Episcopal Gloves - Chirothecæ

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Liturgical gloves (chirothecœ, called also at an earlier date manicœ, wanti,) are a liturgical adornment reserved for bishops and cardinals. They are worn only at a Pontifical Mass, never at any other function, and then only to the washing of the hands before the Sacrifice.

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The colour of the gloves must correspond with the liturgical colour of the feast or day in the services of which they are worn; episcopal gloves, however, are never black, as they are not used on Good Friday nor at the celebration of Masses for the dead. The chief reason for the introduction of the usage was probably the desire to provide a suitable adornment for the hands of the Bishop, rather than practical considerations such as the preservation of the cleanliness of the hands, etc.

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Episcopal gloves are symbolical of purity from sin, the performance of good works, and carefulness of procedure.

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The Cæremoniale Episcoporum, as revised in 1984, no longer imposes on Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church the use of episcopal gloves when celebrating Mass solemnly, but they are still used in such celebrations of the Tridentine Mass form of the Roman Rite.

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The pontifical gloves are made of silk, and variously ornamented according to the solemnity of the occasion and the wearer’s rank and dignity. For Cardinals, Prelates invested with the episcopal character and Abbots, the back of the glove is embroidered with a more or less elaborate cross or monogram; and the Protonotaries Apostolic of the first two classes (di numero and supernumerary) may wear pontifical gloves of silk bordered with a strip of gold braid; but for all other Protonotaries, Prelates and Canons, who may be allowed, by law or privilege, the use of the pontificals, the gloves must be of plain silk without any special ornament.

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(Source for previous information: Catholic Encyclopedia on-line)
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According to Mgr. Nabuco, the liturgical gloves and the sandals always go together and when it is not permitted to wear the chirothecæ, then it is not permitted to wear the episcopal sandals, either.

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He also says that the chirothecæ of protonoraries should not have any kind of ornamentation except a simple golden braid on the (border of the) cuffs. (It seems, though, that these rule was not followed and all liturgical gloves were decorated regardless of who was going to wear them).

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And here is what Nainfa has to say:

"The pontifical gloves are made of silk, and variously ornamented according to the solemnity of the occasion and the wearer s rank and dignity. For Cardinals, Prelates invested with the Episcopal character and Abbots, the back of the glove is embroidered with a more or less elaborate cross or monogram; and the Protonotaries Apostolic of the first two classes (di numero and supernumerary) may wear pontifical gloves of silk bordered with a strip of gold braid; but for all other Protonotaries, Prelates and Canons, who may be allowed, by law or privilege, the use of the pontificals, the gloves must be of plain silk without any special ornament. (Sort of like this picture, but without the circle in the back of hand)."

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The Papal Fanon (Latin, Italian, English)

DE FANONE PAPALI

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(Hallowedground)

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“Romanus Pontifex post albam et cingulum assumit orale [fanon], quod circa caput involvit et replicat super humeros, legalis pontificis ordinem sequens, qui post lineam strictam et zonam induerunt ephod id est super-humerale.” Innocentius III, De Myst. Missæ, I, c. 53.

Materia et color: Fano conficitur e serico albo tenui non undulato et sine subsuto.

Forma: Fano fabricatur ad modum pallioli humeralis altitudinis dimidii metri et cum tribus circiter metris circumferentiæ et fit duplex cum parte interiore aliquantulum longiore. Partes duæ per uniones firmantur circumcirca collum et retro fit scissura ut possint per caput poni cum sint circulum clausum.

Ornamentatio: Fano papalis in utraque parte ornatur circumcirca virgis aureis, rubinis et albis interpositis, et ante pectus additur crux ex opere phrygio in perte superiore. Ad collum et ad utramque oram aureum torulum additur.

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Regulæ quoad usum: Summus Pontifex fanone utitur super planetam quoties se vestit in pontificalibus. Illum induit Papa, prius crucem deosculans, super albam et crucem pectoralem; deinde partem superiorem super caput reponit ad instar amictus dum ceteras induit vestes, et accepta planeta, super illa reponitur, et ultimo sacro induitur pallio. APC, 1900, p. 106; Braun, I Paramenti Sacri, p. 69.**

**Recentissime totus ritus fanonis immutatus est, nam non amplius ornatur virgis superpositis sed conficitur e serico ad hoc fabricato cum virgis in ipso serico textis trium colorum. Præterea partes duæ separantur ita ut sint revera duæ vestes, et pars superior pontifici imponitur post casulam.

