Ecclesiastical heraldry
Ecclesiastical heraldry refers to the use of heraldry within Christianity for dioceses, organisations and Christian clergy. Initially used to mark documents, ecclesiastical heraldry evolved as a system for identifying people and dioceses. It is most formalized within the Catholic Church, where most bishops, including the Pope, have a personal coat of arms. Clergy in Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches follow similar customs, as do institutions such as schools and dioceses.
Ecclesiastical heraldry differs notably from other heraldry in the use of special insignia around the
Other insignia include the processional
History
The
Ecclesiastical heraldry developed significantly in the 17th century when a system for ecclesiastical hats that is attributed to Pierre Palliot came into use.
Ecclesiastical heraldry is not determined by heraldic considerations alone, but also by doctrinal, liturgical and canonical factors. It not only produces arms denoting members of the ecclesiastical state but shows the rank of the bearer. ... In the eyes of the Church it is sufficient to determine who has a right to bear an ecclesiastical coat of arms and under what conditions the different insignia are acquired or lost... . The design of prelatial arms is often a disastrous defiance of the rules of heraldry, if only as a breach of good taste.[8]
A similar system for the Church of England was approved in 1976.[9] The traditions of Eastern Christian heraldry have less developed regulation. Eastern secular coats of arms often display a shield before a mantle topped with a crown. Eastern clergy often display coats of arms according to this style, replacing the crown with a hat drawn from liturgical use.
Marking documents is the most common use of arms in the Church today. A Roman Catholic bishop's coat of arms was formerly painted on miniature wine barrels and presented during the ordination ceremony.[10][11] Cardinals may place their coat of arms outside the church of their title in Rome.[12] Impersonal arms are often used as the banner of a school or religious community.
Shield
The shield is the normal device for displaying a coat of arms. Clergy have used less-military shapes such as the oval cartouche, but the shield has always been a clerical option. Clergy in Italy often use a shield shaped like a horse's face-armor. Clergy in South Africa sometimes follow the national style using a Nguni shield.[13] Women traditionally display their coats of arms on a diamond-shaped lozenge; abbesses follow this tradition or use the cartouche.
Personal design
Until the 18th century European bishops were often chosen from noble families which already possessed family arms, which were then used in combination with episcopal attributes.[14] Since then, with the majority of high ranking clergy coming from non-noble backgrounds, devising a personal shield has become the norm. Today the clergy of Catholic Church may use their family arms[7] subject to limitations on "warlike or inappropriate symbolism".[15]
Personal shields of bishops are nowadays decorated with charges with religious significance, such as saints, books representing scripture, biblical imagery, and more.[14]
The first rule of heraldry is the rule of tincture: "Colour must not appear upon colour, nor metal upon metal."[16] The heraldic metals are gold and silver, usually represented as yellow and white, while red, green, blue, purple and black normally comprise the colors. Heraldic bearings are intended for recognition at a distance (in battle), and a contrast of light metal against dark color is desirable. The same principle can be seen in the choice of colors for most license plates.
This rule of tincture is often ignored[16] in clerical arms: the flag and arms of Vatican City notably have yellow (gold) and white (silver) placed together. Because gold and silver express sublimity and solemnity, combinations of the two are often used regardless of the rule of tincture.[17]
Marshalling
If a bishop is a diocesan bishop, he may combine his arms with the arms of the diocese following normal heraldic rules.
A married Church of England bishop combines his arms with those of his wife and the diocese on two separate shields placed accollé, or side by side.[18]
Around the shield
The shield is the core of heraldry, but other elements are placed above, below, and around the shield, and are usually collectively called external ornaments.[2] The entire composition is called the achievement of arms or the armorial bearings. Some of these accessories are unique to Church armory or differ notably from those which normally accompany a shield.
Ecclesiastical hat
The ecclesiastical hat is a distinctive part of the achievement of arms of a Catholic cleric. This hat, called a
The depiction of the galero in arms can vary greatly depending on the artist's style. The top of the hat may be shown flat or round. Sometimes the brim is shown much narrower; with a domed top it can look like a cappello romano with tassels, but in heraldry it is still called a galero. The tassels may be represented as knotted cords.
