Why do priests wear long robes?

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The outfit of the clergy - why does it look like this, has a thorough knowledge of the question of Archimandrite Alipius (Svetlichny).

The Earth Church is called militant, as opposed to the Heavenly Church - triumphant. That is why the Church is similar to the army in many ways: it has its own Statute - Tipicon (and strictly tries to stick to it), fasting and the statutory form of clothing.

The most famous, perhaps, of the clergy's clothing is a robe. Many people talk about it, but few know why it is worn by clergy and what it looks like.

In ancient times, at the dawn of Christianity, the vestments of priests did not differ from the clothes of ordinary people, and therefore elders, bishops and deacons knew only in person. But time flows, and with it the fashion and, of course, the garments change. But the priests, on the contrary, tried to preserve the traditional clothing worn by the apostles and the first Christians, thus distinguishing themselves from laymen. Gradually, the differences in the clothing of the priests became more and more apparent.

Later on, the conservative priesthood garments of emperors' salaries or according to cathedral decisions of the Church were enriched with details of honorary character. Divine service vestments stood out especially for their adornment, although they had ancient vestments, like the humble robes of the first Christians.

Ryassa was the garment worn by all men and even women in the East at the time of the Savior. A smelly long coat with wide sleeves of dense fabric was worn over the garments and sometimes tied with a belt. The word "cassock" in Greek is "old, wrinkled, without lint", i.e. a miserable rubble.

Ryassa became a popular garment of Egyptian and Palestinian monks. And already in the IV century its preferred color was popular at that time and practical - black. However, for monks this color had a conditional character, as they dyed fabric with various cheap mixtures, which made it more dirty blue than black. The cassock in the sun, however, was red at all.

The lay people chose different cuts and lengths for these clothes, especially in the villages. But among the clergy, the cassock was considered traditional clothes and over time sewed from good fabrics, became more spacious, elongated, the sleeves expanded.

In Greece, the cassock preserved its eastern cut, but was also notable for its spaciousness. But in Russia, these clothes did not take root immediately. For the clergy were characterized by caftans, mostly black flowers. But the rural clergy wore, as commoners, one-row coats, i.e. simple caftans, shorter than usual. There were no flowers, most often the fabric was not dyed at all.

With the reform of Patriarch Nikon in the XVII century in Russia there were robes. Greek did not take root because of their impracticality. On the northern lands it was necessary to keep the body warm, and the Greek robes were not heated, and developed in the wind. Therefore, other cuts were used when sewing cassocks: the clothes became fitted, although the tradition of wide sleeves was preserved, but now they were flared. Such robes began to spread in the Russian Church and were equated with Greek, black robes.

Under the cassock, another long garment, a wagtail, is worn. It comes from the eastern chiton.

A conservative approach to clothing singled out the clergy and gave them the opportunity to adhere to the traditional form (uniforms), differing from the too fickle in the fashion of the secular world. The Church thus emphasizes not only the connection with the origins of Christianity, but also the humility of its life with the aspiration for eternity and immutability in it.

Archimandrite Alipius