PAPAL MANTLE. - A sacred vestment, very full and with a train, also called pluvial or cappa pontificalis. It is similar to the cope, but longer, extending from the neck to well below the feet; it is sleeveless, open at the front, and fastens at the chest by means of two small hooks of gilded silver, which are then covered by the formale. In ancient times a hood was also attached to it at the back of the shoulders; now, in its place, a piece of cloth of semicircular shape hangs, sewn only along its upper part.

The papal mantle is of silk in white, rose, red (a color which in papal vestments replaces black and purple) and green, according to the season, with magnificent embroidery in gold on the extreme edges (called the pedana), over the whole background and especially on the broad front bands, which also surround the neck, and at the beginning of the ancient hood, which is furthermore decorated with fringe and gold grani.

The papal mantle is placed upon the pope's shoulders in the Sala dei paramenti by two auditors of the Rota; the first cardinal deacon fastens it at the chest with the hooks, upon which he places the formale. Then the first two cardinal deacons, assistants at the throne, take its outermost parts and support them in all the actions the pope performs at the throne, and arrange them so that the papal mantle covers the whole august person. They are replaced by the first two masters of ceremonies when the pope is at the kneeler, and these arrange upon it the fimbriae of the papal mantle: the train of the papal mantle falls upon the falda, which together with the latter is supported by two auditors of the Rota (cf. the constitution Ad incrementum decoris of 15 Aug. 1934: AAS, 26 [1934], p. 511, no. LXXVII).

The newly elected pontiff wears the papal mantle for the first time to receive the 2nd and 3rd adoration of the cardinals. He then assumes it in the pontifical chapels at which he assists, in the functions of possession, in those of the opening and closing of the Holy Door, in public and semipublic consistories, and finally to intone the hymn of the hour of terce, if he solemnly celebrates Mass, and to give the solemn blessing.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: F. Buonanni, La gerarchia ecclesiastica, Rome 1720, p. 258; D. Giorgi, Gli abiti del Sommo Pontefice paonazzi e neri, ibid. 1724, ch. 4; G. Moroni, s. v. in Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica, XLII, p. 162.

Guglielmo Felici

@incollection{ec7_manto_papale, author = {Felici, Guglielmo}, title = {Manto Papale}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VII}, pages = {1988}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/manto-papale} }

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