A special exception is made for
Lesser Catholic prelates use a variety of colors. Violet hats were once actually worn by certain
Clergy of the
Within Presbyterian Church heraldry, a minister's hat is represented as black with a single tassel on each side, sometimes blue, though a doctoral bonnet or Geneva cap may replace the brimmed hat.[35] Clergy of the Chapel Royal display red tassels. The office of moderator does not have corporate arms,[36] but for official occasions, a moderator may add tassels to his personal arms to indicate parity with offices of other churches: three for a moderator of a presbytery, and six for a moderator of a regional synod.[37] The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland now uses a differenced version of the General Assembly's arms, with a hat having a blue cord and ten tassels on each side, and may also show the moderator's staff, a gold Celtic crosier, behind the shield as can be seen in vol 41, p 152 of the Scots Public Register.
Cross
In the Catholic Church, display of a cross behind the shield is restricted to bishops and archbishops as a mark of their dignity.[38] The cross of an ordinary bishop has a single horizontal bar or traverse, also known as a Latin cross. A patriarch uses the patriarchal cross with two traverses, also called the cross of Lorraine. The papal cross has three traverses, but this is never displayed behind the papal arms.
Beginning in the 15th century, the cross with a double traverse is seen on the arms of archbishops, and relates to their processional cross and the jurisdiction it symbolizes. Today all cardinals are required to be bishops or archbishops, but priests named cardinal at an advanced age often petition the pope for an exception to this rule. Bruno Heim says that since the cross is one heraldic emblem that only bishops have the right to bear, cardinals who are not bishops or archbishops do not use it.[42][6] Notable examples are Cardinals Albert Vanhoye and Avery Dulles; the latter's arms do display a cross.[43]
Pallium
The
Mitre and crosier
In the western churches, the mitre was placed above the shield of all persons who were entitled to wear the mitre, including abbots. It substituted for the helmet of military arms, but also appeared as a crest placed atop a helmet, as was common in German heraldry.[45] In the Anglican Churches, the mitre is still placed above the arms of bishops and not an ecclesiastical hat. In the Lutheran churches, only the Churches of Sweden and Finland place the mitre above the arms of bishops. In the Catholic Church, the use of the mitre above the shield on the personal arms of clergy was suppressed in 1969,[46] and is now found only on some corporate arms, like those of dioceses. Previously, the mitre was often included under the hat,[47] and even in the arms of a cardinal, the mitre was not entirely displaced.[48]
The mitre may be shown in all sorts of colours. It may be represented either gold or jewelled, the former more common in English heraldry.
The
A bourdon or knobbed staff is shown behind the arms of some priors and prioresses as a symbol of office analogous to the crosier.[60][61] Arms of priors from the 15th century had a banner surrounding the shield,[62] but today this is often a rosary.[63]
Mantle
The outside of the mantle may be any color, typically red, while the inside is white or sometimes yellow to distinguish it from a secular mantle.[66] David Johnson suggested that the mantle of all bishops should be white inside, excepting only patriarchs who use ermine, to indicate that all bishops are equally bishops.[67] Above the mantle is a mitre (of the Eastern style) between a processional cross and a crosier. The earliest examples of the arms of Orthodox hierarchs have the cross to the dexter of the mitre and the bishop's staff to sinister, but opposite examples exist. An abbot (archimandrite or hegumen) should display a veiled abbot's staff to distinguish it from the bishop's staff.
