Biretta - Sarcasm Wiki

Contents

1. Overview
2. Etymology
3. Cultural Impact

A biretta, a rather peculiar square cap with three or four peaks, sometimes adorned with a tuft, is a piece of headwear that has a surprisingly complex history, particularly within religious and academic circles. It’s not just a hat; it’s a statement, a symbol, a relic of tradition.

Traditional Black Biretta

The most commonly recognized form is the traditional black biretta. This isn’t some fashion statement; it’s deeply rooted in ecclesiastical attire. For centuries, Christian clergy, particularly those within the Roman Catholic Church , have donned this distinctive headgear. It’s also found its way onto the heads of some Lutheran and Anglican clergy, a testament to its enduring, if somewhat niche, appeal. Then there’s the four-peaked version. This isn’t for your everyday priest or bishop; this is the mark of academic distinction, reserved for those who have achieved a doctoral degree from a pontifical faculty or pontifical university . It’s a visual cue, a silent declaration of advanced study, worn as academic dress rather than for liturgical purposes. And in a curious twist, you might occasionally spot a biretta on legal professionals, like advocates in the Channel Islands or certain judges in Polish courts. It seems this angular headpiece has a way of finding its place in various formal settings.

Origins

Pinpointing the exact origin of the biretta is like trying to nail down smoke. The historical record mentions it as early as the tenth century, but its lineage is murky. One prevailing theory links it to the academic cap of the high Middle Ages. Imagine a soft, square cap, the ancestor of the modern mortarboard that still graces the heads of university graduates today. The biretta, it’s believed, branched off from this common ancestor. Its adoption as a more widespread ecclesiastical vestment seems to have gained traction after the synod of Bergamo in 1311. The clergy were, rather directly, ordered to wear the “bireta on their heads after the manner of laymen.” As for the tuft, or pom , that sometimes adorns the top, that was a later addition. The earliest forms, sometimes referred to as the Canterbury cap , were decidedly unadorned.

Liturgical Biretta

Catholic Use

Within the Latin Church , the biretta is a permissible, though not mandatory, headwear for virtually all ranks of clergy, with the curious exception of the Pope himself. This includes everyone from the most senior cardinals and bishops down to priests , deacons , and even seminarians. The birettas worn by cardinals are a striking scarlet red, fashioned from silk, a visual signifier of their elevated status. Following the Second Vatican Council , the rather elaborate ceremony of bestowing the galero upon cardinals was supplanted by the presentation of the biretta. Bishops are distinguished by an amaranth colored biretta, while those worn by priests, deacons, and seminarians are typically black.

The Tridentine Roman Missal outlines specific rubrics for its use. In a low Mass , the priest is required to wear the biretta when processing to the altar, handing it to the server upon arrival, and resuming it as he departs. During a solemn Mass , sacred ministers are also permitted to wear it while seated.

Appearance

The details of the biretta’s construction and adornment carry significant meaning. Cardinals, for instance, bear no tuft or “pom.” They receive their birettas and zucchetti directly from the Pope during a ceremony known as a consistory . Bishops’ birettas feature a purple pom, a subtle yet clear indicator of their office. Priests who have attained the rank of prelate within the Vatican hierarchy wear a black biretta with a red pom. For diocesan priests and deacons, the biretta is black, and it may or may not include a black pom. While there’s a common assertion that seminarians are only permitted to wear a biretta without a pom-pom, formal rulings on this specific point seem to be absent.

Clergy belonging to religious orders with their own distinct habits, such as Benedictines, Franciscans, or Dominicans, generally do not wear birettas. In their case, the monastic hood often serves the function of headwear in liturgical contexts. However, Canons Regular , like those of the Order of Prémontré , typically do wear birettas, with the canons of this order sporting white ones. Clerks Regular , orders established post-Renaissance and primarily focused on priestly ministry like the Jesuits and Redemptorists , usually wear a black biretta without a tuft. Other priests in various forms of community life, such as the members of the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri , also generally wear birettas, but again, without a pom. Notably, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest incorporates black birettas with a blue pom.

The liturgical biretta typically features three peaks, though in Germany and the Netherlands, four peaks are more common. The “peak-less” corner is conventionally worn on the left side of the head. According to the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia , it was once a rule that a priest should always wear the biretta when granting absolution during confession. This practice is suggested as a possible origin for the ancient custom of English judges donning the “black cap” when pronouncing a sentence of death.

