by Krista West
The baptismal robe of the Orthodox Christian originates from what is arguably the most basic of ancient, civilized garments: the tunic. As delineated above, while there have been various lengths and styles of tunics throughout human history, the tunic that the Orthodox Christian baptismal robe is based upon is the sticharion of Byzantium (“tunica talaris” in Latin). The long profile is a pre-Christian symbol of high rank or status which, in the Church’s usage, came to bespeak the Christian’s adoption as a son of God, thus being given the highest possible human rank by adoption into the family of God.
This garment is always white to symbolize purity and new life and is made from either cotton or a polyester-cotton blend, silk broadcloth, linen, or synthetic polyester satin. The neck placket is finished with either half-inch, one-inch, or one-and-a-half-inch wide galloon and the cross on the back can be either gold, silver, white, or red, depending on preference and local custom.
Figure 1. Sketch of baptismal robe.
The baptismal robe of an Orthodox Christian is bestowed at his baptism, immediately after he emerges from the font. The robe is blessed by the priest and given to the infant’s godparents to clothe him or, in the case of adult baptism, given to the sponsor to assist the newly illumined.3 In many traditions the baptismal robe is worn to the Divine Liturgy for a period of time following the baptism: forty days, three consecutive Sundays, or some other length of time specified by local custom.
Vestments of the Minor Orders
In the Orthodox Christian Church, there are both minor and major clerical orders. The minor orders are blessed or tonsured to a specific realm of service in a particular parish (e.g., reading, chanting, serving at the altar) and these offices comprise acolyte, reader, chanter, and subdeacon. The major orders are ordained and are comprised of the offices of deacon, presbyter, and bishop.
A reader or chanter does not wear vestments properly speaking. Rather both the reader and the chanter wear, while exercising their offices within the church, some form of either the inner or outer cassock (see the subsequent section on cassocks for more information on these garments).
An altar server, also known as an acolyte or taper-bearer, wears the garment referred to as the sticharion. This garment is quite similar in overall design to a baptismal robe, being a long, tunic-type garment, but in the case of a brocade sticharion it is not made from one whole piece of cloth (due to the bulkiness of the fabric) but is rather made from a front and back cut from brocade and sewn together at the shoulders and the sides. This brocade sticharion is the same garment whether worn by altar servers, subdeacons, or deacons, but the altar server’s and subdeacon’s sticharion is typically made with less ornamentation than the deacon’s and with sewn sides rather than button sides. An altar server’s sticharion features a galloon neck placket, double bands of galloon at the sleeves and hem, and a simple cross sewn to the back between the shoulder blades. While the color and design of the brocade can vary widely, it is considered seemly that such brocade is never more ornate or lavish than that worn by a deacon or presbyter in order that the vestments of the minor order not eclipse those of the major.
A subdeacon vests in a brocade sticharion just like the altar server’s, but with the addition of a subdeacon’s orarion, a long, rectangular garment which is a simpler version of the deacon’s orarion. Because the width of the orarion is a historic indication of rank (the wider the orarion, the higher the rank), the subdeacon’s orarion is narrow, typically four inches wide. It varies in length depending on the wearer, but can be anywhere from thirteen to sixteen feet long. Its ornamentation is a simplified variation on the deacon’s orarion and typically features three crosses (one placed at the center and one at each end), galloon around the perimeter, and no fringe. The orarion is usually made from brocade to match the sticharion, but can also be made of different-colored brocades or solid-colored velvets which can then be worn in conjunction with a bright brocade sticharion to conform to color rubrics (e.g., in Great Lent a subdeacon could wear a gold brocade sticharion with a dark burgundy orarion).
The subdeacon’s orarion is worn over the brocade sticharion in the following manner: the center of the orarion is wrapped around the waist and both ends are taken to the back where they are crossed over the shoulder blades and brought to the front of the wearer; these ends are then crossed and tucked through the portion of the orarion that is wrapped around the waist in order to secure them. Wearing the orarion in this manner partially conceals the cross on the back of the sticharion, but this is distinctly preferable to placing the cross much lower down the back because such lower positioning places the cross directly behind the lower organs instead of near the heart and thus does not retain the symbolism of the cross being worn adjacent to the spiritual center of the man. In some cases, if a subdeacon is preparing for imminent, diaconal ordination, he will wear the more ornate deacon’s sticharion and orarion (without cuffs) in order that he need not purchase separate sets of vestments, but he will still wear the orarion in the subdiaconal fashion.4
Figure 2. Photograph of altar server’s robe.
Figure 3. Photograph of altar server’s robe with subdeacon’s orarion.
Vestments of the Major Orders
As mentioned above, the major orders of the Church are deacon, presbyter, and bishop.5 Their vestments are more ornate and comprised of more garments than the minor orders and are typically made from more splendid fabrics and finishings. We will examine the vestments of each order in turn.
