The ''epitrachelion'' ( "around the neck";

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

: Епитрахи́ль - ''Epitrakhíl’''; often called simply a '' stole'' in casual English-language usage) is the liturgical

vestment Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...

worn by

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

s and

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

s of the

Orthodox Church Orthodox Church may refer to: * Eastern Orthodox Church, the second-largest Christian church in the world * Oriental Orthodox Churches, a branch of Eastern Christianity * Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a confessional Presbyterian denomination loc ...

and

Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

as the symbol of their priesthood, corresponding to the Western stole. It is essentially the ''

orarion The Orarion (Greek: ; Slavonic: орарь, ''orar'') is the distinguishing vestment of the deacon and subdeacon in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches. It is a narrow stole, usually wide and ...

'' adapted for priests and bishops, worn around the neck with two ends of equal length hanging down in front of the clergyman's body (more or less to the ankle) and with the two adjacent sides sewn or buttoned together up the center, leaving enough space through which to place the head. In practice, the ''epitrachelion'' is made to be worn only this way, tailored to lie flat around the neck, and is never actually unfastened. The portion hanging down in front is sometimes even a solid piece of fabric. It is usually made of

brocade Brocade () is a class of richly decorative shuttle (weaving), shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in coloured silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian langua ...

with seven

embroidered Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...

appliqué Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces or patches of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. It is commonly used as decoration, especially on garments. The technique ...

d crosses, one at the back of the neck and three down each side. The ''epitrachelion'' is the only required vestment whenever a priest is conducting an Orthodox service; without it, he is unable to perform the service.

Background

The priest wears the ''epitrachelion'' whenever serving as a priest (as opposed to simply attending a service). For some services, ''e.g.''

vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...

matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning (between midnight and dawn). The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which w ...

, he wears the ''epitrachelion'' by itself. When he is fully vested for the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...

, he wears the ''epitrachelion'' over the ''

sticharion The sticharion (also ''stikharion'' or ''stichar''; Greek: στιχάριον; Slavonic: Стиха́рь - Stikhár’) is a liturgical vestment of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, roughly analogous in function to the alb of th ...

'' and under the ''

zone Zone, Zones or The Zone may refer to: Places Military zones * Zone, any of the divisions of France during the World War II German occupation * Zone, any of the divisions of Germany during the post-World War II Allied occupation * Korean Demilit ...

'' and the ''

phelonion The phelonion (Ancient Greek, Greek: , plural, , ''phailónia''; Latin: ''paenula,'' Russian: Фело́нь - Felón’) is a Liturgy, liturgical vestment worn by a priest of the Eastern Christianity, Byzantine Christian tradition. It is worn ov ...

''. If a priest is simply attending a service, he wears no vestments, but will put on his ''epitrachelion'' (and often his ''

epimanikia Epimanikia (singular ''epimanikion'') are liturgical vestments of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. They are cuffs (Russian: ''нарука́вницы, по́ручи, нарука́вники - narukávnitsy, póruchi, n ...

'') before receiving the

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

. When the

is fully vested he wears the ''epitrachelion'' over the ''sticharion'' and under the zone, 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 ...

'' and the ''

omophorion In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical tradition, the ''omophorion'' (, meaning " omethingborne on the shoulders"; Slavonic: омофоръ, ''omofor'') is the distinguishing vestment of a bishop and the symbol of his spiritual ...

''. The

Syriac Orthodox The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The church upholds the Mia ...

''hamnikho'' (literally 'necklace') and the

Armenian Orthodox The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic Church, belongs to the Arme ...

''urār'' are worn in a similar fashion.

References

{{Wiktionary Byzantine clothing Eastern Christian vestments History of clothing History of clothing (Western fashion)