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AnEcclesiastical award is an officialaward,honor orprivilege presented by ecclesiastical authority.

In theEastern Orthodox Church certain official awards and honours may be bestowed upon members of theclergy andlaity. Such awards are bestowed either by theruling bishop under whose jurisdiction the recipient resides, or—in the case of higher awards— by asynod of bishops.

When a bishop wishes to confer an ecclesiastical award or honor on a deacon or priest under his jurisdiction, this will normally be accomplished at theLittle Entrance of theDivine Liturgy. At the end of the ThirdAntiphon (normally theBeatitudes), theprocession with theGospel Book will halt at the bishop'scathedra (episcopal throne). The clergyman who is to receive the award will be presented to the bishop, theprotodeacon will remove the bishop'smitre, the bishop willlay his hand upon the head of the clergyman and say the prayer proper to that particular award. He will then confer the award and the people will exclaim, "Axios! Axios! Axios!" as an expression of their acknowledgment of the clergyman's worthiness for the award, similar to applause at a secular awards ceremony.

Awards differ according to the rank of the individual honored, and will vary among the ecclesiasticaljurisdictions. Awards granted to bishops and the higher awards to priests are often reserved to begin conferred by a synod of bishops.

Bishops

• Secondpanagia (every bishop wears one)
• Mitre with cross (in the Old Russian tradition, only anarchbishop or above would have a cross on top of his mitre, unless he was awarded the privilege by the synod)

Priests

• mitre
• Pectoral cross:
  • Jewelled cross
  • Gold cross
  • Silver cross
• Epigonation
• Nabedrennik
• Purplekamilavka
• Purpleskufia

Deacons

• Doubledorarion
• Purple or Red kamiavka

Laity

• Chivalric order ormedal
• Gramota (official letter of recognition)

Some of these awards have their origin in theByzantinecourt, others developed later. During the reign ofCatherine the Great these awards came to be tied to thestipend which was paid to clergymen.

• Ecclesiastical decoration
• List of ecclesiastical decorations
• Ordinance (canon law)

• Eastern Christian vestments
• Ecclesiastical titles
• Christian orders, decorations, and medals
• Ecclesiastical decorations

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