Omophorion
The omophorion ( Greek ὠμοφόριον to ὦμος 'shoulder' and φέρειν 'to carry', 'that which is to be carried around the shoulder') is a liturgical garment of the patriarchs , metropolitans , archbishops and bishops in the Byzantine , Armenian and Syrian churches . It corresponds to the pallium of the metropolitan in the Latin Church . However, it is in contrast to the pallium not wool , but from an approximately 30-centimeter wide, with crosses decorated Brocade strip , which is then cast around the shoulders, that the ends on the left shoulder to the front and rear hang down (or Armenian in the Church and a forked cross in the Ukrainian Catholic Church ).
meaning
As a symbol of the lost and found lamb on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd , it illustrates the pastoral role of the bishop in following Christ . The lower end of the omophorion is provided in the united churches with a number of crossbeams, which vary according to the rank of the bearer: three bars stand for a bishop, four for a metropolitan, five for the head of the church.
Liturgical use
The omophorion is usually worn over the episcopal jacket and attached to it. If the liturgical order demands that the omophorion be taken off and put on again frequently, the large omophorion that is normally worn is replaced by a small one that is worn like an epitrachelion . In some places where several bishops concelebrate , it is now customary for the main celebrant to wear the large omophorion when necessary, while the other concelebrants always wear the small one.
The large omophorion is also widely used in the Ruthenian Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church . The rules of application are simplified, it is not replaced by the little one and it is carried throughout the liturgy. However, some bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church insist on observing the whole rite.
Origin and history
Originally the omophorion was a wide sash set with precious stones that belonged to the Byzantine imperial robe ; it was slung around the shoulder and dropped onto the chest and back.
The omophorion is attested as a liturgical garment of the bishops around 400 at Isidore of Pelusium . At that time it was made from wool as a symbol of the episcopal shepherd's roll. Its only form since then has been a broadening. An illustration can already be found in the miniatures of an Alexandrian world chronicle , which was probably written in the 6th century. Furthermore, the Omophorion in Trier can be seen on an ivory relief that shows a relic procession. Among the representations from the 7th and 8th centuries are recently discovered frescoes in S. Maria Antiqua (above the Domitian building complex of the Roman Forum ). The present-day form has essentially remained the same as the representation on these paintings.
One speaks of clerics and ecclesiastical institutions who are under episcopal instruction that they are "under his Omophorion".
