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The Textiles of the Christian Orthodox Church

A Brief History For Young Readers

by Fionn Zarubica

The clothes we wear today are very different from the clothes we wore 2000 years ago; but, in the Christian Orthodox church, the clothes the priests wear are almost exactly the same. These clothes are called vestments. The word vestment comes from the Latin word vestis, which means garment.

During the time of the Apostles, when the Christian church was being established, there was no difference between the clothes worn for everyday life and the clothes worn for celebration of the sacraments. This was not only because formal vestments had not been established, but also because during that time, Christians were being persecuted and did not wish to draw attention to themselves.

In the fourth century, Constantine the Great fought and won a major battle at the Milvian Bridge, became the first Christian Roman Emperor and established Constantinople, the “New Rome” at Byzantium. Under his rule Christians were able to practice their faith openly, and the church fathers began to call for a formal manner of dress for clergy in service to the church.

What we consider today as traditional clergy dress is based on Roman dress of the 3rd and 4th century, although some time elapsed before the everyday garment of that time came to be regarded without any doubt as a liturgical vestment, worn specially for the celebration of the liturgy. Over time the dress of ordinary life changed, and there emerged a noticeable difference between the dress of the clergy and the people. Monastic orders were different from them both.

When Justinian I became Emperor, in 527 CE, liturgical vestments, particularly those of the bishops, began to imitate the dress of the Emperor’s court. Silks were used to make the finest vestments. Until that time, silk was imported from Sogdiana in Central Asia and the Sassanian Empire in Persia. But Persia was a chief enemy of the Byzantine Empire, and supplies of silk were always in peril. Because silk was such a valuable article of trade, this was of great concern to Justinian. It is said that one day two monks came to Justinian by way of India, and offered to provide him with the eggs of the silkworm. They also offered to teach his people to produce their own silk, a process called sericulture. Seeing that he would never have to be dependent on his enemies the Persians again, Justinian accepted the Monks’ offer and thus silk production was established in the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire became famous and wealthy because of its silks, and the churches were well supplied with materials for their vestments.

The Byzantines were not only famous for their silks, but for their embroideries as well. They were most renowned for their technique with gold embroidery, which they preferred over colored thread embroidery. It is said that they were masters at releasing the fire from within the gold when lit by church candles. Thanks to the support of Justinian I, Constantinople became a center for the textile arts for the next 900 years.

It is not only in the vestments that we see special textiles for the church. Woven and decorated textiles were highly prized. Silks with Christian scenes were in great demand as wall hangings, coverings for the holy table, holy relics, and other sacred elements; as well as the veil used to decorate the sanctuary and the curtain for the door of the iconostasis, which was used to shield the altar from public gaze during the most sacred moments in the liturgy.

Although the vestments of the Orthodox Church have their origins in the ordinary, they have become something quite extraordinary. Practical garments and precious works of art, everyday clothing and symbols of devotion. Their beauty reflects heaven on earth; each thread a prayer that unites us with one another across all boundaries of space and time.

Love is all that matters!

Image:
Sakkos of the Bishop of Melenikon Ioannikios
Date: 18th century
Medium: Silk, linen, gold and silver
Accession Number: ΒΥΦ 58
Museum of Byzantine Culture, Thessaloniki, Greece

Source: Heal To Be - a blog about personal culture


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People Directory

Bishop Irinej (Dobrijević)

(2016–)

On 25 May 2016 the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church elected by acclamation Bishop Irinej of Australia and New Zealand to the Throne of Bishops of Eastern America following the election of Bishop Mitrophan of Eastern America to the Throne of Bishops of Canada.

He was born in 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, to his father Djuro and mother Milica (nee Svilar). His elementary and secondary education was completed in Cleveland, Ohio. After attending the Cleveland Institute of Art from 1973–1975, he attended St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania from 1975–1979, where he graduated with a Licentiate in Theology with the academic distinction maxima cum laude. In 1980 he enrolled in St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York and graduated in 1982 with a Master of Divinity degree with Honorable Mention for his master’s thesis Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich: A 1921 Mission to America. Following which, he entertained studies at the Athens Centre in 2000 and 2003 receiving levels I and II certificates in contemporary Greek language.

He spent most of his career in the field of education. He lectured as visiting fellow at Loyola University in Chicago and visiting fellow at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. For many years he was the co-editor of The Path of Orthodoxy, the official publication of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada.

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Publishing

Holy Emperor Constantine and the Edict of Milan

by Bishop Athanasius (Yevtich)

In 2013 Christian world celebrates 1700 years since the day when the Providence of God spoke through the holy Emperor Constantine and freedom was given to the Christian faith. Commemorating the 1700 years since the Edict of Milan of 313, Sebastian Press of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church published a book by Bishop Athanasius Yevtich, Holy Emperor Constantine and the Edict of Milan. The book has 72 pages and was translated by Popadija Aleksandra Petrovich. This excellent overview of the historical circumstances that lead to the conversion of the first Christian emperor and to the publication of a document that was called "Edict of Milan", was originally published in Serbian by the Brotherhood of St. Simeon the Myrrh-gusher, Vrnjci 2013. “The Edict of Milan” is calling on civil authorities everywhere to respect the right of believers to worship freely and to express their faith publicly.

The publication of this beautiful pocket-size, full-color, English-language book, has been compiled and designed by Bishop Athanasius Yevtich, a disciple of the great twentieth-century theologian Archimandrite Justin Popovich. Bishop Athanasius' thought combines adherence to the teachings of the Church Fathers with a vibrant faith, knowledge of history, and a profound experience of Christ in the Church.

In the conclusion of the book, the author states:"The era of St. Constantine and his mother St. Helena, marks the beginning of what history refers to as Roman, Christian Empire, which was named Byzantium only in recent times in the West. In fact, this was the conception of a Christian Europe. Christian Byzantine culture had a critical effect on Europe; Europe was its heir, and then consciously forgot it. Europe inherited many Byzantine treasures, but unfortunately, also robbed and plundered many others for its own treasuries and museums – not only during the Crusades, but during colonial rule in the Byzantine lands as well. We, the Orthodox Slavs, received a great heritage of the Orthodox Christian East from Byzantium. Primarily, Christ’s Gospel, His faith and His Church, and then, among other things, the Cyrillic alphabet, too."