Priestly vestments are vestments worn by priests when they perform divine services and the sacraments. They remind them of their duties and are given to them at their ordination. Wearing them is very important because the vestment, in general, symbolizes the spiritual personality of the minister of the sacraments. When a priest wears special vestments in preparation for divine service, he is thereby indicating that his ordinary personality has been obscured and is no longer important, but has made way for a new personality, that of the minister of the sacraments. The priest who performs the divine service is no longer in our view the man we meet daily. He is now the living instrument established by the Holy Spirit to serve the glorious sacraments, which he uses - despite his unworthiness - to spread the grace of the Lord in the Church.
Wearing the priestly vestments means that the priest, despite his ignorance and his sins, which are a matter of account between him and God, can fulfill the divine mysteries because the true fulfiller of the mysteries is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who is “the priest forever” (Ps. 110:4) (Heb. 5:6). He does this through the priest. The priestly vestments are brightly colored and embroidered with gold and silver to indicate that the minister of the holy mysteries is approaching the glory of the divine kingdom as a mediator between God and the people.
The Church uses bright and varied colors. White represents the redemption by the blood of the Savior and is worn on the feasts of the martyrs and the funeral of Christ. Blue represents purity and holiness and is worn on the feast of Epiphany, the feasts of the Virgin Mary and the righteous saints. Green symbolizes spiritual growth and prosperity with the coming of the Savior. Green is worn on the Nativity Fast and the feasts of the prophets and righteous people of the Old Testament. Gold represents the glory and light experienced by the saints and hermits. It is worn on the feasts of the Lord, such as the Entry, and on the feasts of the righteous hermits and high priests. Purple is the official color of sorrow and therefore dominates the priests’ clothing during the blessed forty-day fast.
We decorate the priestly garments in general and sometimes with pictures of the Lord or Lady or with pictures of the Lord’s feasts to express the joy of the feast and to honor the glorified Lord through the arts used in drawing, music, and hymns, as well as in the decoration of the garments of His servants, indicating the glory that God gives to His servants so that they may serve others and be glorified also by the glory of the Lord.
Types of clothing:
Priestly vestments are divided into three types:
Special clothing for priests: There are six of them: the stichera, the stole, the belt, the sleeves, the stone, and the aphlonia.
The bishop has special clothing: there are twelve pieces of it, which are the stichera, the stole, the belt, the sakkos, the stone, the omophorion, the cross, the anaclibion, the mante, the crown, and the pastoral staff.
In general, the clothes are consecrated by prayer and sprinkling them with holy water. Before wearing them, the priest blesses them by making the sign of the cross, reciting a verse from the Psalms in general, and by praying in a special way.
- Istikhara:
It is a long shirt that falls to the feet and indicates the purity that the priest must possess and maintain in his life. It symbolizes the shiny garment that King Herod put on Christ and sent to Pilate as a mockery (Luke 23:11) or the woven shirt that the soldiers took off Christ when he was crucified (John 23:14). It is the garment of joy and the garment of salvation.
When wearing it, the priest says: “My soul rejoices in the Lord, for he has clothed me with a garment of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of gladness. He has beautified me with a crown like a bridegroom and adorned me with splendor like a bride” (Esther 61:10). - The belt (the auraryon):
A long piece of cloth similar to a belt with small crosses or the words “Holy, Holy, Holy” on it. The deacon wears it on his left shoulder and represents the wings of angels. Because the service of the deacon is like the service of angels.
The priest and bishop are girded with the girdle, which then signifies the chastity necessary for the one who girdle it, and also symbolizes the whips with which the Savior was flogged. The priest and bishop gird their loins with the girdle, preparing to perform the sacred divine service with full control over their desires, and therefore it symbolizes the power with which the Lord girded himself in His kingdom according to the vision. The priest and bishop say when girding themselves with the girdle: “Blessed be God, who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless, who makes my feet straight like deer, and who exalts me on high places” (Hab. 3:19). - Sleeves:
Two broad pieces of cloth with two small crosses on them. The violin covers the arms of a deacon or the ends of the sceptre of a priest or bishop. It signifies the spiritual weapons necessary for the wearer in his spiritual struggle against the devil and the opposition he incites against him, as well as the bonds that bound the hands of the Savior during His passion.
The sleeves cover the ends of the priest’s or bishop’s stipendium, facilitating his movements. When wearing them, it is said on the right sleeve: “Your right hand, O Lord, is glorified with strength; your right hand has crushed the enemies, and by the multitude of your glory you have shattered those who rise up against you.” And on the left sleeve: “Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn your commandments” (Psalm 118:73). - The Batarshil:
A long, wide piece of cloth worn by a priest or bishop around the neck and hanging down over the chest, ending at the bottom with tassels. The stole signifies the divine grace that rests on the wearer and indicates that the bishop or priest bears responsibility for the parish. Without it, the priest cannot perform any church service. When wearing it, it is said: “Blessed be God, who pours out his grace on his priests, like spices on the head, running down on the beard, like the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robe.” (Psalm 132:2). - Stone:
A square piece of cloth with a cross or a picture of a saint in the middle, placed by bishops and priests on the right side, and indicating the virtues of courage, honesty, meekness, and truth that the priest should possess when offering the divine sacrifice.
