righteousness, joy, as a wealth of spiritual gifts and feelings, enable felonies to be not only white. Felonies are made of gold, silver brocade, which especially emphasizes the significance of the radiance of glory, as well as from the material of other basic colors adopted in worship for vestments. Since the 18th century, during Great Lent, black phelonions with white stripes are worn, being in this case a sign of rags and sackcloth, in which the Savior was dressed when mocked.

The epitrachelion, the rudders and the phelonion constitute the small priestly vestment, in which all evening and morning services and requirements are served, except for the Liturgy. During the service of the Liturgy, as well as in some cases stipulated by the Statute, the priest puts on full vestments. The basis of a complete vestment is a priiznik. On top of it, they consistently put on an epitrachelion, cuffs, a belt, a legguard, a club, and a phelonion. At the same time, a legguard and a club, being awards to the clergy, may not be worn by all priests and are not included in the number of obligatory vestments.

Belt, worn over the priznik and epitrachelion, is a not very wide strip of fabric trimmed with stripes of a different color or shade along the edges, in the middle it has the sign of the cross sewn on. There are ribbons at both ends of the belt, with which it is tied at the back, on the lower back.

From ancient times to this day, a tightly tightened belt, as an item of clothing for workers and soldiers, has been used to give the body strength and strength. Hence, as a symbolic object in religious and secular life, the belt has always meant certain concepts of strength, strength, power, or readiness for service. The psalmist prophet David says: "The Lord reigns, clothe yourself in petty, clothe the Lord with strength and gird yourself." Here, as in many other places in the Holy Scriptures, Divine power is symbolically indicated by a belt, a girdle. Christ, girding himself with a long towel and washing His disciples' feet, thereby gives an image of His service to people. And about His ministry to the faithful in the future age of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks figuratively: “He will gird himself, and sit them down, and, coming up, he will serve them” (Luke 12, 37). The Apostle Paul exhorts Christians, saying: “Stand therefore, having girded your loins with the truth” (Eph. 6:14). In these words, the concept of the spiritual strength of truth is combined with the concept of serving God in the spirit of truth.

The legguard is an elongated rectangular plaque on a long ribbon - the first award in succession for zealous service to the Church.

Legguard archimandrites, abbots and priests are awarded. The symbolically rectangular shape of the leggings means the Four Gospels, which is quite consistent with the concept of the spiritual sword, which is the word of God.