A shield in front of a mantle or cloak may be found among bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches.[68] However, some Eastern ecclesiastical variations omit the mantle but retain the mitre, cross and staff.[69] Maronite bishops traditionally display a pastoral staff behind the shield, topped with a globe and cross or a cross within a globe.[70] Eastern Catholic bishops may follow the Roman style with a low crowned, wide brimmed ecclesiastical hat, although the shield itself is often rendered in a Byzantine artistic style, and a mitre if present would be in a liturgical style.[71]
Motto
A motto is a short phrase usually appearing below the shield as a statement of belief. Catholic bishops and Presbyterian churches use a motto in their arms,[72] though it is rare among Anglican bishops.[49][2] A notable exception is the motto on the coat of arms of Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury.
Gustavo Testa, created cardinal in December 1959, quickly selected as his arms a shield with the words sola gratia tua and the motto et patria et cor in order to meet a publishing deadline. Literally these phrases mean "only by your favor" and "both fatherland and heart". Testa explained to Pope John XXIII that the shield meant "I am a cardinal because of you alone", and the motto meant "because I am from Bergamo and a friend".[73]
Pope Francis was the first pope to include the motto in his heraldic achievements.[74]
Papal insignia
Saint Peter was represented holding keys as early as the fifth century. As the Roman Catholic Church considers him the first pope and bishop of Rome, the keys were adopted as a papal emblem; they first appear with papal arms in the 13th century.[15] Two keys perpendicular were often used on coins, but beginning in the 15th century were used to represent St. Peter's Basilica. Perpendicular keys last appeared in the shield of the papacy in 1555, after which the crossed keys are used exclusively.[75] The keys are gold and silver, with the gold key placed to dexter (viewer's left) on the personal arms of the pope, although two silver keys or two gold keys were used late into the 16th century.[76] The keys as a symbol of Saint Peter may be found within many coats of arms; the coat of arms of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen displayed two argent (silver) crossed keys as Saint Peter is the patron saint of the Bremian archiepiscopal cathedral.
The papal tiara or triregnum is the three-tiered crown used by the pope as a sovereign power. It is first found as an independent emblem in the 13th century, though at that time with only one coronet.[77] In the 15th century, the tiara was combined with the keys above the papal shield. The tiara and keys together within a shield form the arms of Vatican City. In heraldry, the white tiara is depicted with a bulbous shape and with two attached red strips called lappets or infulae.[78] The coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI sparked controversy by displaying a mitre and pallium instead of the customary tiara.
Besides the Holy See, another Catholic see has the right to bear the triple tiara in its coat of arms: the
The red and gold striped
The
Chivalric insignia
Roman Catholic clergy may not display insignia of
Church of England clergy may display chivalric insignia. The
References
- ^ Williamson 1992, p. 14.
- ^ a b c d e f Fox-Davies 1913
- ^ a b c d Rogers 1956, p. 134.
- ^ Boutell & Brooke-Little 1978, pp. 223–224.
- ^ Neubecker 1976, p. 237.
- ^ a b c d Selvester
- ^ a b Noonan 1996, p. 188.
- ^ Heim 1978, pp. 43–45.
- ^ a b Boutell & Brooke-Little 1978, pp. 225–226.
- ^ a b Rogers 1956, p. 133.
- ^ Heim 1978, p. 115.
- ^ "Instruction", 1969, n.28–29.
- ^ von Volborth 1973, p. 176; See the coat of arms of Botswana, of Guateng, or the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government Archived 2007-12-22 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ )
- ^ a b Noonan 1996, p. 189.
- ^ a b Heim 1994, p. 9.
- ^ Heim 1994, p. 102.
- ^ a b Woodcock 1988, p. 119.
- ^ See arms of Heinrich Mussinghoff and Paul Bootkoski Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Heim 1978, pp. 56–57.
- ^ Martin 1987, p. 32.
- ^ Fox-Davies 1969, p. 465.
- ^ Boutell & Brooke-Little 1978, pp. 226–227.
- ^ Heim 1978, p. 69.
- ^ Heim 1978, p. 95.
- ^ Heim 1978, p. 107.
- ^ Lartigue 2000 contains examples of 19th-century archiepiscopal arms with 30 tassels, e.g. Lyonnet (p.236b), De Breil (p.134b), Forcade (p.150b), Fruchaud (p.172a).
