paenula

liturgical vestment

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July 1, 2026

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The paenula was a garment worn in ancient Rome, typically a long, sleeveless cloak with a hood. It evolved into an early form of the chasuble, a liturgical vestment.12

In the early Christian church, priests wore clothing similar to lay members. However, after the 4th century, as secular fashions changed, clerical dress became distinct. The chasuble, which developed from the Roman paenula, is the outermost garment worn by Roman Catholic priests and bishops during Mass. It is a conical or bell-shaped cloak made from a semicircular piece of cloth. In Eastern churches, the equivalent vestment is the phelonion.32

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religious dress
Roman Catholic religious dress
…goes back to the Roman paenula. The paenula also was the Eastern Orthodox equivalent of the chasuble, the phelonion, and perhaps also the cope (a long mantlelike vestment). In its earliest form, the paenula was a cone-shaped dress with an opening at the apex to admit the head. Because ancient…
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…goes back to the Roman paenula. The paenula also was the Eastern Orthodox equivalent of the chasuble, the phelonion, and perhaps also the cope (a long mantlelike vestment). In its earliest form, the paenula was a cone-shaped dress with an opening at the apex to admit the head. Because ancient…
Read More