Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian knighthoods or damehoods, in addition to government offices. In an investiture, a person may receive an outward sign of their membership, such as their religious habit, an

ecclesiastical decoration An ecclesiastical decoration is an order or a decoration conferred by a head of a church. Catholic ecclesiastical decorations Orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See Other Catholic distinctions Local ecclesiastical distinctions * J ...

(as with chivalric orders) or a scapular (as with confraternities); they may be given the authority and regalia of a high office. Investiture can include formal dress and adornment such as robes of state or headdress, or other

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...

such as a throne or seat of office. An investiture is also often part of a

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

rite or

enthronement An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. Enthronements may also feature as part of a larger coronation rite. ...

Christianity

Religious institutes

Investiture indicates in

religious orders A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious pract ...

the usually ceremonial handing over of the religious habit to a new

novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

. The investiture usually takes place upon admission to the novitiate (rarely only upon profession). The investiture which takes place either as part of a liturgical celebration in the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

of the church or in the community's chapter house. In some places, a slightly shorter or even a white habit is lent to dress up, which is then exchanged for one in the way that the other professed people wear at the first profession. In some religious orders for women, the white veil of the novice is exchanged for a black veil when taking temporary vows (simple profession), while others only give the black veil for solemn profession.

Confraternities

Joining a confraternity (such as the

Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most ...

) occurs through an investiture, in which one is given a scapular as an outward mark of their membership. A Christian is made a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

or dame through an investiture, as with the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg), a chivalric order.

Government

Investiture is the installation of individuals in institutions that usually have been extant from feudal times. For example, the installation of heads of state and various other state functions with ceremonial roles are ''invested'' with office. Usually, the investiture involves ceremonial transfer of the symbol of the particular office. Judges in many countries, including justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, are invested with their office. American justices typically take two oaths: one to uphold the

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

, and the other to apply justice equally. Likewise, university presidents, rectors and chancellors are invested with office.

Other uses

In the United Kingdom, around 2,600 people are invested personally by King Charles III or another member of the British Royal Family, royal family each year. A list of those to be honoured is published twice a year, in either the New Year Honours or the Birthday Honours. Approximately 25 investitures are held annually, most in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace, although the Waterloo Chamber in Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, are also used. In 2014 The then-Prince of Wales held an investiture at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Investitures are also held in other Commonwealth realms, when the governor-general acts on behalf of the King.Investiture Ceremonies
Governor General of Australia, accessed 2021-20-07 The poem "The Investiture" by English poet, writer, and soldier Siegfried Sassoon is about a young man who was killed in battle during World War I. The term is used in the Scouting movement when enrolling a new youth member or an existing member is moving to a different section such as from Cub Scout, Cubs to Scout (Scouting), Scouts, and for the ceremony in which a new member declares their commitment to Scouting traditions. In Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere fictional universe, investiture is an underlying mechanic of magic.

References

External links

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Queen Elizabeth investiture (knighting) ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
on YouTube
Governor-General of New Zealand, Investiture ceremonies.
Ceremonies Investiture Controversy State ritual and ceremonies