The biretta’s use was not formally abolished by the regulatory changes following the Second Vatican Council . It remains the designated liturgical headgear for those in Holy Orders when “in choir,” though its use has become optional. It is still frequently seen among bishops and cardinals, and less so among other clergy. Some priests opt to wear it during outdoor services, such as processions or burials, and, as intended, during Mass and other liturgical services. The biretta is also a standard part of the attire for priests, deacons, subdeacons, and bishops attending Mass celebrated according to the rubrics of the Roman Missal of 1962 .

Archbishop Julian Porteous of Hobart wearing an amaranth biretta. Cardinal Angelo Scola wearing a scarlet watered silk biretta. The Biretta of a Monsignor . Then-Archbishop Willem Jacobus Eijk (Utrecht) wearing an amaranth biretta. Saint Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo wearing the black biretta of a priest in a mid-19th century painting.

Anglican Use

Within Anglo-Catholic circles of the Anglican Communion, birettas are occasionally worn, though it’s often viewed as a practice leaning towards Romanism . Canons and deans historically had the prerogative to wear a black biretta with a purple pom. Honorary Canons were signified by a red pom.

The term “Biretta Belt” emerged as a slang descriptor for geographical regions where Anglo-Catholic clergy were notably present and more inclined to wear birettas. This included specific Episcopal Dioceses such as Fond du Lac , Eau Claire , and Milwaukee in Wisconsin; Quincy , Chicago , and Springfield in Illinois; Northern Indiana ; and Marquette in Michigan.

The Canterbury cap , which, like the biretta, evolved from medieval headwear, is considered by some to be a more authentically Anglican alternative. Although its use has significantly declined since the early 20th century, it features a soft, square top, lacking the rigid horns that characterize the biretta.

Lutheran Use

Lutheran clergy, particularly those aligned with an Evangelical Catholic churchmanship, may also wear birettas.

Academic Biretta

Spanish Rector in Full Academic Dress

A Spanish rector, essentially a college president, is depicted in full academic dress , wearing the round birrete, which serves as the academic cap in Spanish universities.

Doctoral Degrees

Use in Medieval Universities

The ceremony marking the conferral of a master’s or doctor’s degree in medieval universities involved the “birretatio,” the imposition of the biretta. This ritual was often accompanied by the presentation of a token book, symbolizing the recipient’s scholarly achievements. The academic biretta subsequently evolved into various forms of academic headgear across continental Europe and the British Isles. Even today, some secular universities retain the term “biretta” to denote their academic caps, even if the physical form has changed.

Use by Pontifical Universities

For individuals holding doctoral degrees from a pontifical university or faculty—whether they are ordained or lay—the “principal mark of a Doctor’s dignity is the four-horned biretta.” This distinctive headwear is worn during commencement ceremonies and other academic gatherings. Doctors in the four ecclesiastical disciplines—Philosophy, Theology, Canon Law, and Sacred Scriptures—conferred by pontifical faculties and universities possess a canonical right to wear this doctoral biretta. This right is stipulated in the Codex Iuris Canonici , specifically canon 1378 of the 1917 edition, and further elaborated in commentary 262 of the Commentarium Codicis Iuris Canonici. The commentary clarifies that those regularly and validly created doctors in these fields, after examination and according to statutes approved by the Apostolic See, are entitled to wear the doctoral biretta, distinguished by its four peaks and often adorned with colors specific to the faculty.

While the specific sections pertaining to the 1917 Code of Canon Law regarding the academic biretta were abrogated with the introduction of the 1983 Code of Canon Law , the use of the academic biretta has persisted. This continuation is often attributed to the fact that the new code did not explicitly abolish its use but rather shifted focus away from academic regalia. Furthermore, as it became more socially acceptable for Catholic priests to pursue post-ordination degrees at Protestant seminaries or secular universities, the four-horned academic biretta, now featuring appropriately colored piping, has been adopted by these priests as well, even when their degrees are from non-pontifical institutions.