Vestments of the Deacon
The deacon vests in a sticharion, typically of brocade material, which is almost exactly the same in design as the brocade sticharion of the altar server or subdeacon, but is finished in a more ornate manner. Whereas the altar server’s sticharion is finished with simply sewn sides and galloon trim at only the hem and sleeves (and is sometimes unlined), the deacon’s sticharion is finished not only with these same decorative bands at hem and sleeve, but also has galloon sewn around the entire perimeter of the garment and the garment is then fully lined. The sides are held together by either buttons and loops or buttons sewn through both sides of the garment. This method of finishing emphasizes the ancient symbolic shape of the garment which forms a cross when it is unbuttoned and laid out flat.
In general design, the deacon’s sticharion is quite similar to the baptismal robe from which it is derived, but it has been tailored to reduce the bulk of the brocade from which it is made and thus has become more like the ancient colobium which was also a heavier garment than a common tunic. The deacon’s sticharion features wider sleeves, twenty-eight to thirty-four inches in circumference, and it is common for the final button holding the sleeves together to be placed not at the very end of the sleeve (near the wrist), but several inches back in order that the cuffs may be better displayed.
The upper bands of galloon sewn to the sleeves and hem serve both a decorative and practical purpose: because brocade is usually no wider than sixty inches it is not wide enough to cut the entire front or back of the sticharion with the necessary sleeve length, so extra pieces of brocade must be sewn to the sticharion to extend the sleeves. The galloon hides the seam of these extensions, giving the appearance of the garment being made from one entire piece of cloth.
In Greek style the deacon’s sticharion has the traditional neck placket and the galloon bands as described above along with the perimeter galloon, but in the Russian style a further galloon embellishment is often added by sewing a square, or “bib,” of galloon on the front and back of the upper torso area. When the galloon bib is used the cross on the back of the sticharion is centered within this square. Further ornamentation can be added by variations which incorporate solid-colored velvet into the brocade sticharion. Velvet can be sewn into the entire area of the galloon bib in the case of the Russian style, or it can take the place of the brocade in the sleeve extensions. When velvet is used for the sleeve extensions, there is usually a coordinating band of velvet sewn between the bands of galloon at t
he hem of the garment.
While the deacon’s sticharion of today is nearly always made from brocade, be it polyester or real-metal brocade, this is conjectured by scholars to be a rather late development. Prior to the use of brocade it would have been typical for solid-colored silk or wool to be used (or possibly linen, although this is less likely due to its impractical tendency to wrinkle). It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment of transition from solid-colored textiles to brocades and more scholarship is necessary to determine the point of this change and even the veracity of such a transition. (Because silk brocades were so heavily in use throughout the entire Byzantine Empire one wonders how, while all other vestments were made from patterned silk, the deacon’s sticharion would have been somehow exempted from this practice.)
A variety of fabrics are currently used for the deacon’s sticharion: these include synthetic brocades (polyester or rayon), real-metal brocades (polyester base with metallic fibers woven throughout), silk brocades, machine-embroidered polyesters, machine-embroidered velvet, and both synthetic and cotton velvet (the latter is greatly preferred due to its more historic appearance). Less-ornate versions can be made of fabrics with woven designs (typically polyester-cotton blends) or machine-embroidered embellishments. These styles made from lighter fabrics are often left unlined for greater comfort.
The orarion is the scarf of office for the deacon, typically a very long and narrow garment (nine to fifteen feet in length and five to seven inches in width) worn over the sticharion. In Greek practice (and in the case of Russian archdeacons or protodeacons), it is worn in a particular looped fashion (this looped form of the garment may be termed a “double orarion”): starting at the left back heel, the orarion is brought up to the left shoulder, comes down across the chest draping diagonally to the right hip whence it is wrapped around and brought across the upper back to the left shoulder once again, and then drapes over the left shoulder to the front of the body and hangs down to the left front foot. From this position the front section is then taken up and remains either draped over the left forearm or held in the right hand for the intoning of petitions. The Russian practice is for the orarion to be worn from the left back heel up to the shoulder and then draped down to the left front foot from whence it is taken up over the left arm or held in the right hand. Because there is no hip loop in the ordinary Russian usage (excepting deacons who have been elevated to preeminent rank) the Russian orarion is typically six feet shorter than the Greek orarion, making it approximately nine to ten feet in length (this shorter form of the garment may be termed a “single orarion”).
Whether the orarion is worn in the looped, Greek fashion or in the straight, Russian fashion, its draping is changed by the deacon prior to his receiving Holy Communion and assisting with the distribution of the Holy Gifts to the laity (ordinarily this change is made at the recitation of the “Our Father” in the Divine Liturgy). The center of the orarion is drawn to the front of the waist and the ends are brought to the back, crossed over the shoulder blades, brought over the shoulders and tucked, crossed, through the center front at the waist, so that the orarion assumes the same configuration as that used by a subdeacon. This secures the ends of the orarion so that the deacon’s hands are free for the reception of the Holy Gifts and to better assist with the ministration of the chalice.
