CAMAURO

CAMAURO. - It is a type of cap that covers the whole head and also the ears, which was used outside of sacred functions. In its current form it is an exclusive privilege of the Supreme Pontiff, who wears it in winter of red velvet trimmed with ermine, and in summer of red satin, like the mozzetta he wears. Its origin is uncertain. Some authors, deriving the word from the Latin *camelaucium*, suggest that it is so called because it is a head covering made of camel hair. Others see in it the definition of the effect it was meant to produce, namely that of preserving heat. Others again consider it a feminine ornament, which later passed, like the mitre and the tiara, to ecclesiastical prelates. In its primitive form it was composed of four pieces of cloth, sewn in the shape of a cross, sufficiently ample to cover the ears as well, as seen in a medal of Alexander VI. The period in which the popes began to wear it is uncertain. In the medallions of the popes existing in the basilica of St. Paul in Rome, we see that the first popes to wear the camauro are the Avignon popes Clement V and John XXII. The style varied according to the taste of the era, and also according to the wishes of the pontiffs. From Pius VI onwards the popes almost never wear it, but use the white zucchetto instead. The camauro is placed on the head of the deceased pontiff before he is dressed in sacred vestments for public viewing.

Enrico Dante