- ^ The title of the film Green Hat comes from this idiom, according to reviews by the Adelaide Archived 2007-12-18 at the Wayback Machine and Tribeca film festivals. Accessed 2007-12-10.
- ^ Heim 1978, pp. 69–70, 118–119.
- ^ Heim 1978, pp. 119–121.
- ^ Heim 1978, pp. 124–125.
- ^ Heim 1978, pp. 135, 139–142.
- ^ von Volborth 1987, p. 71.
- ^ a b Boutell & Brooke-Little 1978, p. 226.
- ^ Fox-Davies 1969, p. 470; See arms of Rev. Denis Towner Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. As can be seen in the Scots Public Register the term 'ecclesiastical hat' can be shown as a Geneva bonnet but this is done only rarely.
- ^ Innes of Learney 1956, p. 143.
- ^ Innes of Learney 1956, pp. 35–37; "Ecclesiastical Heraldry", Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ Rogers 1956, p. 139.
- ^ Boutell & Brooke-Little 1978, p. 227.
- ^ Thurston 1913
- ^ Noonan 1996, pp. 191–192, 194.
- ^ Heim 1978, p. 74.
- ^ Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. at Fordham University.
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminsterand older versions of the arms of York also have the pallium.
- ^ Fox-Davies 1913
- ^ "Instruction", 1969, n.28.
- ^ Lartigue 2000.
- ^ von Volborth 1973, p. 171, shows the arms of Cardinal Francis Spellman with mitre in 1967, just two years before the 1969 Instruction.
- ^ a b c d Boutell & Brooke-Little 1978, p. 224.
- ^ Fox-Davies 1969, pp. 467, 469. The use of coronet by all archbishops is "mistaken" and "inaccurate".
- ^ Boutell & Brooke-Little 1978, p. 225.
- ^ Rogers 1956, pp. 142–143.
- ^ Fox-Davies 1969, pp. 466.
- ^ Heim 1978, p. 67.
- ^ Boutell & Brooke-Little 1978, p. 228.
- ^ Secretary of State, instruction "Ut sive sollicite", Acta Apostolicæ Sedis no. 61, 31 March 1969.
- ^ Noonan 1996, p. 191.
- ^ "Ecclesiastical Heraldry", Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Fox-Davies 1969, p. 468.
- ^ Heim 1978, pp. 74–75.
- ^ "Ecclesiastical Heraldry" Archived 2007-10-17 at the Wayback Machine New Catholic Dictionary (1910).
- ^ von Volborth 1973, p. 169.
- ^ von Volborth 1973, p. 175.
- ^ von Volborth 1987, p. 64; von Volborth 1973, pp. 21, 174
- ^ Williamson 1992, p. 49; Noonan 1996, p. 195
- ^ Heim 1978, p. 133.
- ^ Johnson.
- ^ See Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Archived 2007-12-21 at the Wayback Machine and Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van Nuys.
- ^ Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
- ^ Arms of the bishop of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn Archived 2007-12-19 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ See examples from the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and East Canada, Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, and Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago; the Syro-Malabar Church uses the western-style mitre in the liturgy.
- ^ See St. James and St. Matthew's Presbyterian Churches.
- ^ Martin 1987, p. 242.
- ^ L'araldica ecclesiastica. Storia e attualità. (Don Antonio Pompili IAGI), retrieved 21 April 2023
- ^ Galbreath 1972, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Galbreath 1972, pp. 12–13.
- ^ Galbreath 1972, p. 22.
- ^ Noonan 1996, p. 195.
- ^ Heim 1978, pp. 52, 94.
- ^ Galbreath 1972, p. 27.
- ^ Galbreath 1972, p. 31.
- ^ Galbreath 1972, p. 34.
- ^ von Volborth 1973, p. 172.
- ^ Vocabolario Araldico Ufficiale della Consulta Araldica (1907), images 384 and 420.
- ^ See St. Paul's Cathedral.
- ^ Noonan 1996, pp. 195–196.
