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Episcopal sandals, also known aspontifical sandals, are aCatholicpontifical vestment worn bybishops when celebrating liturgical functions according to the pre–Vatican II rubrics, for example aTridentineSolemn Pontifical Mass.
In shape, episcopal sandals are more likeloafers thansandals. Liturgical stockings (caligae) are worn under the episcopal sandals and cover the ankle. The sandals and stockings usually match theliturgical color of theMass. However, whenblack vestments are worn, pontifical footwear is not used.
After theSecond Vatican Council, the episcopal sandals fell out of common use and are not mentioned in the rubrics of thepost-Vatican II Mass. They are primarily seen in the most solemn form ofTridentine Mass.
Episcopal sandals should not be confused with the velvetpapal shoes, whichPope Benedict XVI reassumed. These evolved as the outdoor counterpart of thepapal slippers, which are similar to the episcopal sandals, but are worn by the Pope outside liturgical functions and are always red.
Unlike theancient sandals, which consisted merely of soles fastened to the foot by straps, episcopal sandals are in the form of low shoes, and resemble slippers. The sole is of leather; the upper part, generally ornamented with embroidery, is made of silk or velvet. No cross is required upon the sandals; at Rome this is an exclusively papal privilege. The privilege of wearing the sandals andcaligæ (liturgical stockings) belongs only tobishops. They may be worn byabbots and otherprelates only by special privilege from thepope and only so far as this privilege grants. Pontifical footwear is used only atTridentinePontifical Solemn Mass and at functions performed during the same, such asordination, but not on other occasions, as, for example,Confirmation,Solemn Vespers, etc. It is therefore in the most exact sense of the word avestment worn during theMass. Theliturgical color for the day decides the colour of the sandals and stockings; there are, however, no black stockings or sandals, as the bishop does not make use of either of these pontifical footwear atRequiem Masses.[1]
The style of decoration on the episcopal sandals depended upon the rank of theprelate:
Sandals and stockings were customary in theLatin Church,[1] as well as in some Oriental (Orthodox) churches. For example, in the Syro-Malankara and Syriac Churches, priests do not wear leather or animal products in the altar, they wear themsone.[2]
The sandals retained substantially their original form until the 10th century. Then straps were replaced by three or five tongues reaching to the ankle, extensions of the upper leather upon the point of the foot, and these were fastened at ankle by means of a string. In the 12th century these tongues were gradually shortened; in the 13th century, the sandal was a regular shoe with a slit above the foot or on the side to make the putting-on easier. In the 16th century there was a return to the earlier form of the sandal; instead of a high shoe it now became once more a low foot-covering, like a slipper, a form which it has retained until the present time. The material of which the pontifical sandals are made was, until the 13th century, exclusivelyleather, at times covered withsilk. Since the laterMiddle Ages, the upper part of the sandals has been made, not of leather, but of silk,velvet, etc. It is not until about 1400, with the exception of entirely isolated earlier examples, that a cross is to be found upon the sandals. The fork-shaped decoration, frequently found on pontifical shoes, especially on those of the 13th century, was not a cross, but merely an ornament.[1]
Sandals and stockings belong to the liturgicalvestments supported by the evidence from the 5th and 6th centuries. Originally the sandals were calledcampagi and the stockingsudones. The shoes were given the name'sandalia' probably during the eighth to the 9th century, and this name was first applied to them in the North; the designation'caligæ' forudones came into use in the 10th century, also in the North. The original form and material of thecampagi was slippers that covered only the tip of the foot and the heel, and were likely fastened to the foot by straps. This slipper was made of black leather. The stockings were, very likely, made of linen, and were white in colour. In the earliest period thecampagi andudones were by no means exclusively anepiscopal vestment, as they were worn bydeacons. This foot-covering was not reserved exclusively for theclergy, as they were worn as a mark of distinction by certain persons of rank, and were probably copied from thebuskins of the ancientsenators. Their use gradually became customary among the higher clergy, especially when these appeared in their full official capacity for the celebration of the Liturgy. During the eighth and ninth centuries also the Romansubdeacons andacolytes wore a distinctive foot-wear, thesubtalares, which, however, were simpler than thecampagi, and had no straps. The sandals and stockings became a specificallyepiscopal vestment about the 10th century. Apparently as early as the 12th century, or at least in the second half of the 13th century, they were no longer worn even by thecardinal deacons of Rome. The privilege of wearing the sandals andcaligæ was first granted to anabbot in 757 byPope Stephen III. This is, however, an isolated case, as it was only after the last quarter of the 10th century, and especially after the 12th century that it became customary to grant abbots this privilege.[1] The episcopal sandals are no longer normally seen in theCatholic Church, except for those liturgical ceremonies celebrated according to pre-Vatican IIrubrics.
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The pontifical buskins, or liturgical stockings, also known as thecaligæ, are the stockings worn bybishops over the regular stockings but under the episcopal sandals. They match theliturgical color of theMass, except when the color is black. The stockings, which are ofsilk, are either knitted or are made by sewing together pieces of silk fabric that have been cut a suitable shape.[1]
Thecaligæ seem to have experienced no particular development. In the laterMiddle Ages they were, as a rule, made of silk. The earliest enforcement in respect tocaligæ of the regulations forliturgical colors seems to have been at Rome, but even here probably not until the 14th century.[1] Like the episcopal sandals, the use of the liturgical stockings is primarily confined to the pre-Vatican IITridentine Mass.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Episcopal Sandals".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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