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The dalmatic is a long, wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, Lutheran,
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
,
United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...
, and some other churches. When used, it is the proper vestment of a deacon at Mass, Holy Communion or other services such as
baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
or marriage held in the context of a Eucharistic service. Although infrequent, it may also be worn by
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s above the
alb The alb (from the Latin ''albus'', meaning ''white''), one of the liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed and Congregational churches, is an ample white garment coming down to the an ...
and below the
chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...
, and is then referred to as pontifical dalmatic. Like the chasuble worn by priests and bishops, it is an outer vestment and is supposed to match the
liturgical colour Liturgical colours are specific colours used for vestments and hangings within the context of Christian liturgy. The symbolism of violet, blue, white, green, red, gold, black, rose and other colours may serve to underline moods appropriate to ...
of the day. The dalmatic is often made of the same material and decoration as a chasuble, so as to form a matching pair. Traditional Solemn Mass vestment sets include matching chasuble, dalmatic, and
tunicle The tunicle is a liturgical vestment associated with Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. Contemporary use For a description of the tunicle, see dalmatic, the vestment with which it became identical in form, although earlier editions ...
. A dalmatic is also worn by the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
monarch during the Coronation service.


History

In the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
, the dalmatic was an amply sleeved tunic (from Dalmatia) with wide stripes ''(clavi)'' that were sometimes worked with elaborate designs. Dalmatics had become typical attire for upper-class women in the latter part of the 3rd century AD. They are pictured in a few funerary portraits on shrouds from Antinoopolis in Roman Egypt. Literary sources record dalmatics as imperial gifts to individuals. It was a normal item of clothing at the time when ecclesiastical clothes began to develop separately around the fourth century, worn over a longer tunic by the upper classes, and as the longest part of the dress of men of lower rank. The dalmatic was a garment of Byzantine dress, and was adopted by Emperor Paul I of the Russian Empire as a coronation and liturgical vestment. In
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...
s of Jesus Christ as King and Great High Priest he is shown in a dalmatic.Uspenskii, B. A., ''Tsar' i Patriarkh: kharizma vlasti v Rossii'', Moscow, Shkola "Iazyki russkoi kul'tury," 1998, 176.


Roman Church

The dalmatic is a robe with wide sleeves; it reaches to at least the knees or lower. In 18th-century vestment fashion, it is customary to slit the under side of the sleeves so that the dalmatic becomes a mantle like a
scapular The scapular (from Latin ''scapulae'', "shoulders") is a Western Christian garment suspended from the shoulders. There are two types of scapulars, the monastic and devotional scapular, although both forms may simply be referred to as "scapula ...
with an opening for the head and two square pieces of the material falling from the shoulder over the upper arm. Modern dalmatics tend to be longer and have closed sleeves, with the sides being open below the sleeve. The distinctive ornamentation of the vestment consists of two vertical stripes running from the shoulder to the hem; according to Roman usage these stripes are narrow and sometimes united at the bottom by two narrow cross-stripes. Outside of Rome the vertical stripes are quite broad and the cross-piece is on the upper part of the garment. At a
Pontifical High Mass A Pontifical High Mass, also called Solemn Pontifical Mass, is a Solemn or High Mass celebrated by a bishop using certain prescribed ceremonies. Although in modern English the word "pontifical" is almost exclusively associated with the pope, an ...
, a dalmatic (usually made of lighter material) is worn by the bishop under the chasuble. At solemn papal liturgical occasions the Pope is assisted by two cardinal-deacons vested in a dalmatic and wearing a ''mitra simplex'' (simple white
mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...
). In the Roman Catholic Church the subdeacons wore a vestment called the
tunicle The tunicle is a liturgical vestment associated with Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. Contemporary use For a description of the tunicle, see dalmatic, the vestment with which it became identical in form, although earlier editions ...
, which was originally distinct from a dalmatic, but by the 17th century the two had become identical, though a tunicle was often less ornamented than a dalmatic, the main difference often being only one horizontal stripe versus the two becoming a deacon's vestment. Additionally, unlike deacons, subdeacons do not wear a stole under their tunicle. Today, the tunicle is rare in the Roman Catholic Church as only certain authorized clerical societies (such as the
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri; FSSP) is a traditionalist Catholic society of apostolic life for priests and seminarians which is in communion with the Holy See. The society was founded in 198 ...
) have subdeacons. Traditionally the dalmatic was not used in the Roman Rite by deacons during Lent. In its place, depending on the point in the liturgy, was worn either a folded
chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...
or what was called a broad stole, which represented a rolled-up chasuble. This tradition went back to a time at which the dalmatic was still considered an essential secular garment and thus not appropriate to be worn during the penitential season of Lent. Image:Dalamatikroemisch.jpg, Dalmatic Roman usage (with its closed sleeves) Image:Dalmatic Diacon 20070517.JPG, Baroque dalmatic (with slit, flap-like sleeves common for dalmatics worn outside Italy) File:Museummanaoagffjf.JPG, Capa pluvial (cope) and ornately embroidered dalmatic pairs (late 1800s, early 1900s,
Our Lady of Manaoag Our Lady of Manaoag (formal title: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag; Spanish: ''Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario de Manaoag'') is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in Manaoag, Pangasinan, the Philipp ...
museum, Philippines)


Eastern tradition

In the
Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. The canonical hours are ...
the ''
sakkos The ''sakkos'' ( Greek: σάκκος, " sackcloth") is a vestment worn by Orthodox and Greek Catholic bishops instead of the priest's '' phelonion''. The garment is a tunic with wide sleeves, and a distinctive pattern of trim. It reaches belo ...
'', which is elaborately decorated and amply cut, usually worn by the bishops as an outer vestment in place of a presbyter's ''
phelonion The phelonion (Greek: , plural, , ''phailónia''; Latin: ''paenula'') is a liturgical vestment worn by a priest of the Byzantine Christian tradition. It is worn over the priest's other vestments and is equivalent to the chasuble of Western Chris ...
'' and which, like the ''phelonion'', corresponds to the western
chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...
and
cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A co ...
, is derived from Byzantine imperial dress, and hence is identical in origin to the Western dalmatic. In all Eastern rites the ''
sticharion The sticharion (also ''stikharion'' or ''stichar''; Greek: στιχάριον; Slavonic: стихарь) is a liturgical vestment of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, roughly analogous in function to the alb of the Western Church ...
'' (which is analogous to the Western
alb The alb (from the Latin ''albus'', meaning ''white''), one of the liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed and Congregational churches, is an ample white garment coming down to the an ...
), of the ornate sort worn by deacons and lower clergy, is sometimes referred to as a dalmatic.


References


External links


History of the Dalmatic in the Catholic Church
* {{Lutheran Divine Service Methodism Anglican vestments Eastern Christian vestments Lutheran vestments Roman Catholic vestments History of clothing History of clothing (Western fashion) History of fashion Robes and cloaks Byzantine clothing