Adamova Tatiana

History of liturgical vestments through the analysis of monuments of visual art

Abstract

This article studies in chronological order questions of historical development of church vestments and of the decoration of its details starting from the fi rst centuries of Christianity. As a result of comparison of diff erent historical periods, both distinctive features and similarities of Christian vestments in the East and West are shown. The article traces the evolution of the forms of objects, individual and shared features of western and eastern vestments, the main methods of decorative design of the details. The preserved items of vestments of the Byzantine period, decorated with holy images, have a narrow chronological framework and date from no earlier than the 12th century. Only single instances are preserved from the earlier period. In order to study the liturgical apparel of this time, images of the surviving ensembles of monumental art of the 5th — 12th centuries are used, by which it is possible to trace the change in the forms of clothing and in the nature of the decoration of their details; these monuments have been published many times and are known fairly well. In addition to the monumental painting, the article demonstrates the objects of decorative and applied art. It also analyses the formation of secular historical costume and the articles of attire on consular diptychs from ivory. The article also provides a list of specifi c parts of liturgical and casual clothes and the principle of their decor.

Keywords

Byzantine costume, monumental painting, iconography, liturgical vestments, ornament, embroidery, decorative art, interior

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Information about the author

Adamova Tatiana

Place of work: St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University for the Humanities; 6/1 Likhov pereulok, Moscow, 127051, Russian Federation;
Post: researcher;
ORCID: 0000-0003-1553-2651;
Email: atv_73@mail.ru.