PALLIUM
428
PALLIUM
Peter anil Paul, and are then kept in a special silver-
gilt casket near the Confcssio Fetri until required.
The pulliuin is conferred in Rome by a cardinal-
deacon, and outside of Rome by a bishop; in both
cases the ceremony takes place after the celebration
of Mass and the administration of the oath of alle-
giance.
History and Anliquily. — It is impossible to indicate exactly when the pallium was first introduced. Ac- cording to the "Liber Pontificalis", it was first used in the first half of the fourth century. This book re- lates, in the life of Pope IMarcus (d. 336), that he con- ferred the right of wearing the pallium on the Bishop of Ostia, because the consecration of the pope apper- tained to him. At any rate, the wearing of the pal- lium was usual in the fifth century; this is indicated by the above-mentioned reference contained in the life of St. Marcus, which dates from the beginning of the sixth century, as well as by the conferring of the
subject of embittered controversies, the attitude of
many critics being indefensibly extreme and unjusti-
fiable.
Character and Significance. — As early as the sixth century the pallium was considered a liturgical vest- ment to be used only in the church, anil iiidrcd only during Mass, unless a special privilege dctiTinined otherwise. This is proved conclusively by the cor- respondence between Gregory the Great and John of Ravenna concerning the use of the pallium. The rules regulating the original use of the pallium cannot be determined with certainty, but its use, even before the sixth century, seems to have had a definite liturgi- cal character. From early times more or less exten- sive restrictions limited the use of the pallium to certain days. Its indiscriminate use, permitted to Hincmar of Reims by Leo IV (851) and to Bruno of Cologne by Agapetus II (9.54), was contrary to gen- eral custom. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, just
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Pallfdm
showing development
pallium on St. Csesarius of Aries by Pope Sjonmachus
in 513. Besides, in numerous other references of the
sixth century, the pallium is mentioned as a long-cus-
tomary vestment. It seems that, from the begin-
ning, the pope alone had the absolute right of wearing
the pallium. Its use by others was tolerated only in
virtue of the permission of the pope. We hear of the
pallium being conferred on others, as a mark of dis-
tinction, as early as the sixth century. The honour
was usually conferred on metropolitans, especially
those nominated vicars by the pope, but it was some-
times conferred on simple bishops (e. g. on Syagrius
of Autun, Donus of Messina, and John of Syracuse by
Pope Gregory the Great). The use of the pallium
among metropolitans did not become general until
the ninth century, when the obUgation was laid upon
all metropolitans of forwarding a petition for the
pallium accompanied by a solemn profession of faith,
all consecrations being forbiilden them before the re-
ception of the pallium. The object of this rule was to
bring the metropolitans into more intimate connexion
with the seat of unity and the source of all metropoli-
tan prerogatives, the Holy See, to counteract the as-
pirations of various autonomy-seeking metropolitans,
which were incompatible with the Constitution of the
Church, and to counteract the evil influences arising
thereform: the rule was intended, not to kill, but to
re\-i\-ifj' metropolitan jurisdiction. The oath of alle-
giance which the recipient of the pallium takes to-
day originated, apparently, in the eleventh century.
It is met with during the reign of Paschal II (1099-
1118), and replaced the profession of faith. It is
certain that a tribute was paid for the reception of
the pallium as early as the sixth century. This was
abrogated by Pope Gregory the Great in the Roman
Synod of .505, but was reintroduced later as partial
maintenance of the Holy See. These pallium contri-
butions have often been, since the Middle Ages, the
as to-day, the general rule was to limit the use of the
pallium to a few festivals and some other extraordi-
nary occasions. The symbolic character now attached
to the pallium dates back to the time when it was
made an obligation for all metropolitans to petition
the Holy See for permission to use it. The evolution
of this character was complete about the end of the
eleventh century; thenceforth the pallium is always
designated in the papal Bulls as the symbol of pleni-
ttido pontificalis officii. In the sixth century the pal-
lium was the symbol of the papal office and the papal
power, and for this reason Pope Felix transmitted his
pallium to his archdeacon, when, contrary to custom,
he nominated him his successor. On the other hand,
when used by metropolitans, the pallium originally
signified simply union with the Apostolic See, and
was the symbol of the ornaments of virtue which should
adorn the life of the wearer.
Formal Development. — There is a decided difference between the form of the modern pallium and that in vogue in early Christian times, as portrayed in the Ravenna mosaics. The pallium of the sixth century was a long, moderately wide, white band, ornamented at its extremity with a black or red cross, and finished off with tassels; it was draped around the neck, shoul- ders, and breast in such a manner that it formed a V in front, and the ends hung down from the left shoul- der, one in front and one behind (see illustration). In the eighth century it became customary to let the ends fall down, one in the middle of the breast and the other in the middle of the b.ack, and to fasten them there with pins, the paUium thus becoming Y-shaped. A further development took place during the ninth century (according to pictorial representations, at first outside of Rome where ancient traditions were not maintained so strictly): the band, which had hitherto been kept in place by the pins, was sewed Y-shaped, without, however, being cut. The present
