All orders of the clergy wear a special outer garment. Deacons, sub-deacons, and readers wear a robe called a sticharion . It is probably the baptismal garment, decorated and made more elaborate. The deacon still holds up the orarion in a position of prayer when he intones his parts of the divine services. The sub-deacon's orarion is placed around his back in the sign of the cross.
Priests wear their white baptismal robe over which they have their pastoral stole, cuffs and belt.
They also wear a large garment called a phelonion which covers their entire body in the back and goes below their waist in front. This vestment was probably developed from the formal garments of the early Christian era and, under the inspiration of the Bible, came to be identified with the calling of the priestly life. The bishops traditionally probably also wore the phelonion over which they placed the omoforion , the sign of their episcopal office as leading pastor of the local church. When the Christian empire was captured by the Turks in the fifteenth century, however, the Christian bishops of the East were given civil rule over all Christians under Turkish domination. At that time, since there was no longer a Christian empire, the bishops adopted the imperial insignia and began to dress as the Christian civil rulers used to dress.