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Sakkos


The sakkos (Greek: σάκκος, "sackcloth") is a vestment worn by Orthodox and Greek Catholic bishops instead of the priest's phelonion. The garment is a tunic with wide sleeves, and a distinctive pattern of trim. It reaches below the knees and is fastened up the sides with buttons or tied with ribbons. It is similar in form to the western dalmatic, which is similarly derived from Byzantine dress. The sakkos was originally worn by the Emperor as an imperial vestment, symbolizing the tunic of disgrace worn by Christ during his trial and mockery.

The sakkos is usually made of a rich brocade fabric and may be intricately embroidered. There is normally a cross in the center of the back, which the bishop kisses before it is placed on him. Buttons or loops are sewn on the back, by which the bishop's omophorion (either great or small) may be attached. Traditionally, bells are attached to the sakkos, following the biblical directions for the vestments of the Jewish High Priest (Exodus 28:33-34; 39:25-26).

Originally, all bishops wore a phelonion similar to the one worn by priests, but woven or embroidered with a multilayered cross pattern called the polystavrion ("many-crosses"). The use of the sakkos was a privilege bestowed by the Basileus (Emperor) upon individual patriarchs as a sign of his personal favor. The first literary evidence for the garment is found in the writings of Theodore Balsamon, Patriarch of Antioch (ca. 1130–1140). By the 13th century it worn by all the patriarchs and a few high-ranking archbishops—but only on Easter and the Great Feasts of Pentecost and Nativity; other bishops continued to wear the polystavrion. After the Fall of Constantinople (1453) it came into general use by bishops along with the mitre, derived from the Imperial crown, as a sign of their temporal authority within the Rum millet of the Ottoman Empire. The sakkos is now worn by all Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic bishops, regardless of rank. Unlike Western pontificalia which may be worn by prelates who are not bishops—provided they have the privilege of doing so—the sakkos may only be worn by a bishop.


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