The stone symbolizes the victory of Christ over death, His glory and power, since He has no partnership with sin.
It also symbolizes the spiritual sword that the priest and bishop must carry, and this sword is teaching, preaching, and uprightness of opinion. It is the sword of truth that is always drawn against the evil one.
It is worn by the bishop and by the priests whom the bishop entrusts with the responsibility of performing the sacrament of confession as spiritual fathers.
The priest says when he wears the stone: “Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, in your beauty and your grace; draw it, and prosper and reign in the way of justice, meekness, and goodness; and your right hand shall guide you wonderfully” (Psalm 44:3). - Avalonian:
A wide, round robe (meslah) with an opening at the top. It is worn through which the priest’s head is placed, and the aponeur covers the priest’s body.
It symbolizes the purple robe that the Roman soldiers mocked our Lord Jesus Christ with during his sufferings, and it symbolizes the grace of the Lord that is established by the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and their successors.
The priest wears it with the stole when performing all the holy mysteries and when performing the isodun (entrance) in the evening prayers as well as in the festive evening prayer (when consecrating the five loaves).
It is the robe of glory, purity and holiness that the Lord pours out on His servants. The priest says when wearing it: “Your priests, O Lord, shall be clothed with righteousness, and your righteous shall rejoice greatly” (Psalm 131:9). - The sakous:
Bishop’s robe: It is a wide, short shirt with wide sleeves and split ends, the ends of which are joined by bells. It symbolizes the shirt of the Savior, over which the soldiers cast lots at the time of the Lord’s crucifixion. It symbolizes the worship of God, the doer of good works, which covers the wearer and encompasses him from all sides. The bishop says when he puts it on: “Let your chief priests, O Lord, clothe themselves with righteousness, and let your righteous ones rejoice with great joy” (Psalm 131:9). - Amophorion:
Shoulder vestment: a rectangular piece of cloth worn by the bishop only on his shoulders and around his neck over the saxophone. It represents the lost sheep that Christ searched for and when he found it, he carried it on his shoulders with great joy and added it to the ninety-nine. It also symbolizes the wood of the cross that Christ carried on his shoulders, which is why it was woven from wool.
When wearing the omophorion, the bishop says: “You bore our lost nature on your shoulders, O Christ, and when you ascended, you presented it to the Father.”
There is a small omophorion that the bishop places instead of the large one in the Divine Liturgy after the Gospel, and he also wears it with the stole in various services. - Encolpion:
An icon of the Lord, the Lady, or one of the saints, studded with precious stones, is hung by the bishop on his chest as a sign of the right faith from all his heart. When hanging it, he says: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 50:10).
The encolpion indicates the importance of its bearer and his eligibility for service, and that the bishop confesses from his heart the right faith. - cross:
A cross of precious metal, studded with stones, hangs from the neck, representing the saying: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). It is worn by the bishop and those in church ranks. - The crown:
The head ornament is round, decorated with lace and holy icons, and topped with a cross, worn by the bishop in church celebrations and in the fulfillment of all the holy mysteries. It indicates the crown of thorns that was placed on the head of the King of Angels and refers to the turban that Aaron and the chief priests wore in the Old Testament according to the command of Moses (Exodus 39:3, 31).
The bishop wearing the crown means that by assuming the duties of the parish, he will, by God’s grace, reach the crown of glory and victory.
The deacon says when he puts the crown on him: “You have placed on his head a crown of precious stones; he asked of you for life, and you gave him length of days” (Psalm 20:3-4). - Crutch:
- Pastoral staff: A long metal or wooden staff topped with two whales with a small cross in the middle, showing the pastoral rights and spiritual authority of the bishop. It refers to the staff of Moses that turned into a serpent and devoured the priests of Pharaoh. It also refers to the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness.
The deacon hands it to the bishop and says: “The Lord will send you a rod of strength from Zion, so that you may rule among your enemies.” “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
On the one hand, he draws inspiration from the Lord’s sufferings and guidance and relies on Him. On the other hand, with the Lord’s rod, he disciplines and governs the church. - The mantet:
A wide, long, red or purple robe with bells attached to the front ends, decorated with two icons on the chest and embroidery in the lower corners. It is worn by the bishop during ceremonies as the teacher of the church, and by the heads of large monasteries as the teachers and fathers of the monks. It was originally a monastic garment that moved to the city with the bishop.
Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi
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