Colors of Doctoral Birettas

Ecclesiastical universities and faculties typically award doctoral birettas that are primarily black, accented with colored piping that signifies the faculty in which the degree was granted:

Theology (S.T.D., Th.D., D.Min.): Red piping.
Canon Law (J.C.D.): Green piping.
Philosophy (Ph.D.): Blue piping.
Social Sciences (H.E.D., S.I.C.D, etc.): Orange piping.

Historically, different universities exhibited variations in the color and style of the biretta itself. Nearly a century ago, one author noted that Roman universities presented doctoral birettas in black silk. Louvain favored a biretta with a colored tuft corresponding to the academic discipline, while the Catholic University of America awarded a velvet biretta with red tuft and trim to doctors of theology. The ’traditional’ biretta at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum, is white, aligning with the white Dominican habit. More recently, in May 2011, the academic senate of the Angelicum indicated that a black biretta could be used, accompanied by trim and pom in the color of the specific faculty.

A three-peaked black biretta, again with appropriately colored piping, may also be used by individuals receiving a licentiate degree (S.T.L., Ph.L.).

Depictions in Art in Catholicism

The doctoral biretta occasionally appears in artistic representations of St. Teresa of Ávila , reflecting her designation as a doctor by the University of Salamanca . This recognition is distinct from her more widely known status as a Doctor of the Church . The doctoral biretta has also been borrowed for depictions of another Doctor of the Church, St. Thérèse de Lisieux .

Use by Women

This section requires further development. The historical discussions around headwear for female barristers in England and Wales are intriguing. In 1922, just before the first woman was called to the Bar, senior judges debated what she should wear on her head. Darling J and Horridge J proposed the biretta, but their suggestion was ultimately overruled by the majority of the nine judges present. Consequently, female barristers adopted the same unpowdered men’s wig worn by their male counterparts, effectively covering their hair.

Notes and References

Biretta Definitions
Herbert Norris, Church Vestments: Their Origin and Development, 1950, p. 161.
Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, II.2 and XII.6.
Thurston, Herbert (1907). “CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Biretta”. Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
Herbert Thurston (1913). “Biretta”. In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
“Biretta Belt”. The Episcopal Church. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
“What is Anglo-Catholicism? Part Four”. anglicanhistory.org. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
“About Us”. The Parish Press. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
Olmert, Michael (1996). Milton’s Teeth and Ovid’s Umbrella: Curiouser & Curiouser Adventures in History, p. 178. Simon & Schuster, New York. ISBN 0-684-80164-7.
John Abel Nainfa, Costume of Prelates of The Catholic Church: According To Roman Etiquette, p. 164.
Codex Iuris Canonici, 1917, can. 1378; Commentarium Textus Codicis Iuris Canonici, 1923, comm. 262: Commentarium Codicis Iuris Canonici, 1922, Liber III, Pars IV, Tit. XXII, 262.
John Abel Nainfa, S.S., Costume of Prelates of the Catholic Church: According to Roman Etiquette (Baltimore: John Murphy Company, rev. ed. 1926).
Codex Iuris Canonici, 1917, can. 1378, and Commentarium Textus Codicis Iuris Canonici, 1923, comm. 262, p. 320: “biretum doctorale, (idest: cum quatuor apicibus) utpote insigne huius gradus ac diverso colore ornatum pro Facultate”.
papabear (26 April 2008). “Accessed 3-25-2011”. Cantate-domino.blogspot.com. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
“Ring, Biretta and Gown for Graduates”. Pust.it. 15 June 2011. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
Paul Rhetts, Saint Teresa in New Mexico Archived 10 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine . Tradicion Revista, Volume 7, No. 1, Spring 2002. Accessed 2006-11-26.
Portraits/Chicago Inc. Accessed 2006-11-26.

Bibliography

Noonan, James-Charles Jr. (1996). The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church. Viking. ISBN 0-670-86745-4.
Philippi, Dieter (2009). Sammlung Philippi - Kopfbedeckungen in Glaube, Religion und Spiritualität. Leipzig: St. Benno Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7462-2800-6.
Phillips, Walter Alison (1911). “Biretta”. Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 3 (11th ed.). pp. 980–981.
“Instruction on the dress, titles and coat-of-arms of cardinals, bishops and lesser prelates”. L’Osservatore Romano , English ed. 17 April 1969: 4.

External links

Look up biretta in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Birettas .
(in German) Pictures of birettas, information and literature
Additional pictures of Spanish bonete
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