CAMAURO

CAMAURO. - It is a kind of cap that covers the whole head and also the ears, used outside sacred functions. In its present form it is the exclusive privilege of the Supreme Pontiff, who wears it in red velvet edged with ermine in winter, and in red satin in summer, like the mozzetta worn by him. Its origin is uncertain. Some authors, from the Latin word camelaucium, hold that it is so called because it is a headdress made of camel hair. Others see in it a definition of the effect that the c. was intended to produce, namely that of retaining warmth. Finally, others consider it a feminine ornament which subsequently passed, like the mitre and the tiara, to ecclesiastical prelates. In its primitive form it consisted of four pieces of cloth sewn together in the form of a cross, sufficiently broad to cover the ears as well, as may be seen on a medal of Alessandro VI. The period in which the popes began to wear it is uncertain. In the medallions of the popes in the basilica of S. Paolo in Roma, we see that the first popes to wear the c. were the Avignon popes Clemente V and Giovanni XXII. Its type varied according to the taste of the period and also according to the wishes of the pontiffs. From Pio VI onward, the popes have almost never worn it, but use the white skullcap. The c. is placed upon the head of the deceased pontiff before he is clothed in the sacred vestments for public exposition.