Biretta Definition | Apparel Search

A biretta is a square cap with three ridges or peaks, or four for those who hold Doctorates of Sacred Theology, surmounted by a tuft. It is traditionally worn by Roman Catholic clergy and by some clergy of the Anglican Churches, historically by all ranks from cardinals to priests and deacons. Its origins are uncertain but it is mentioned as early as the tenth century, and its most probable origin is the academic hat of the high Middle Ages, a soft square cap that is also the ancestor of the modern mortarboard.

The biretta is a square cap with three ridges or peaks (four for those who hold Doctorates of Sacred Theology or STD), surmounted by a tuft, traditionally worn by Roman Catholic clergy, as well as by some clergy of the Anglican Churches. Historically, the biretta was used by all ranks of the clergy from Cardinals to priests and deacons. Contrary to public opinion, the biretta has not been abolished as a result of changes in regulation of clerical dress and vesture following the Second Vatican Council, but it has fallen into a state of disuse, and is therefore most commonly seen in use by clerics of episcopal rank on occasions where its use is mandated by church rubrics.

Its origins are uncertain but is mentioned as early as the tenth century. The most probable origin of the biretta is the academic hat of the high middle ages, which was a soft, square cap. The medieval academic hat is also the ancestor of the modern mortarboard hat or 'dink' used today in secular universities.

Those worn by Cardinals are scarlet red made of silk, those by bishops are purple, while those worn by priests, deacons, and seminarians are black. The pope does not make use of the biretta, instead he makes use of the camauro. Variations in the color of the tuft of the priest's biretta denote differences in ecclesastical rank for canons, monsignori, etc. Additionally, the holding of certain academic degrees permit clerics the use of various colors of tufts and trim. In previous times, a biretta without peaks was worn by the clerical order of sub deacons. Birettas worn by cardinals, deacons, and seminarians do not have a tuft.


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The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/biretta 6/14/05

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Shape, Peaks and the Academic Ancestor

The biretta is read first by its geometry. Where most caps are round, the biretta is square, stiffened into three ridges or peaks that rise from the crown, with a tuft set at the centre on many examples. The four-peaked form is reserved for a specific academic distinction, holders of the Doctorate of Sacred Theology, which is a clue to where the shape came from. The most probable origin is the academic hat of the high Middle Ages, itself a soft square cap, and that same medieval academic hat is also the ancestor of the modern mortarboard used today in secular universities. In other words, the biretta and the graduation cap are cousins: one stayed in the university and flattened into the board worn at commencement, the other stayed in clerical dress and kept its ridges, tuft and colour code. Mentioned as early as the tenth century, the biretta therefore carries a very long history in a very small object, and its squareness is not decoration for its own sake but the surviving outline of medieval scholarly dress.

Construction follows that history. A biretta must hold a crisp square outline and clean peaks on the head, so it is made as a structured cap rather than a soft cloth covering, and the cardinal's version described here is made of silk in scarlet red. The tuft, where present, sits surmounted at the top and becomes part of the signalling system, not merely a finish.

Colour as a Language of Rank

Few items of headwear communicate as precisely as the biretta, because almost every visible choice carries meaning. Scarlet red is for cardinals, purple is for bishops, and black is for priests, deacons and seminarians, so a congregation or a procession can be read at a glance. Within the black biretta of a priest, variations in the colour of the tuft and trim denote differences in ecclesiastical rank for canons, monsignori and others, and the holding of certain academic degrees also permits clerics the use of various colours of tufts and trim. Absences speak too: cardinals, deacons and seminarians wear birettas without a tuft, subdeacons in previous times wore a biretta without peaks, and the pope does not wear a biretta at all, using the camauro instead. Historically the cap was used by all ranks of the clergy from cardinals to priests and deacons, and some clergy of the Anglican Churches also wear it, which places the biretta at the meeting point of Catholic and Anglican clerical tradition.

Its present position needs care in description. The biretta has not been abolished following the Second Vatican Council, even though many people assume that it has. What happened is disuse: everyday clerical dress changed, the biretta was worn less often, and it became most commonly seen on clerics of episcopal rank on occasions where its use is mandated by church rubrics. That distinction matters for anyone cataloguing, collecting, costuming or simply identifying clerical headwear in photographs. A biretta in a modern image is not necessarily an archaism or a costume choice; it may be exactly what the rubrics require for that occasion and that rank, in the colour and form that rank prescribes.

Common Questions

What do the colours of a biretta mean?

Colour shows rank. Birettas worn by cardinals are scarlet red made of silk, those worn by bishops are purple, and those worn by priests, deacons and seminarians are black. Variations in the colour of the tuft further denote differences in rank for canons, monsignori and others.

Has the biretta been abolished?

No. Contrary to public opinion, the biretta has not been abolished as a result of changes in regulation of clerical dress following the Second Vatican Council. It has fallen into disuse, and is now most commonly seen on clerics of episcopal rank on occasions where its use is mandated by church rubrics.

Who does not wear a biretta, and who wears one without a tuft?

The pope does not make use of the biretta, instead he makes use of the camauro. Birettas worn by cardinals, deacons and seminarians do not have a tuft, and in previous times a biretta without peaks was worn by the clerical order of subdeacons.