www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Black Robes and "Stovepipe" Hats

When I attended the Greek Orthodox cathedral in D.C. this summer, the priest mentioned that the black robes and "stovepipe" hates of Greek Orthodox clergy are worn to mourn the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453.

I found this strange, since black robes/cassocks are the normative extra-liturgical clothing of Roman Catholic priests. I assumed that the same was true for Orthodox clergy, that that's just the way it is, and has no connection to mourning Constantinople's fall.

I asked this question in a thread over the summer that wasn't specifically dedicated to the subject, but got no replies, so I'm hoping that by creating a thread devoted entirely to this subject, someone who knows may respond.

So, what is the origin of the black robes and "stovepipe" hats of Greek Orthodox clergy? Do their robes have the same origin as the black robes that non-Greek Orthodox clergy wear? And what are the official names for these robes and hats?

Alexis

I do not know the Russian names for them, but the Greek names are: (i) rason (pronounce the "s" as an "s", not a "z") for the black garment which is reasonably tight-fitting and whose sleeves follow the line of the arm; (ii) the outer robe is called exorason--the one whose sleeves are very wide at the tip; (iii) the stove-pipe hat is called a kalymavchion, if it has no veil attached--with a veil, it is called epikalymavchion.

If you're interested in the Arabic names let me know. In English, we tend to use the Greek terms, there are no native English terms that I've heard.

Good question, dear Alexis!!

I have also heard that it has to do with the fall of Constantinople, but you make an excellent point in questioning the relationship of black also worn by non-Orthodox clergy.

I know that nuns in Greek are called 'kalogries' which literally means: good old women, and that in ancestral paintings in Greece, I have seen widowed women around the late 1800's wearing the same garb as Greek Orthodox nuns did until recently. Therefore, I might assume that the reason for black in female monasteries has more to do with widows having become nuns...

I think it is interesting that I have read in a 'history of costume' book I own from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (which has an actual costume institute that offers annual historical costume exhibits), that the habit we associate with the traditional Roman Catholic nun was actually nothing more than the style of dress of laity in a certain period of time and in a certain country (don't remember exactly where and when right now.) I also have read that the costume of present day Hassidic Jews is also nothing more than the style of dress of laity in Poland around the 1700-1800's, but somehow stuck through time for this Orthodox sector of Judaism.

As for the stovepipe hat, which is similar to the chef's hat, I have read that chef's actually adopted it from monastics.

Personally, I think this is one of those historical questions where the fall of Constantinople is only ONE explanation, or a part explanation, or the only one we can surmise, or it is an explanation that we have been handed down by oral tradition. If it is oral tradition, that may not hold too much weight. Sentimentality and exageration can often color and/or embellish many such explanations.

I am fascinated by the history of costume, and I am sure that somewhere there must be more information on clerical black in both the East and the West. Colors always stood for something in historical dress.

I do not have access to the book right now, or else I would review it to see if it can offer us anything.

I hope that one of our knowledgeable priests might have heard something about it in seminary...

I am also anxiously and hopefully awaiting a response...

Regards,
Alice

There is plenty of info out there that says the dress code was set by the Moslems. The clergy of each 'Millet' had to dress according to the code. Laity of the diferent 'millets' also had a dress code and the penalties for not sticking to it could be fatal. Certain styles and colours were reserved for Moslems.

Thank you, dear Pavel. This is most interesting and makes alot of sense.

My theory that the fall of Constantinople explanation may only be partial, or even sentimentally made up, may be correct...the Greeks do not want to associate anything with the Turkish occupation...for instance, where they once called Turkish coffee, turkish coffee, they have now made it Greek coffee; where the smaller port of Piraeus was always called 'pasalimani' (port of the Pasha), it is now called 'mikrolimano' (small port); and the list goes on. So, it seems from what you say, that they always wore black because it was dictated to them, and as a rationale, black being the colour of mourning, they continued wearing it to this day in remembrance of the mourning of the fall of Constantinople...makes sense now.

