What Is the Pope’s Hat Called? – Types of Pope’s Hats

December 29, 2022
Tim Lucas
Blog

When all of us think about the catholic church, the first picture which comes to our mind is the pope. They have always been one of the influential figures, as a leader of the Catholic Church, promulgating doctrine, leading nations, and kissing all the babies. Most of us know that they travel in bulletproof cars and bless people, but how many of us know about the pope’s hat? Now, let’s see what a pope’s hat is called and why it resembles the open mouth of a fish.

What Is the Pope’s Hat Called?

According to Wikipedia, a pope hat can refer to the papal tiara, mitre, Zucchetto, Camauro, Cappello Romano. While a pope only will wear the papal tiara, the rest of the headdresses were worn by popes, bishops, senior abbots, cardinals, and priests.

All Type of Pope’s Hats and Headgears

1. Papal Tiara

The Papal Tiara is a jeweled three-tiered crown, which was worn by popes of the Catholic Church from the 8th to mid 20th century. Pope Paul VI lastly used it in 1963, who was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. The Papal Tiara was adorned with various crowns, circlets, and diadems and still looks beautiful beyond words through the ages.

There is no evidence on what the three crowns mean, but people believe that it is associated with the threefolds of Jesus, which are priest, prophet, and King.

Actually, the main use of the tiara was to be used as a crown during the coronation of the new pope. The tiara should be attached to the two lappets; which are decorative pieces of cloth designed with golden thread, bearing the coat of arms.

2. Mitre

This type of hat is what comes to most people’s mind when they think of a pope. The Mitre hat is a tall ceremonial headdress that is worn by bishops and senior abbots in traditional Christian communities. It is made up of plain white silk and can be larger with golden ornaments. It is a ceremonial headdress that is worn by popes, bishops, and also clergy officials.

All bishops wear them in catholic churches, orthodox churches, Lutheran churches, Anglican communion, eastern catholic churches, and some oriental orthodox churches.

There are three main types of mitre.

Simplex: The simplest form of mitre is made up of white linen. This is worn by bishops mostly during funerals and masses.

Auriphrygiata: The auriphrygiata mitre is made up of plain gold cloth or also white cloth using golden ornaments.

Pretiosa: As the name sounds, the pretiosa mitre hat has various stones and golden ornaments to accentuate it. It is mostly worn during the time of principal mass.

3. Zucchetto

You might have seen this hat on the head of Pope Francis. They are worn by popes and also clergy officials of the catholic community. Zucchettos come in various colors to be worn by bishops and popes according to their ranks. Popes wear a white Zucchetto. Cardinals wear scarlet zucchettos, whereas bishops, territorial abbots wear amaranth, and priests and deacons wear black.

Zucchettos are called by various names, like pilus, pilos, pilleus, pileolus, calotte, and more! They are mostly made up of silk and polyester fabric, which is designed to form a hemispherical skull cap using eight triangular panels. An interesting fact is these Zucchetto hats can be given as a gift of the pope either by handling it to the believer or even being put on on the believer’s head.

4. Camauro

Camauros are winter caps worn instead of white zucchettos from the 12th century to 2005. The word Camauro is derived from the Greek word “Kamelauchion” which means camel skin hat. Camauros are made up of red wool, velvet, and lined with white ermine trim. Although not commonly seen, the Pope has been known to wear a Camauros. They are worn with a red mozzetta to protect tonsured heads during cold temperatures.

In 1464, it was worn by cardinals and fell into disuse after the death of John XXIII in 1963. Again, it was brought back by Benedict XVI in December 2005, which led the media to compare with Santa Claus and St. Nicholas, an early Christian bishop.

5. Cappello Romano

Cappello Romano is a word that is derived from the Italian language, which means a “Roman hat.” This is a wide circular brimmed hat with a rounded crown which is usually worn for outdoor usage by the Catholic clergy officials in a cassock.

Capello hats are usually made up of straw, beaver fur, or felt and lined with white silk. They serve only for practical reasons with no ceremonial purposes. The Pope wears a red Capello with golden cords, and cardinals wear black. Bishops wear green with golden cords and violet lining.

What Is a Bishop’s Hat Called?

A bishop’s hat is called a mitre, a traditional headdress made up of white silk fabric adorned with gold.

Another type of hat bishops commonly wear are red zucchettos, also known as skull caps. Believers relate zucchettos with the liturgical headdress of the Jewish High Priesthood.

Why Does the Pope Wear a Mitre?

The mitre hats, which are worn by popes, cardinals, and catholic bishops most likely stemmed from the camelaucum, a hat word by imperial Byzantine officials. It has been used by popes since at least 1049.

Why is the Pope’s Mitre Shaped Like a Fish?

If you have closely seen the pope’s mitre, you would have noticed that it resembles the open mouth of a fish. The two-horned mitre, worn by the pope, is thought to have originally represented Dagan and Cybele, the fish god and goddess of Philistines and Babylonians. The ancient people of Babylonia believe Dagan is the god of agriculture, wealth, and life.

Is the Papal Tiara Still Used?

The Papal Tiara has not been used since 1964 when Pope Paul VI placed his Papal Tiara on the alter in St. Peter’s Basilica to renounce human glory and power. The tiara was sold and the money given to charity.

Since that time, no pope has used a Papal Tiara.

Final Thoughts

Popes are among the world’s most popular figures, as catholic church leaders and an epitome of holiness.

Both the pope and his hat have a huge following, so many have asked what a pope’s hat is called. It’s called a mitre, but that’s not the only one Pope Francais wears. He also wears a Zucchetto, Camauro, and he’s been seen wearing sombreros, Australian bush hats, and even baseball caps. Additionally, a headdress was also presented to him by a Brazilian tribe. Like us, Pope Francis likes hats too!