thumb|right|[[Pope Benedict XVI wearing a camauro, December 2005.]]

A camauro (from the Latin and from the Greek , meaning "camel-skin hat") is a cap traditionally worn by the pope.

Construction

Camauros are traditionally made of red velvet or silk and white ermine fur, or of white damask fabric with fur for the hat worn during the octave of Easter. It is constructed with the rear panels shorter than the front panels, so it sits lower on the neck and ears in the rear, providing more warmth and comfort. It perhaps shares a common ancestor with the zucchetto, another hat worn by high-ranking Catholic prelates. In 1464 it was restricted to the Pope, with cardinals wearing the scarlet zucchetto instead. It also was part of the vesture in which the pope was dressed following his death. It was worn commonly by popes up until the latter part of the 18th century, and occasionally used by Pius IX and Leo XIII. It was worn by Pius XII as part of his funeral rites. The sartorial firm recreating the garment, lacking contemporary examples of the headwear, had to base their construction off Renaissance portraiture featuring the hat.

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File:Pope Julius II.jpg|Pope Julius II<br>

File:Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Portrait d'Urbain VIII.jpg|Pope Urban VIII<br>

File:ClementXIII.jpeg|Pope Clement XIII<br>

File:Camauro Weiss Sammlung Philippi.JPG|The Easter camauro, with white fur trim and a white damask base.

</gallery>

Notes

References

  • About the camauro
  • The Philippi Collection
  • About the skull cap
  • 'Santa Pope' woos Vatican crowds (BBC News, 22 December 2005))
  • History of the Skullcap (PDF, p.&nbsp;21–22)
  • Various popes wearing the camauro on a church watching blog
  • Pictures of Camauro and other clerical headgear, information and literature in German language
  • Picture with summer-camauro in amaranth red silk, white camauro in silk-damask worn during the Octave of Easter and winter-camauro in red velvet