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~Mgr. Nabuco, Ius Pontificalium

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Il FANONE PAPALE

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Nella sua forma attuale [il Fanone] è un ornamento proprio del solo Sommo Pontefice, che lo assume quando celebra solennemente, dopo l'ora canonica di terza. Consiste in una doppia mozzetta di seta finissima e oro, tessuta in strisce perpendicolari, una bianca, l'altra d'oro, congiunte fra loro da una terza più piccola di colore amaranto: un palloncino d'oro ne borda l'estremo sia superiore che inferiore: la mozzetta esterna ha inoltre ricamata una croce d'oro con raggi. Queste due mozzette sono cucite nella parte che circonda il collo, allacciandosi con un bottone le aperture corrispondenti alle spalle; ora non più, perché Pio X per comodità le fece separare. Nelle Messe pontificali, quando il papa ha preso il succintorio e la croce pettorale, il cardinale diacono ministrante gli impone la prima mozzetta del fanone, poi la stola, le dalmatiche, la pianeta, e sopra di essa la seconda mozzetta: in ultimo il pallio.

È molto difficile rimontare alle origini di questo ornamento. Confuso forse in principio con il manipolo, o con l'amitto (anabolagio), o con gli oralia, specie di fazzoletti o tovaglioli, che servivano ad asciugare il sudore del capo e perciò portati intorno al collo, passò nella forma attuale verso il sec. XIII. Innocenzo III (nel De mysteriis Missæ, l. I, cap. 13) parla esplicitamente di questo ornamento che chiama orale: si è dunque al principio del sec. XIII.

Vari autori vogliono che l'uso dei vescovi greci di coprirsi la testa con un velo, quando hanno assunto gli ornamenti principali, abbia dato origine al fanone del papa; ma è cosa incerta. Altri, invece, e con essi lo stesso Innocenzo III, intendono far derivare il fanone dall'ephod del sommo sacerdote ebreo, anch'esso tessuto di strisce d'oro e colorate, ma di diversa forma. Con questa parola si designava anticamente un velo pendente da un'asta a guisa di bandiera, chiamato appunto gonfalone, stendardo, vessillo; oppure, secondo l'etimologia ecclesiastica, il velo pendente dal braccio dei ministri sacri detto manipolo, sudario, orale.

~Enrico Dante, da Enciclopedia Cattolica

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THE PAPAL FANON

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The Papal Fanon (an old Germanic word for cloth) is a vestment reserved only for the Pope for use during a pontifical Mass.

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It consists of a doubled shoulder-cape (somewhat like a mozzetta) of white silk ornamented with narrow woven golden stripes, so that the colors alternate white and gold. The first end of the fanon is placed under the stole and the second over the chasuble, under the white pallium. The two pieces of it are nearly circular in shape but somewhat unequal in size and the smaller is laid over and fastened to the larger one. To allow the head to pass through there is a round opening in the middle with a vertical slit running down farther. The front part of the fanon is ornamented with a small cross embroidered in gold.

The fanon is similar to an amice; it is, however, put on not under but above the alb. The pope wears it only when celebrating a solemn Pontifical Mass, that is, only when all the pontifical vestments are used. The manner of putting on the fanon recalls the method of assuming the amice universal in the Middle Ages and still observed by some of the older religious orders. After the deacon has vested the pope with the usual amice, alb, the cingulum and sub-cinctorium, and the pectoral cross, he places the fanon on the pope by means of the opening, and then folds half of the upper piece towards the back over the pope's head. Then he vests the pope with the stole, tunicle, dalmatic, and chasuble, after which he turns down that part of the fanon which had been placed over the head of the pope, draws the front half of the upper piece above the chasuble, and finally arranges the whole upper piece of the fanon so that it covers the shoulders of the pope like a collar. The pallium is placed over the fanon.

~Wikipedia

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