c. 2005 Religion News Service
VATICAN CITY _ A crimson cap, trimmed with snow-white fur and worn by a rosy-cheeked elderly man as he glides past thousands of onlookers days before Christmas, may come across as typical holiday kitsch in many parts of the world.
Here, however, the Santa-like accessory is an undeniable fashion statement.
Pope Benedict XVI, whose taste for Gucci sunglasses and Prada footwear turned heads last summer, is again creating waves in fashion-conscious Italy after debuting the latest form of papal headgear during a Wednesday (Dec. 21) general audience.
Although the cap, known as a camauro, was a staple of medieval and Renaissance papal attire, few popes have dared to try it on in modern times. Even when Rome temperatures dipped below freezing, recent popes such as John Paul II and Paul VI made due with the partial coverage of the modest white skullcap, known as the “zucchetto.”
Benedict may be modeling his policy after the conservatism of John Paul, but in terms of fashion sense he appears to be taking his cues from John XXIII, the pope of 1960’s liberalization and a regular camauro-wearer.
In addition to the camauro, John XXIII’s wardrobe featured several capes and mantles in various shades of red that Benedict has also recently resurrected. During his early December visit to the Spanish Steps, Rome’s most fashionable district, Benedict sported a burgundy, fur-trimmed mantle that evidently anticipated the debut of Wednesday’s crimson cap.
According to Annibale Gammarelli, the Rome tailors who have dressed popes since 1792, the camauro was already out of date by the time John XXIII adopted it between 1959 and 1963. Lacking contemporary source material, Gammarelli culled their design for John XXIII’s cap from papal portraits painted during the Renaissance.
Although use of the camauro dates back to the reign of Pope Constantine (707-715), the accessory apparently hit its stride between the 14th and 18th centuries as popes became more image conscious _ their profiles appearing on coins and in portraits.
The camauro is perhaps best known for its appearance on the head of Leo X, the flamboyant Medici pope, who posed in one for a portrait by Renaissance master Raphael.
Benedict’s camauro, meanwhile, made a splash in the Italian press on Thursday (Dec. 22). Rome daily Il Tempo ran a front-page color photo of the pope and his new cap with a headline that read “Return to your roots.”
Several Italian reports said the new cap was crafted from velvet and ermine, marking a step forward in fashion and function from the traditional camauro, which literally means “camel skin beret.”
The question of who designed the new hat, however, remains a mystery.
Annibale Gammarelli refused to comment on the origins of the cap amid widespread speculation that Benedict has ditched the papal tailors in favor of Raniero Mancinelli, the robemaker he used as a cardinal.
Reached by telephone, Mancinelli said he had no idea where the camauro came from. “Anyone could have done it,” he said. “Anyone who knows this trade, I mean.”
MO/JL END MEICHTRY
RNS subscribers who get the Reuters photo feed can find a shot, which moved Wednesday, of the pope in the red Santa-like hat. The AP also moved a photo.
