> posts by Marjorie, Damien, and John to the contrary withstanding, force
> me to yield the field: o.k. abbots *could* wear mitres, and some still
> do.
> from the examples cited, however, it appears to me that these were quite
> special cases --where either the abbot needed to act (at least in some
> capcity) as a bishop, or needed to be free of local episcopal authority-- and
> not at all common. n'est pas?
Common enough in the later middle ages to include the appropriate text for the
privilege in the papal formularies at least in the 14th century Many abbots asked
for the right and got it, usually with the restriction not to wear the
pontificalia (and/or to say the benedictions allowed to them) in the presence of
an papal legate and/or the diocesan bishop. It became a honorary right with little
practical consequences.
cf. Philipp Hofmeister, Mitra und Stab der wirklichen Praelaten ohne
bischoeflichen Charakter (Kirchenrechtliche Abhandlungen 104, Stuttgart 1928) (old
but still useful)
for the mitre:
Bernhard Sirch, Der Ursprung der bischoeflichen Mitra und der paepstlichen Tiara
(Kirchengesch. Quellen und Studien 8, St. Ottilien 1975).
I suppose that Gerhard Ladner has published something on the topic in English (no
reference at hand).
yours, h.w.
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