www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Clerical vestment trivia question

Glory to Jesus Christ !

I've seen on some Eastern clerics - not sure of what rank, though they seem to be bishops - vestments that red stripes flanked each by two white stripes. The background color of the vestment is either dark navy or - more likely - black.

Can anyone tell me the signficance - if any other than design variation - of these white / red / white stripes ?

Dad

Glory to Him Forever !

NOW WHERE IS ALEX WHEN YOU NEED HIM?

Pani Rose

ByzCathDad:

The MANDYAS or mantle is the choir and processional dress of the Bishop. Purple in color it often has embroidered medallions of the evangelists and is closed at the front bottom.

Archimandrites may wear a similar cloak that is black in color.

I believe that Metropolitan Herman of the OCA wears one that is blue in color to show his rank as the head of an Autocephalous Church.

There are some websites for those who tailor clerical garb for the Orthodox Church. Some examples there might help answer your question.

BOB

Thanks, Theophan / Bob

Notice your avatar icon has just the garb I was inquiring about. Might that icon be of St. Herman of Alaska ?

God bless,

Dad

In the Russian tradition, an Archbishop or Bishop wears the purple mantiya,a Metropolitan blue, and the Patriarch green.Thus all the Metropolitans of the Russian church wear blue, so Metropolitan Hermans use of the blue stems from the Russian tradition, rather than because he is head of an autocephalous church.

Although it not all that clear, Metropolitan Basil also wore a blue mandyas at last year's Uniontown pilgrimage:

Eparchs in Mandyas

Slightly off topic, but the Old Believers have preserved an ancient usage which neither the Greeks nor Russians follow today,the Bishop wears the Felon of a priest with the Omophor draped over it.According to our Bishop Daniel, who served in this manner before his unfortunate illness, one had to be an Archbishop or Metropolitan to wear the Sakkos according to the ancient usage.If one looks at icons of the Three Hierarchs,it can be seen that only St.John Chrysostom wears the Sakkos, while both Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian wear the Felon with the Omophor.

ByzCathDad:

My avatar is St. Theophan the Recluse.

Fr. Al:

Thanks for the clarification. Is St. Theophan's meant to be blue?
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I've noticed that His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch wears one that is red in color.

BOB

Every monk who professes the Lesser Schema is vested in a black mantiya.

Archpriest Sokolov's description of the practices in the Russian Church in the early 20th century (pre-Revolution] simply notes the Bishop wears a mantiya of a "lighter color" without specifying those colors, but with stripes which were called "rivers" and signify that instruction about the word of God flows from the mouth of the Bishop.

An Abbot or Archimandrite wears the black monastic mantiya, but with four green or red tablets sown onto the mantiyas.

Dear Bob, I would say that Theophan as a Russian Bishop should be wearing a purple mantiya.It may be that there was more variation in earlier times.Often, both the Old Believers and Byzantine Catholics have preserved ancient usages no longer followed by the modern Russian Church.I have observed Greek Old Calender Bishops, though I really didn't pay attention to the colr of the mantiyas, being more intrigued by the liturgical practices.Concerning the Ecumenical Patriarch, I recall seeing the Bulgarian Metropolitan here wear a mantiya of a reddish, almost orange shade.Though Slavs, the Bulgarians follow both Greek usage in almost everything.

Regarding the mantya color of St. Theophan, I will just add that iconographers are not always up on liturgical practices. (Well, I tend to consider such things, but then I'm an odd fellow all around. ) For example, my parish recently received icons of the American saints Innocent, Tikhon, and Raphael, painted by an accomplished iconographer-priest in the OCA. All three saints were depicted in blue mantyas (mantyi?). The icons are nice, but a little "off" since St. Tikhon would have worn green and St. Raphael would have worn purple or red. It's not that a big deal, and we're not returning the icons or anything like that, but it just shows that iconographers often don't do their homework, or they take a little bit of artistic license.

Dave

Fr. Al:

Thanks again. Maybe the color of St. Theophan's mantiya is just off in reproduction.

There was a picture spread of His All-Holiness done in our local newspaper a few years ago when he visited Johnstown during a pastoral visit.

BOB

Dear Bob, Check out the OCA Website, there are photos of both Patriarch Alexis and Metropolitan Herman in Russia.

Fr. Al:

Thanks for the "heads up." I've already been to the OCA website and gone through the pictures of His Holiness and his Beatitude during the translation of the Mother of God of Tikvin.

A couple of comments:

1. Thank God for the gift of the Faith you have, translated through the Russian Church.
2. Thank God that the churches are finally open in that holy land again.
3. Pray for the people there as they rediscover and re-evangelize their homeland. (Their spiritual patrimony is a treasure house of lived out faith.)
4. Pray for us who are not in communion with you. May the day come when we can share that awesome treasure of lived-out faith that you have.

(The crowd of clergy entering Christ the Savior Cathedral was awesome. The Cathedrals there are breath-taking and truly inspiring.)

May the Mother of God spread her Protecting Veil over the people of Russia as they welcome home her Wonderworking Tikvin icon.

In Christ,

BOB