Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-06

Description of the Zucchetta, Berretta
and Fisherman's Hat

Description of the Zucchetta, Berretta
and Fishcrman's Hat.
Cardinal Satolli has one other of the IN
sigma to receive-the fisherman's hat This
will be placed upon his head by the pope
himself when he goes to Rome. The right
OF the cardinals to wear the scarlet, or
f1sherman's, hat was granted by Pope In
nocent Nv in 1244. The pope places the hat
upon the head of the cardinal to signify
that he is to consecrate his mental &C.
quirements to the service of the church,
and its color signifies that the wearer must
be prepared to lose the last drop of his
blood rather than bctray his trust. The
fisherman's hat is round in form, with a
low crown and wide brim, from the inside
of which hang fifteen tassels, attached in
triangle form, one to five; or, in other
words, it may be said to resemble in form
an old-fashioned peasants sun hat, with a
broad, fiat brim, having on either side of IL
number of tassels melted together with
silk cord. The hat is now used but twice.
once when the cardinal receives 1t in con-
sistory, and next when 1t rests on the cas-
afalQue at his obsequies. 1t is then sus-
pended from the ceiling of the chapel or
aisle of the church from which he may be
buried Cardinals have not infrequently
been called upon to carry into execution
the resolutions they make upon the recep-
ton of the hat. So, in 1919, Frederick II
upon his return from Rome, where he had
been crowned with great pomp by Pope
Honorius, ordered the execution of several
cardinals for. speaking out too boldly I'm
defense of ecclesiastical privileges 1t was
In commemoration Of the violent death
of these men that Innocent " granted the
privilege of wearing the red hat They
first wore the insignia of the Office in I2I6
In the city of Cluny at the meeting of In
nocent and Louis of France. Innocent X
decreed in 164 that no cardinal should
place his own family coat-of-arms upon his
coach or over the door of his church IA
conjunction with the hat and other insignia
or the cardinaiate. but Clement NJ re-
voked this, so that cardinals, If they
choose, can use their own crest and coat
of-arms. In olden times the cardinals wore
their hats when they went out riding. In
the south gallery Of the Peabody Institute
Cardinal Duprat is represented as thus at
tired when entering Sens, the chief city of
his diocese. Now the cardinals i'm italy
going out only wear the ordinary black
hat with tassel, though on state occa-
sions the hat is sometimes of scarlet hue
The zucchetta, from the Italian zuccha. a
gourd, Is a small, closely-iitting skull cap
snapped ike a saucer, and Of red color. The
zucchetta Is indifferently known by the sew
eral names, calotte. pileolus. berrettino and
submitrale. 1t is called calotte in French
from its resemblance to g shell. Berrettino
is a diminutive berretta and II received tts
''submitrale" from the fact that IL used 10
be generally worn under the bishops inter
Commonly IT is called zucchetta If a new
cardinal is absent from Rome a zucchetta is
sent to him by member of the Noble
Guard, as was done in the case of Cardinal
Satolh. The guard is charged with a special
letter from the secretary of state, announc-
ing their elevation. This presentation was
made to Cardinal Satolli at WASHINGTON.
and Is seldom, If ever, made in a church, and
In his case was made at the Catholic lega-
ton, full account of which was published
in Saturdays Star.
The berretta is square cap with three or
four wings or prominences, according to
rank, rising from its crown. The berretta OF
a priest has three wings: that of a prelate
four. When first introduced, which is gen.
orally supposed to have been soon after the
ninth century, 1t had none of these corners
but was plant and plain, something like an
ordinary cap. The difficulty, however of
putting it on and taking 1t off the head was
sometimes very great and hence it was
deemed advisable to have ii SO fashioned
that IT could be used without trouble. This
led to the Introduction of the wings. A car
dinals berretta is red, and made of silk
Cardinals alone wear the berretta of a red
color. for Pope Paul ii. who granted this
privilege, prohibited, under the most rigor-
Gus condemnation, any one from adjoining
his head with a like ornament. The berretta
is sent to distant cardinals by an ablegate
or spiritual pontifical messenger, who must
be one of the pope's private chamberlains.