The Philippi Collection

April 02, 2011

Galero (Galerus, Pontifical Hat) and Galero Parasole

A coat of arms of a cardinal with the galero

S.E. Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

wearing a galero at the occasion of prize-giving "Nulla sine Vertias Tradition" of the International Catholic Association "Tu es Petrus" in Battipaglia, Italy, 19th of February 2011.

Galero [Galerus, Pontifical Hat]

Previously worn in the Roman Catholic Church by cardinals in festive processions such as at the coronation of a pope in an era when cavalcades with horses were still common. On the death of a cardinal, his galero was initially placed at the foot of the catafalque and later hung above his tomb. During the period when the pope presented a galero in a consistory, the cardinal receiving it would place it between two candlesticks on a credence table in his antechamber or study. This was considered a sign of respect for the origin of the cardinal's dignity, directly and immediately from the hand of the pope. The body of the hat is made of felt dyed ruby-red and lined inside with ruby-red silk. From the right and left hand sides of the galero hang red and gold cords ending in a "tassel tree". Each of these "trees" consists of 15 tassels, making 30 tassels in all. Each tassel is ornamented with gold thread and consists of three strings with three smaller tassels. There are also two tassels fixed above the brim of the hat.

Galero in the shop window of Ditta Annibale Gammarelli, Rome, Italy

Giovanni Battista Cardinal Montini, later Pope Paul VI.

holding a galero in his hands

Galero parasole and cappa magna

The pope put a galero parasole on the head of a cardinal

Jossyf Ivanovič Kardinal Slipyj wearing a galero

George Cardinal Pell (left), Archbishop of Sydney, made a short private visit of the Oratory in Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Thursday 5th of March 2009. Father Paul Chavasse (right), Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and Actor of the Newman Cause, showed the Australian visitor Cardinal Newman’s galero.

Galero parasole of Michael Kardinal von Faulhaber

Galero parasole of Pope Pius XII

Galero Parasole

Galero Parasole hanging down from the ceiling of a cathedral

For example to see in the Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, IL, USA:

"Immediately above the sanctuary panels, you can see five red, broad-brimmed, ornamental hats suspended from the ceiling. Traditionally, this symbol of a Cardinal is raised to the ceiling of his cathedral upon his death. The hat hangs until it turns into dust, a reminder that all earthly glory is passing. The center hat belonged to Chicago’s first Cardinal, George Mundelein. From left to right, the galeros represent Chicago’s late Cardinals Meyer, Bernardin, Mundelein, Cody and Stritch. With Vatican II, the Pope discontinued the practice of presenting a galero to newly installed Cardinals. The tradition continued, however, and hats were made for Chicago’s post-Vatican II Cardinals, Cody and Bernardin."

This galero was made by Father Bede Rowe of St George's Catholic Church, Warminster, Great Britain on the occasion of the Solemn Pontifical Requiem for the bicentenary of the death of Henry Benedict Cardinal Stuart, held in the chapel of the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, London on 22nd of September 2007.

Museum of Archdiocese in Gniezno, Hats of Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński

Cardinal Luigi Macchi (1832 + 1907) and his court, c. 1890

The cardinal is not wearing the pectoral cross, a late development.

"Note, from left to right, the three footmen in livery with the traditional braid woven with the cardinal’s arms; the Caudatario (train bearer), holding the cardinal’s Roman three cornered hat (in my opinion it is a cappello romano/Saturno, no tricorne); the Maestro di Camera (chamberlain), the cardinal, sitting on a tronetto, with at his back on the left (his right) the Coppiere (cup-bearer), and a second Gentiluomo on the right, both in abito di città; then the secretary, in nigris and silk ferraiolone, and the Uditore (legal adviser or lawyer, Uditore can also mean judge), and finally the Decano (butler), in white tie, knee breeches, ferraiolone, and buckled shoes, holding the galero. In the back row, possibliy the Maestro di Casa, and three Aiutanti di Camera (valets) in white tie and black waistcoat. The secretary, Maestro di Camera, and Decano all wear the black silk ferraiolone. A cardinal’s court was divided in the Anticamera Nobile (Maestro di Camera, presiding, Auditore, Segretario, Coppiere, Gentiluomini), Seconda Anticamera (Maestro di Casa, Caudatario, cappellano, Cameriere), and finally the Sala (Decano, Aiutanti di Camera, footmen and stables). A cardinal’s or prince’s court was also known as “famiglia”, literally family; another term was “casa”, literally house. The papal court is still called “famiglia or casa pontificia”."

March 26, 2011

Exhibition at Sparkasse Saarbrücken

From 17th of March until 21st of April 2011 at the Sparkasse Saarbrücken are exhibited 100 selected pieces of the collection.

The exhibition is open every day from 8:15 until 16:00 and the admission is free:

Sparkasse Saarbrücken

Neumarkt 17

D-66117 Saarbrücken
Germany

Some impressions of the preview which took place on 17th of March 2011

The invitation (pages 1 to 4)

To enlarge, click on the picture.

