SCAPOLARE. — From the Latin *scapula* = shoulder. An integral part of the monastic religious habit, worn over the tunic, consisting of two long strips of cloth hanging from the shoulders, one over the chest and the other over the back, each equipped with a hood; at the top there is an opening through which the head is passed.
It is characteristic of the monastic Orders: Benedictines, Camaldolese, Cistercians, Carmelites, and Dominicans, and has also been adopted by some newer congregations. It comes in various colors: black for the Benedictines and Cistercians, white for the Camaldolese, Olivetans, and Dominicans; brown for the Carmelites. St. Benedict (Reg., ch. 55: *«scapulare propter opera»*) refers to the initial form, which must have been merely a band or strap, in the shape of a cross, placed over the chest and shoulders (similar to the Greek *ἀνάξαβος*) to adjust or lift the habit during work; or else an apron to protect ordinary clothing. A century after St. Benedict, its meaning changed. The current form seems to derive from the *«cucullo»*, i.e., an elongated hood extending to the shoulders to protect the head and shoulders from rain, cold, and snow. By the time of the reform of St. Benedict of Aniane (d. 821), it had lengthened to the knees; this *«cuculla s.»* was, as the biographer of St. Benedict of Aniane, Ardo (d. 843), writes, identified with the *«s.»* of the Benedictine Rule. Around the year 1000, it began to lengthen further, reaching the heels. By around 1200, the current form was reached.
To express their adherence to their respective monastic Order, oblates and members of the Third Order of St. Francis wear a reduced form of the *scapolare* beneath their garments, namely two small pieces of cloth in the color of the Order’s habit, joined by two ribbons. The *scapolare* of the tertiaries is called *«great»*, in contrast to the *«small»* one worn by religious confraternities as a badge. The most famous and widespread is the brown or black one of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, often combined with other *scapolari*: with the white one bearing the red and blue cross of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity (granted in 1200); with the black one of the Servites (since 1255) in honor of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin; with the sky-blue one of the Immaculate Conception, granted in 1691 and 1710 to the Theatines; and with the red one of the Passion, approved in 1847 for the Lazarists. Besides these five *scapolari*, there are others, e.g., the violet-yellow one in honor of St. Joseph, approved in 1893 for the Capuchins; the red one in honor of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, approved in 1900; the white one in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, approved in 1900, etc.
To gain the spiritual benefits, the *scapolari* must be actually and continuously worn day and night; they must be made of wool and blessed for the first time on the day of enrollment. A decree of Pius X (16 Dec. 1910) permits the wearing of a medal (bearing on one side the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the other that of the Virgin Mary) to substitute for the *scapolare* (AAS, 3 [1911], pp. 22-23).