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The cassock is used by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and some other Protestants. An item of clerical clothing, it's a long, close-fitting, ankle-length robe.
Likewise, the stole is a vestment of distinction, a symbol of ordination. It's worn as a long narrow strip of cloth draped around the neck.
The alb is the common garment of any ministers at the Eucharist, worn over a cassock. A symbol of purity, it resembles the long, white linen tunic used by the ancient Romans.
Vestments used specifically by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans include the surplice, a white tunic worn over a cassock or habit. A surplice is meant to symbolize the purity of the ritual of baptism.
The cope is a long, semi-circular mantle or cloak reaching to the ankle. Often intricately embroidered, it's used by bishops and priests and, occasionally, also by deacons.
In Catholic and Anglo-Catholic use, the rochet is similar to a surplice but with close-fitting sleeves. A ceremonial vestment, the rochet is often distinguished for its highly decorative lacework.
Commonly worn by bishops (including cardinals and the pope), the zucchetto is reminiscent of the Jewish kippah. The color of the zucchetto denotes the wearer's rank. For example, the pope's zucchetto is white, cardinals are red or scarlet, and those of bishops, territorial abbots, and territorial prelates are purple. Priests and deacons wear a black zucchetto.
The mitre, also spelled miter, is the liturgical headdress worn by Roman Catholic bishops and abbots and some Anglican and Lutheran bishops. It developed from the papal tiara and came into use in the 11th century.
The maniple is an ornamental vestment in the form of a band worn about the wrist and used only during the Eucharist. Some Anglicans and Lutherans also use the maniple.
The humeral veil is worn by priests to cover the back, shoulders, and hands as they carry the monstrance. It's one of the liturgical vestments of the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, but is also used by some Anglican and Lutheran churches.
The biretta, a square cap with three ridges or peaks on its upper surface, is worn by clerics of all grades from cardinals downwards. As with the zucchetto, the color designates the wearer's rank: red for cardinals, purple for bishops, and black for priests.
A chasuble is the outermost sacramental garment worn by Roman Catholic priests and bishops for the celebration of the Eucharist.
The dalmatic is the knee-length outer liturgical vestment of the deacon in the Western Church. It's worn over the alb.
Used exclusively by Roman Catholics, the pallium is a narrow band of lamb's wool decorated with six black crosses. Worn by the pope, the pallium is an ancient vestment dating back to the 4th century CE and is symbolic of the special relationship bishops and archbishops—who also wear the pallium—enjoy with the pontiff.
Episcopal gloves, also called pontifical gloves, are the liturgical gloves worn by a bishop celebrating a Pontifical Solemn Mass. The color of the gloves always corresponds with the liturgical color of the feast or day in the services of which they are worn.
Similarly, episcopal sandals are also worn by a bishop conducting a Solemn Mass, the color of which again matches the liturgical color of the Mass.
Far more grand is the papal tiara. First worn by popes as far back as the 8th century, a ceremonial crown of this sort was last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963. Examples are now confined to museums.
Sources: (New Advent) (Aleteia) (NPR)
See also: Crowns fit for heads of state
Used solely by Anglicans, the chimere is a red or black liturgical garment worn by bishops.
The Canterbury cap originated in the Middle Ages and is still worn in the the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Catholic Church.
The Geneva gown, also known as the pulpit robe, is customarily worn by ordained ministers and accredited lay preachers in the Christian Church. Its name derives from its use by the Calvinist clergy of Geneva, Switzerland.
The Papal slippers are a historical accoutrement worn by the pope since the time of the Roman Empire. Always red in color, they are in fact rarely worn today, with Pope Francis discontinuing the use of the ecclesiastical footwear in favor of simple black dress shoes.
Garments worn at liturgical functions were now separated from those in ordinary use. And it was between the 6th and the 9th centuries that the main development and definition of ecclesiastical vestments evolved. Mosaics and wall murals from this period, such as the mosaic of Saint Agnes in Rome's Church of Saint Agnes Outside the Walls (pictured), clearly shows Pope Honorius I (left) attired in the alb and also wearing a white linen surplice.
A familiar accoutrement, the papal ferula is the pastoral staff used in the Catholic Church by the pope. It's symbolic of temporal power and governance.
One of the few items of clerical clothing that serves a purely practical purpose, the cappello romano is worn outdoors by Catholic clergy. Its wide circular brim and rounded crown has even found favor with pontiffs, including Pope Benedict XVI.
The origins of ecclesiastical vestments are secular in nature. The style and cut developed from various articles of everyday dress worn by citizens of the Greco-Roman world under the Roman Empire.
A pectoral cross or pectoral (from the Latin pectoralis, "of the chest") is a large cross worn on a chain or necklace around the neck. In the Roman Catholic tradition, it is only worn by bishops, abbots, and certain canons.
Used mainly in the Roman Catholic Church, the Western Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church, the amice is a rectangular piece of white linen held around the neck and shoulders by two bands tied at the waist. Resembling a scarf, this is another liturgical garment derived from apparel worn by secular classes.
Clerical clothing commonly associated with the Christian religion includes vestments—liturgical garments and articles worn by the clergy across the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches. But are you aware that religious fashion has its origins in secular attire? It's from the everyday dress worn by citizens of the ancient Greco-Roman world that some of the most familiar apparel used today by priests, bishops, and even popes originate.
Do you know what a cassock is? What about a surplice? Ever heard of a chasuble or a zucchetto? All these and more are items used in church services. But how are they worn, and why?
Click through for an ecclesiastical fashion show.
The ankle-length tunic (or tunica) was the innermost garment worn by all classes of Roman citizens. By the 6th century CE, however, the tunica had fallen out of fashion in civil life. But the apparel was retained in the services of the Church and developed into the forms of liturgical garments known as the alb and surplice.
The vestment, Christianity's liturgical dress code
The origins of ecclesiastical fashion
LIFESTYLE Religion
Clerical clothing commonly associated with the Christian religion includes vestments—liturgical garments and articles worn by the clergy across the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches. But are you aware that religious fashion has its origins in secular attire? It's from the everyday dress worn by citizens of the ancient Greco-Roman world that some of the most familiar apparel used today by priests, bishops, and even popes originate.
Do you know what a cassock is? What about a surplice? Ever heard of a chasuble or a zucchetto? All these and more are items used in church services. But how are they worn, and why?
Click through for an ecclesiastical fashion show.