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Camauro

Camauro: Encyclopedia - Camauro

A camauro (from the Latin camelaucum, from the Greek kamelauchion, meaning "camel skin hat") is a cap traditionally worn by the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Papal camauros are red with white ermine trim and are worn in place of the biretta. Like the biretta worn by lesser clergy and the mortarboard worn by academics, the camauro derived from the academic cap (the pileus), which was originally worn to protect the tonsured head of the clergy. The camauro is thought to ...

Camauro

Camauro: Encyclopedia - Camauro

Camauro

A camauro (from the Latin camelaucum, from the Greek kamelauchion, meaning "camel skin hat") is a cap traditionally worn by the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Papal camauros are red with white ermine trim and are worn in place of the biretta. Like the biretta worn by lesser clergy and the mortarboard worn by academics, the camauro derived from the academic cap (the pileus), which was originally worn to protect the tonsured head of the clergy. The camauro is thought to represent the headgear of the "armour of God".

The camauro has been part of the papal wardrobe since the 12th century. Until 1464, the camauro was also worn by cardinals, without the ermine trim; from that date, the camauro became exclusively a papal garment and cardinals wore the scarlet zucchetto instead. The papal camauro fell into disuse after the death of Pope John XXIII in 1963, but its use was revived in December 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Innocent VII
(Pope 1404-1406)

Pope Julius II
(Pope 1503-1513)

Pope Benedict XIV
(Pope 1740-1758)

Pope Clement XIII
(Pope 1758-1769)

Pope John XXIII
(Pope 1958-1963)