Vestments developed from togas and tunics

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

At Mass, you can always tell the presider - even before he approaches the altar. He's the one wearing vestments.

And yet, in the early church, you might not have known who was leading Mass - at least not by their clothing.

Today, vestments are sacramentals (blessed articles) set aside for liturgical use. But in the early church, vestments were clothes - everyday vesture. While they have undergone a lot of change in 2,000 years, vestments still reveal their origins in ordinary Greco-Roman attire.

ALB: The alb, worn over street clothes and under all other vestments, comes from the white toga of the upper class. The garment was long and flowing, with many folds. By the third century, the toga worn for liturgy had lengthened and gained sleeves, a style perhaps borrowed from the everyday tunic of the average person.

After the overthrow of the Western empire by northern tribes, the common people of Rome adopted the dress of the conquerors. However, the church chose to retain the garments it had been using and the first true liturgical vestments developed.

Adaptations developed for liturgical use - for example, closer fitting sleeves and fewer folds to get in the way. However, the alb (from the Latin alba for white) remains white.

The alb is not limited to clergy, but is proper to all baptized individuals who perform liturgical duties.

CINCTURE: The cincture developed to keep the multi-fold toga, and the more common tunic, tied tightly. Today, the cincture does the same for the alb. There is some evidence that early cinctures were more like a sash, and called girdles. The cincture is usually white, though it may be of the same liturgical color as other vestments of the day.

CHASUBLE: While the pure-white toga was the mark of an upper-class Roman, the chasuble derived from peasant garb. The casula, or "little house," was like a poncho and covered the whole body. Farmers used the casula to work in all kinds of weather, since it protected the arm and legs.

The chasuble's voluminous fabric posed problems as the form of the Mass developed. This was especially true as more elaborate chasubles developed between the ninth and 13th centuries. Since Mass was celebrated in dark cathedrals with lots of candles, it became necessary for priest to have attendants, often deacons, to hold back the folds of his garment to prevent fires. Other chasubles came with attachments that helped roll up the sleeves.

For these practical purposes, the Gothic style chasuble - the basic circle of flowing fabric - was modified during the Renaissance (15th century) into the Roman chasuble, sometimes called fiddleback. This style is shorter and has cut-away sleeves and fits tightly. Either style is acceptable. Chasubles can be elaborately decorated and are the color of the liturgical season or feast day.

THE DAMALTIC: In some ways, the dalmatic - worn by deacons and permitted to bishops - is similar to the chasuble, since it is the same liturgical color and decorated. However, unlike the poncho-chasuble, it traces its origins to the upper class. The dalmatic has short sleeves and fits over the alb, like a chasuble. It first came from the region of the Adriatic Sea (in Dalmatia, now Croatia) and was first only worn by high-ranking members of civil society.

Dalmatics are decorated with two bars down the back, while a chasuble has a cross - sometimes stylized as a "Y" on its back.

STOLE: Worn by bishops, priests and deacons, the stole is said to have developed from a piece of cloth called the orarium. It was awarded by the Roman government as a sign of heroism, although imperial messengers and civil officials also wore them. Priests presiding at Mass wear the stole around their necks, over the alb and under the chasuble - either straight down from the shoulders or crossed and tied with a cincture. Deacons wear the stole over their left shoulder and tied at the right hip. Priests and deacons must wear stoles during any sacramental duties. Stoles also match the color of the liturgical season.

PALLIUM: Stoles share a history with the pallium, now worn exclusively by archbishops and popes. The pallium - worn around the neck and over a chasuble - was first a Greek garment, worn by teachers and philosophers. Ancient depictions of Christ show him in a pallium, which wraps around the body, starting at the left shoulder. In Roman society, the pallium was a symbol of high office. (Modern palliums encircle the neck and chest.)

THE AMICE: This rectangular piece of fabric seems to have first been a head covering - and can still be put on that way. It ties about the shoulders and should completely cover street clothes under vestments. Though it was first used to protect the head from the elements, it later served to protect elaborate chasubles from perspiration and skin oil.

COPE: The cope is not seen as often as the chasuble, though it resembles one that opens in the front. It developed, as the name implies, as a cape. It is worn separately from the chasuble for certain liturgical services that do not include celebration of the Eucharist, such as Benediction.

While modern vestments clearly serve liturgical purposes, it is helpful to recall that most of these garments - while greatly altered - were once everyday apparel. They did not come from Jewish priestly attire, or kingly robes, but were the clothes of people from across society - the farmer, businessman, teacher, the everyday worker and local hero. Just as Christ came to draw all people to himself, so the vestments of his church are drawn from all walks of life, drawing all into the one celebration of the sacraments.