16세기 사제 복장: 트렌토 공의회까지

Abstract

In the 16th century how the sacerdotal clothing was? How does the Church of the period established the discipline about the sacerdotal clothing? During the V Lateran Council(1512~1517), Pope Leo X promulgated the “Supernae Dispositionis” Constitution. There are established rules concerning the clothing of those clerics that constitute the “family” of a prelate. In particular the presbyters are recommended to wear dresses of a colour established by the right and long at least until the heels. Instead it is made an exception for the clerics that carry out a laborious job, like the esquires or the grooms, who are allowed to wear shorter or more convenient dresses, provided that they are not presbyters. Besides the papal “family” members are allowed to wear red dresses in decorum of the pontifical dignity. The XVI century saw important decisions about the ecclesiastic clothing beginning from the norm of the Tridentine Council(1545~1563). The Council left the concrete regulation on the clerical clothing to the discretion of local Ordinaries, inside the general dispositions about the Church reform that had to remedy various abuses, among which also those concerning the clerical clothing. The clothing argument is treated three times by the Council in his reform Decree, retaking in part the precedent legislations. First of all, in the XVI session, that happened under Pope Julius II(1550~1555), it returns the theme about the coherence between the clothing that appears outside and the interior dispositions of a cleric. So it prosecutes noting that in some the presumption and the contempt of religion have reached such a point that “without any cure for their own dignity and the clerical status honour, they publicly wear laical dresses…”, and it urges to respect either universal or particular norm, by pointing out the possibility of incurring the canon penalties. The second, the necessity of wearing in public an appropriate clothing by those that are constituted into sacred orders is after confirmed in the XXII session of the Council, together with other demands concerning the good example to transmit to the faithful. After remembering other precedent prescriptions about the life, the honesty, the forming of the clerics and all that is not suitable for their status, it invites the Ordinaries to do all to report the useful prescriptions in use and to make them be diligently observed by all. Finally, the XXIII session refers to the clerical clothing that, together with tonsure and having specific prerogatives, permits also the cleric that is not fourteen yet to enjoy the forum privilege. Besides it is made observed that the clerics constituted only into minor orders, that are married according to the conditions established by the Constitution by Boniface VIII(1294~1303) and that are destined by their bishop for some ministry, must wear the clothing and tonsure.