Regards,
Alice

P.S. Thought I might share what I found about the wearing of black in Western (RC) clergy:

The symbolism of the cassock is as follows: The Roman collar symbolizes obedience; the sash or cincture around the waist, chastity; and the color black, poverty. Moreover, black is a color of mourning and death; for the priest, the symbolism is dying to oneself to rise and to serve the Lord as well as giving witness of the Kingdom yet to come

I have seen some articles on the dress laws imposed on the various Christians subjects of the Ottoman Empire. When the Taliban took over in Aphganistan they re-imposed dress laws on the non moslem population. There were a number of Hindus and Sikhs in Kabul at the time who had to wear bright orange and a very small Jewish population(now down to 1)had to wear yellow.

The idea was that with one glance you knew exactly who you were dealing with. Black was imposed not chosen. 'Roman' women at one time had to wear blue trousers. 'Roman' Men had to wear black cylindical hats (Jews wore yellow ones). I think originally not very tall, that came later and mainly for clergy. 'Romans' could only wear black shoes, or slippers. Gold colour slippers were reserved for the Moslems. When the dress code was getting a bit slack one Sultan went in disguse into the streets and killed anyone he saw not dressed acording to the code. Any Christian who converted to Islam had to also change the style of clothing worn to reflect he, or she was now part of the nation of Islam.

Armenian clergy had to wear a cylindical hat with a sharp point on it. The Outer Rason is really a an Ottoman officals garment and is still worn by islamic clergy who had it imposed on them as well. All clergy were officials of the empire each worked within their own 'millet', or nation. When churches split into Orthodox and Catholic factions each faction had to dress differently. The Melkites I was told used to have a number of sides to their brim on the Kamilavka but as by then the strict code was no longer in force it did not take but other group such as Syrians did make differences. The Catholics Bishops wore the Greek Kamilavka and the Orthodox Syrians wore a sort of a small turban (only Moslems could wear large turbans) over their hoods. The Coptic Catholics have a headress similar to the Byzantine style and do not wear the hood with the crosses on that the Coptic Orthodox wear.

It does seem strange in a way for Christians to still be dessing up according to a dress code imposed from outside the faith. You only have to see on wall murals and old icons that previously cloaks were worn and then under Islam garments with sleeves were imposed. The styles of monastic dress in the west (Benedictine and Carmelite etc) is very much like these monastic dress styles once prevelent all over the eastern Roman Empire.

Yes the history of fashion is most interesting.

ALEXIS:

The Latin cassock custom was simply the tunic worn by most men during the latter part of the Roman Empire, prior to the fall of Rome ot the barbarians. Black, according to my sources, was adopted because of its relation to death and mourning. We are called in Baptism to die with Christ and the clergy dress was to remind us all of our prophetic calling in Baptism. It's a countercultural statement: death has no power over us, particularly that granted through fear of it. That's why Orthodox monastics wear the veil. An Orthodox bishop once told me that he was wearing his burial shroud on his head for these reasons.

Perhaps there are more than one explanation and lots of pious answers lost in the mists of time for the use of black clergy attire. One thing that seems to be true, however, is that the custom of black for clergy "uniforms" is much earlier than the fall of Constantinople.

BOB

The black cassock/rason/robe was the universal clerical wardrobe. The kamilavka/klobuk and exorason are inventions of the Ottoman Empire. Russian Old Believer/Old Rite clergy and monastics witness to this. They wear the cowl or the skufia rather than the klobuk and the mantia, small (unique to themselves) or large, rather than the exorason.

In matters of such customs, it is usually best to look for the practical - or quasi-practical - explanation; elaborate symbolism is often invented later to "justify" what people are doing anyway.

Alice mentions the renaming of Turkish Coffee to Greek Coffee. It also works in reverse - I'm still recovering from the menu at the hotel my first night in Constantinople. The menu, among other delights, offered me "Mediterranean Salad". As if that were not enough, I noticed a stand on the street along the Grand Rue de Pera (or Istiklal, if one prefers to call it that) offering lots of photographs of "Old Istanbul" - there is, obviously, no such place as "Old Istanbul". An English-language bookshop tried to sell me a "History of Pre-Islamic Turkey"!

I'm waiting to see a pseudo-icon of Mustapha Kemal (aka Ataturk) in the vestments of the Emperor.

Fr. Serge