Epanokalimavkion

File:Dimitry rostovsky 17c.jpg

Icon of Saint Dimitry of Rostov, wearing a white metropolitan's .

File:Tikhon of Moscow.jpg

Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow wearing the patriarchal koukoulion with embroidered white .

An (Template:Langx, also Template:Transliteration ()) is an item of clerical clothing worn by Orthodox Christian monastics who are rassophor or above, including bishops. It is a cloth veil, usually black, which is worn with a .

Overview

The is attached to the front of the and extends over the top to hang down the back, with lappets hanging down on each side. In some traditions, monks leave the lappets hanging over the shoulders, but nuns bring them together and fasten them [1] Template:Webarchive behind the apostolnik.

In the Russian tradition, the covered by its is collectively referred to as a .

Hierodeacons (i.e., monastic deacons) will remove the when they are vested and serving at liturgical services; if they are not serving, however, they will wear it whenever attending services. Monks who have been ordained to minor orders (subdeacon, reader, altar server) do not wear the when vested. Hieromonks (monastic priests) always wear the whenever they wear the .

In the Russian tradition, the of an archbishop has a jewelled cross stitched to the front of it near the crown of the . A metropolitan wears a white with the same jewelled cross. The Patriarch of Moscow's is often richly embroidered with seraphim or other symbols on the lappets and is attached to a conical called a . The Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, which is not in communion with Moscow, also wears the .

The Patriarch of Bulgaria wears a white with small cross. The Patriarch of Romania also wears a white .

On Mount Athos, particular practices may vary from monastery to monastery, but generally speaking—in the Greek monasteries, at least—the is not attached to the , but is merely laid over it. The reason for this is that the Athonite typicons call for it to be removed from the and laid over the shoulders at certain moments during the services.

References

• Pictures of Epanokalimavkion and other clerical headgear Template:In lang