The orarion is interfaced to provide stability and durability, lined, and finished with galloon around its entire perimeter and double rows of galloon and fringe at each end. There are seven crosses which are sewn in the following manner: one at the center of the orarion (worn at the bottom of the hip loop in the Greek practice and worn at the top of the left shoulder in the Russian practice), and then three crosses sewn to the front and three crosses sewn to the back. These seven crosses represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The archdeacon’s or protodeacon’s orarion is awarded to a deacon when he is elevated to preeminence within the diaconate. It is wider than the standard orarion, typically six to eight inches wide, and approximately fifteen feet long since the hip loop is employed in both Greek and Russian practice. Because the archdeacon’s or protodeacon’s orarion is an award given after many years of diaconal service or on account of a deacon’s leading liturgical role, it is a much more ornate garment, often lavishly embroidered with a design scheme comprised of grapevines to symbolize the deacon’s service during Holy Communion, the monogram “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Is 6.3), and iconographic representations of cherubim and seraphim which call to mind the correspondence of the deacon’s role at the earthly Altar to the position at the heavenly Altar of the higher angels, who continually cry “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Due to the elaborate embellishment of the archdeacon’s or protodeacon’s orarion, there will often be fewer crosses, usually reduced to three in order to symbolize the Holy Trinity. These elaborately embellished award oraria are made either of a deep blue or burgundy ground fabric of velvet or silk and are then worn with all of the deacon’s sticharia, regardless of the color or design of the sticharion. They may also be made from brocade to match existing deacon’s vestments.
The last pieces of the deacon’s vestments are epimanikia (cuffs), and these will be discussed in more detail in the “Vestments of the Presbyter” section below. Cuffs were not a part of the ancient diaconal vestments but are a fairly late addition, granted by episcopal award.
When the deacon’s vestments are made as a set comprised of sticharion, orarion, and epimanikia, each of the pieces is made from matching brocade, lining, and galloon. Often the crosses will be a matching set, with the crosses on the orarion and cuffs being smaller versions of the main cross on the back of the sticharion. However, it is also common practice for a deacon to vest with various-colored oraria, either brocade or velvet, worn in conjunction with either a bright or dark brocade sticharion, to be in conformance with the rubrics or local color traditions. Not only an economical practicality, this can be a very beautiful expression of the Orthodox Christian approach to color usage: a deacon can wear a white and gold sticharion with a deep blue velvet orarion or a red sticharion with a gold orarion—the variations are limitless and reflect the historical approach to color found within the Orthodox Christian Church (for more information on color, please see Chapter Five).
Figure 4a. Sketch of deacon’s vestments, Greek style.
Figure 4b. Sketch of deacon’s vestments, Russian style.
When serving the Divine Liturgy and assisting at the Prothesis, the deacon is fully vested with sticharion, orarion, and epimanikia. For Great Vespers he vests in the sticharion and orarion, but does not wear cuffs. Deacons typically do not serve at daily Vespers, but when they are called upon to serve they wear—in the Greek practice—the exorason with orarion (this is also the practice for other minor services or blessings). For baptisms, weddings, and funerals, the deacon vests in sticharion and orarion. (It should be noted that in the modern Russian practice the deacon is usually fully vested for all services.) For Pascha and Bright Week the major orders are fully vested for every service, which means the deacon wears sticharion, orarion, and epimanikia.
Vestments of the Presbyter
The presbyter’s vestments include the sticharion, epitrachelion, zone, epimanikia, and phelonion.6 Special award pieces may also be worn, which are discussed below. The presbyter begins vesting by putting on his sticharion which is identical in design to the baptismal robe but is finished with more galloon ornamentation that often coordinates with the galloon used on the rest of the vestment set. The sticharion represents his baptism garment and thus is typically white or off-white (though in Greek practice the fabric of the sticharion sometimes matches the color and fabric of the lining of the vestments) and can be made from cotton, cotton-polyester blends, synthetic satin, silk broadcloth, or occasionally linen. Just like the baptismal robe it is made from one piece of cloth which, when laid out flat, forms the shape of a cross and has extensions sewn to the sleeves to make the garment the required width since most fabric used for st
icharia is not wide enough to reach from wrist to wrist. The priest’s sticharion has the typical galloon neck placket and is finished with a six-inch cross on the back sewn between the shoulder blades and various arrangements of galloon banding at the hem. These hem banding variations can range from double rows of either one-inch or one-and-a-half inch wide galloon spaced four to six inches apart to a single, three-inch wide band of galloon sewn at the very edge of the hem, to more elaborate embroidery designs worked along the lower eight to twelve inches of the garment (when this type of embroidery is utilized, it sometimes takes the place of any galloon embellishment). There is also a special variation in which an approximately six-inch band of the brocade of the vestments is sewn to the hem of the sticharion, bordered on either side by a band of galloon. The sleeves of the priest’s sticharion are open from the elbow to the wrist and have a piece of cording sewn to the back of the sleeve which allows the priest to overlap the sleeve edges around his wrist, taking up the excess fabric, wrapping it around the wrist, and securing it with the cord. The most traditional sticharia have only side seams so that they retain the design feature of being made from one piece of cloth, but it is not uncommon to see sticharia with additional vertical seams in order to provide the necessary width if the given fabric is not wide enough for the garment or to reduce the overall girth of the garment if a more tailored fit is desired. Regardless of the number of vertical seams, there are always slits along the side seam, approximately ten inches long, so that the priest may place the zone around his waist over the sticharion in the front and tie the ends of the zone under the sticharion in the back.