Dieter Philippi during his opening speech

Roberto Consorsi

President Associazione Arca Petrina onlus

Author of the project Tradizione e Magistero and coordinator of the events

Palatine Guard of His Holiness

Member of the Historical Committee of the Association of Sts. Peter and Paul, Vatican City

Delegate in Italy of the International Catholic Relief Funds Inc., USA

Expert in roman church dress and papal court costume

of Ditta Annibale Gammarelli, Rome during his technical lecture about the head coverings of the Roman Catholic Church (Pileolus, Biretta, Mitre, Tiara)

Frank Saar, member of the board of Sparkasse Saarbrücken - Roberto Consorsi - Dieter Philippi

The visitors

Maestro Bernhard Leonardy and his sister Eva Leonardy

The Saarbrücker Zeitung reports

(To enlarge, click on the picture)

Biretta Specialties

Here some fascinating biretta sights:

Monsignore Angelo Amodeo

Canonico del Capitolo del Duomo di Milano
is wearing a black biretta made of silk fabric with moiré effect, 3 horns (blades, wings)

and an amaranth pompon

Wolfgang Maria Hagl ,OSB, Abbot of Metten
wearing a black biretta with 3 horns (blades, wings) and a golden pompon

Biretta with 3 horns (blades, wings) and a green pompon,

worn by the bishops in Haute Italie (Northern Italy) according:

Barbier de Montault, Xavier:
Le costume et les usages ecclésiastiques selon la tradition romaine, Band 1: Règles générales, le costume usuel, le costume de chœur, Letouzey et Ané, Paris, ca. 1900
page 235, note 3, (click on the picture to enlarge)

The biretta of Tuntenhausen

Anglo-Catholic clergy tend to make up their own dress-rules, keeping vaguely to pre-conciliar norms and adding to them when it suits them. What they refer to as the Augustinian biretta is double height (14 cm) of a normal biretta. They get this from the Norbertine picture of the friar with the very tall biretta, and have adapted it to the black biretta.

© Facebook "Fans del Bonete"
Anthony Murley
"Un bonete augustino anglicano, en la tradicion del colegio de sacerdotes de la Sagrada Casa de Walsingham, como se puede apreciar en Fr Alfred Hope Patten, en los primeros anio de 1950."

The Augustinian Biretta or "Father Alfred Hope Patten Biretta" or "CSA (Colegio San Agustín) Biretta" is much more higher (14 cm) than the Ambrosian biretta.

Fr Patten (the priest wearing the cope in the middle) assisted by Fr Bales

and Fr Michael Smith

Augustinian Biretta or "Father Alfred Hope Patten Biretta" or "CSA (Colegio San Agustín) Biretta" made of black silk with moiré-effect, 3 horns (blades, wings) and a ruby pompon. Inside it is lined with red cotton.

Normal (7-8 cm) - Ambrosian (9-10 cm) - Augustinian (13-14 cm)

Biretta in black with 3 horns (blades, wings) and a tongue worn by friars of the

Society of Jesus (S.J., Jesuits) according:

Barbier de Montault, Xavier:

Le costume et les usages ecclésiastiques selon la tradition romaine, Band 1: Règles générales, le costume usuel, le costume de chœur, Letouzey et Ané, Paris, ca. 1900
page 233, fig. 33, (click on the picture to enlarge)

Niels Stensen (Nicolas Steno)

wearing a high green biretta without wings

Biretta of a Subdeacon: only one horn (blade, wing) with a black pompon

made of woolen threads

Biretta in navy-blue made for Archdeacon of Aquarian Catholic Spiritual Community (Aquarian Catholic Liberal Church) with 3 horns (blades, wings) and navy-blue pompon

Biretta in white silk with 3 horns (blades, wings) and rubi pompon,

inside lined with green cotton.

Worn by canons in equatorial areas together with the white "tropical" cassock.

[Not according the Roman Catholic guidelines.]

Biretta in white silk with 3 horns (blades, wings) and an amaranth pompon,

inside lined with green cotton.

Worn by bishops in equatorial areas together with the white "tropical" cassock.

[Not according the Roman Catholic guidelines.]

Rhema Life Kingdom Worship Center, Killeen, Texas, USA

wearing an amaranth biretta with 3 horns (blades, wings) and a black pompon

Red biretta, 3 horns (blades, wings) and red pompon

Bicolor biretta (white-red) with 3 horns (blades, wings) and yellow/golden pompon

Brocade birettas
These birettas, made of brocade fabric, 3 of them (with the orthodox patterns) I found in Sofia, Bulgaria

Sunshade birettas

A blue purple biretta with 3 horns (blades, wings)

wearing a blue-purple biretta with 3 horns (blades, wings) and a blue-purple pompon

made of velvet

Birettas worn by the members of the "Guild of Our Lady of Hanworth" in the church of St George in Hanworth, near Feltham in Middlesex

The clergy established a "Guild of Our Lady of Hanworth". For their services they wear sky-blue shoulder-capes, and black moiré birettas with blue lining and blue tassels. The leader of the Guild wears a pale blue moiré biretta.

Birettas worn by the clergy of

ICRSP - Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis

For more details see here.