What is the colour set down by the Church for Lent?
The Church’s liturgical books cite the colour
violaceus (a Latin word), which can be translated as violet or purple. Unfortunately these alternate translations are used indiscriminately, even though they refer to two quite different colours.
In descriptive terms,
violet is tinged with blue;
purple is tinged with red.
We know that the vesture of bishops is a colour we call
Roman purple. Is this the colour intended for sacred vestments in the Seasons of Lent (and Advent)? Some say yes, some say no. The practice throughout the world and in Rome itself has differed over the course of the last several centuries.
Let’s try to identify what is a suitable colour for Lenten vestments. The Season of Lent is penitential and its vestments ought to be distinguished by being sombre. The purple of bishops, however, is intended to be a mark of their rank, and is derived from the use (by the ancient Romans) of purple robes to denote dignity, prestige and royalty. Consequently, Roman purple or
fuchsia is not intended to be penitential.
Would the darker colour, then, violet (closer to
indigo) be correct? Although the use of dark violet is now widespread, its development for liturgical use dates from the 19th century. Furthermore, such a colour was not used in Rome for sacred vestments until much more recently.
There is no correct colour, nor even shade of colour for Lenten violaceus. But sombreness is the appropriate mood for the Season, at least in the Western Church.
AMDG.
