A camauro (from the Latin camelaucum and from the Greek language kamelauchion, meaning "camel-skin hat") is a cap traditionally worn by the pope, the head of the Catholic Church.
Construction
Camauros are traditionally made of red
velvet or
silk and white ermine fur, or of white
damask fabric with fur for the hat worn during the octave of
Easter.
It is constructed with the rear panels shorter than the front panels, so it sits lower on the neck and ears in the rear, providing more warmth and comfort.
Its red-and-white construction has led it to be compared to the hat worn by
Santa Claus.
History and use
The camauro emerged in the 12th century, originally being worn by both cardinals -- without the fur trim --and the Pope in place of the
biretta.
It perhaps shares a common ancestor with the
zucchetto, another hat worn by high-ranking Catholic
Prelate.
In 1464 it was restricted to the Pope, with cardinals wearing the scarlet zuchetto instead.
During the Rennaisance era, when the hat appears in a 1512 portrait of Pope Julius II by
Raphael, it was a part of the less formal version of papal dress, the
choir dress.
It also was part of the vesture in which the pope was dressed following his death.
It was worn commonly by popes up until the latter part of the 18th century, and occasionally used by Pius IX and Leo XIII.
While it was worn by Pius XII as part of his funeral rites, neither he nor any of his successors wore it while they were living for 50 years prior.
John XXIII revived the hat with the assistance of papal tailor
Gammarelli, wearing it for the first time in a December 1958 audience with the pastors of the city of Rome.
The sartorial firm recreating the garment, lacking contemporary examples of the headwear, had to base their construction off of rennaisance portraiture featuring the hat.
Benedict XVI also made use of the hat on one occasion in December of 2005, saying that he wore it mainly to keep his head warm but stopped wearing it to avoid over-interpretation.
Gallery
File:Pope Julius II.jpg|Pope Julius II
File:Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Portrait d'Urbain VIII.jpg|Pope Urban VIII
File:ClementXIII.jpeg|Pope Clement XIII
File:Camauro Weiss Sammlung Philippi.JPG|The Easter camauro, with white fur trim and a white damask base.
Notes
External links
