The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1902-06-06
WARDROBE OF THE POPE.
Vast Number of Princely Garments
and Priceless Laces.

and fr1celeSS IaceS.
Few rulers are surrounded with more
ceremony and magnifcence than the
princes Of the church. AS for the
pope himself, etiquette and tradition
have imposed upon him a sumptuous
magnificence, and the wardrobe of Leo
XIII is the largest and most costly the
wide world has to show.
Three large rooms in the vatican are
given over to it and many servants are
constantly at work keeping the vest
ments in order. There are garments
set aside for each day in the year, and
varying in color, weight, and value ac-
cording to the occasion and the sea-
son.
In Lent, the papal raiment, from
shoes to cap, is OF scarlet. The Easter
season calls for white. Other holy days
demand other colors.
Every item of each costume is the
finest and richest of it's kind. The sur
plices worn at audiences are of price
less old lace. Nowhere in Europe is
there a more valuable and interesting
collection of lace.
The slippers Of the pope are legion
and each pair is of the finest velvet.
The right slipper, which is kissed by
pilgrims and other pious visitors, bears
a cross in gold embroidery, while on
the left are embroidered the crest, keys,
tiara and pallium which make up the
crest of the Roman church.
But the slippers fade into insignifi-
canoe before the value of the innum-
cradle pairs of gloves. These gloves
are of the finest white wool.
That sounds modest, but, as 1t hap
pens, the wool is embroidered in costly
pearls. The material for the gloves, as
for all wooden garments worn by the
pope, is made from the fleece of a spe-
cial flock of sheepdedicated to this pur-
pose and owned by a family that has
since the middle Of the 10th century
enjoyed the privilege.
From this herd of so sheep a num-
Der Of lambs are taken to the pope,
and, in an impressive ceremony, receive
the papal blessing. After that they
are kept for a year at a convent near
Rome, and are cared for in the most
elaborate and punctilious fashion.
The year being passed, the lambs are
shorn and the nuns weave the fleece
into palliums for the pope. The pail
ium, a long strip of white wool, adorn-
ed only by a gold cross at each end,
is the most sacred Of priestly vest
iVlibo II 10 WI aiouht ~ hNSh uhi
body, the ENDS falling over the left
shoulder. Before Pope Leo wears one
of his many palliums it must lie for a
certain length of time upon the sar-
cophagus Of st. Peter.
Many Of the papal vesments are set
with rich jewels and stiff with gold and
silver; but these gorgeous garments
are seldom worn since the vatican lost
its temporal power and the pope has
given up grand public ceremonies. One
Of the jeweled robes, the famous cappa
magma, or great cape, is so thickly set
with gems that its weight alone would
prevent the old ana frail pope from
wearing it.
Pope Leo XIII is fond of jewels, and
has a reasonably valuable collection of
rings, but only three of them are Off
cial. The Fisherman ring, carved with
a representation OF st. Peter, fishing, is
the pope's official signet ring, and Is
destroyed at the death of the wearer
a duplicate being made for his success
sor.