PART ONE: THE CONICAL CHASUBLE
Frequently, the Studio receives enquiries asking about the distinctions between the different styles of chasubles. Comments are also often seen on websites which indicate that this subject matter is still not well-known. Although this has been written about before on the blog, we wish to present a series of articles describing the styles of chasuble down the centuries until our own time.
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Well-preserved conical chasuble of S' Vitalis, dating from 11th century.
Note the "TAU" orphrey, ornamenting the chasuble. |
The ancestor of the liturgical vestment called the chasuble is a Roman garment called the
paenula.
It was a semi-circular cloak, sewn together down the front and completely covering the arms. It was a garment for everyday wear by the
lower classes, but was also worn by the upper classes and by women for travel and in bad weather. From the Fifth century, a garment of similar shape but made in richer material was adopted by the Roman upper classes for ceremonial wear and this
planeta was the immediate ancestor of our chasuble. Then, from the 9th century, a third name was given to a cloak which was still in the shape of the early paenula, and like it was a protective outer garment for the poor:
casula (Latin for “little house”). For a time, the secular and liturgical use of these three similar garments continued side by side. It was the shape of these garments, rather than their use which came to be associated with the liturgical chasuble.
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Small, but beautiful conical chasuble of the 13th century preserved
in the Church of S' Yves de Louannec.
Note that this chasuble is devoid of ornament. |
From the Tenth century, what we know as the chasuble consisted of a semi-circle of material with the two halves of the straight edge folded
together and sewn down the front leaving an opening at the neck. The neck opening was sometimes widened slightly, leaving a short horizontal opening near the top of the centre seam. This shape is referred to as the conical or bell chasuble. It was not until the turn of the Tenth and Eleventh centuries that the chasuble was recognised everywhere as the vestment exclusively to be used for the Mass. But even until well into
the Eleventh century, it continued to be worn by deacons, lectors and acolytes, not exclusively by priests.
For readers who may be unfamiliar with this style, the shape of a conical chasuble is very similar to that of a bell. Consequently, in
order for the wearer to use his arms, the conical chasuble must be pulled up at the sides and the fabric allowed to rest in the small of
the arms. When this happens, the vestment folds upward from the bottom in a manner quite distinctive. Many illustrations, statues and
monuments from late Antiquity to the Middle Ages regularly show vestments with precisely these folds.
A conical chasuble is not for celebrants who like to wave their arms around a lot, but it is quite manageable if the arms always remain
extended or joined. Unlike the more commonly-found chasubles, the conical chasuble must be tailored to the shape of the wearer's
shoulders, otherwise it fits very ill.
Click on the image for an enlarged view.
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