- ^ Heim 1978, p. 136.
Bibliography
- Overview of literature
- "Overview of ecclesiastical heraldry literature". Bibliography. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- Works cited
- ISBN 978-0-7232-2096-1.
- ISBN 978-1-60239-001-0.
- Galbreath, Donald Lindsay (1972). Papal Heraldry. Heraldry Today. ISBN 0-900455-22-5.
- ISBN 0-391-00873-0.
- Heim, Bruno (1994). Or and Argent. Van Duren. ISBN 0-905715-24-1.
- Innes of Learney, Sir Thomas (1956). Scots Heraldry. Oliver and Boyd.
- "Instruction on the dress, titles and coat-of-arms of cardinals, bishops and lesser prelates". L'Osservatore Romano, English ed. (17 April 1969). pp. vol.4. Retrieved 1 September 2006.
- Johnson, David Pittman. "Orthodox Ecclesiastical Heraldry". American College of Heraldry. Retrieved 1 September 2006.
- Lartigue, Jean-Jacques (2000). Dictionnarie & Armorial de L'Épiscopat Français (1200–2000). L'Intermédiare des Chercheurs et Curieux. ISBN 2-908003-19-8.
- Martin, Jacques (1987). Heraldry in the Vatican. Van Duren. ISBN 0-905715-25-X.
- Neubecker, Ottfried (1976). Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-046308-5.
- Noonan, James-Charles Jr. (1996). The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church. Viking. ISBN 0-670-86745-4.
- Rogers, H. C. B. (1956). The Pageant of Heraldry. An Explanation of Its Principles & Its Uses To-day, Etc. London: Pitman.
- Selvester, Guy. "Aspects of Heraldry in the Catholic Church". Personal website. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2006.
- ISBN 1-85501-154-9.
- von Volborth, Carl Alexander (1973). Heraldry of the World. MacMillan.
- Williamson, David (1992). Debrett's Guide to Heraldry and Regalia. Headline. ISBN 0-7472-0609-0.
- ISBN 0-19-211658-4.
- Encyclopedia articles
- "Ecclesiastical Heraldry". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2006.
- "Ecclesiastical Heraldry". New Catholic Dictionary. 1910. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2006.
- Fox-Davies, A.C (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- Thurston, Herbert (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- Online examples in order of mention
- "Gauteng province (South Africa) coat of arms". civicheraldry.com. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- "Provincial Government Kwazulu-Natal". kwazulunatal.gov.za. Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "Bishop Bootkoski Coat of Arms". diometuchen.org. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "The Green Hat (Lü Mao Tze)". Adelaide Film Festival. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "Denis Towner". heraldry-scotland.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J." fordham.edu. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "Most Rev. William Charles Skurla, Bishop". Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van Nuys. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "Metropolitan Archbishop Basil Schott". Catholic Archeparchy – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "The Coat of Arms of Metropolitan Stefan Soroka". Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "The Coat of Arms of His Excellency Gregory John Mansour, S.T.L." Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada". Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "Eparchy of Stamford". Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "Mar Jacob Angadiath Bishop". St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "St. James Presbyterian Church". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- "St. Matthew's Presbyterian Church". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- File:Araldiz Manno 384.png and File:Araldiz Manno 420.png, Vocabolario Araldico Ufficiale della Consulta Araldica (1907)
- "St. Paul's Cathedral". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- Further reading
- ISBN 0-919974-01-5.
- Galbreath, Donald Lindsay (1930). A Treatise on Ecclesiastical Heraldry. W. Heffer.
- McCarthy, Michael Francis (2005). A Manual of Ecclesiastical Heraldry. Thylacine. ISBN 0-9577947-7-0.
- Woodward, John (1894). A Treatise on Ecclesiastical Heraldry. W. & A.K. Johnston. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
External links
- Ecclesiastical heraldry at Heraldry of the World (many thousand images)
- Catholic Heraldry at heraldica.org
- Armoria ecclesiastica – Church arms in South Africa