MONASTIC AND LITURGICAL VESTMENTS

Many sources show the evolution of the monastic and liturgical vestments, which are attested in Egypt as early as the fourth century. The description of Evagrius, Palladius, and the Saying of the fathers gave the names of some monastic vestments in Lower Egypt. The Middle Egyptian tradition of the period is attested by the life of Antony and the historia monachorum in aegypto. In the fifth century, the life of Pachomius and the life of Shenoute provide some illusions to the monastic garment in Upper Egypt.

The evolution of the monastic vestment may be witnessed in the homily of Basil of Pemdje on abbot Loginus; the vestment became more simplified, while the panegyric on Apollo shows that there is no change in the tradition of the Middle Egyptian monasticism. From this period survived the first two icons showing monks and bishops, one is the icon of abbot Menas in the Louvre museum and the other is that of Abraham in Berlin Museum. The monastic sites of Bawit and Saqqarah provide us with a large number of wall paintings, wherein monks and bishops are depicted.

From the 10th century survives the body of a monk (Bisada) in the monastery of Qalamun, the monks wear a special turban and robe. From the 12th century to the 14th century, the rite of consecration the monk and that of the patriarch provide the reader with a complete list of the different items. In the 17th century, two Western travellers, Richard Pocock and Johann Wansleben (Vansleb) made description of all the monastic vestments. Pocock also made a drawing of a Coptic priest, which shows clearly that there are minor changes.

In the 18th century, the two masters, the icon-writer Ibrahim the scribe and Hanna the Armenian painted many icons depicted monks such as Shenoute, Pachomius, Macarius, Apollo, and Abib. However, themonastic vestments reflect more Greek influence rather than Coptic tradition. The Coptic Clergy wears a black turban (an evolution of the cuculion), a black tunic and a mantle with large sleeves.

Century	Lower Egypt	Middle Egypt	Upper Egypt	Remarks
Fourth-fifth	Evagrius (+ 399) and Cassian (+420) Cuculion a kind of mantlet with hood.Lebiton a linen tunic that is also called Colobion. It does not have sleeves Analobos: put on the shoulder as cross The belt.Melotes: a mantle with a goat or sheep skin used while traveling	Life of Antony(after 356AD):§46 a linen garment§47 (from hair)§91-92 Melotes Elistory of themonks in Egypt:(written 394-395): LebitonCuculion overthe head.Melotes over the shoulder and sometimes used as a bag		Semi-hermitic system
	Lausiac history
	Of Palladius (420) melotes, sack ApophthegmataPatrumSkema:Lebiton: tunicwithout sleeves ColobionMelotes (not frequent) belt (rare)			(continues)

Century	Lower Egypt	Middle Egypt	Upper Egypt	Remarks
fifth			Life of Pachom	Cenobetic
			Two tunics one in linen without sleeves.MelotesBeltTwo cuculiaA staff and sandals
Seventh-ninth century	Basil of Pemdje, the Virtues of Saint LonginMantle or anabolos, dead skin or melotes, hoodLife of HilariaTunicThe skin tunicBelt	Panegyric on ApolloArchmandrite of the monastery of Isaac by Stephen of Heracleo polis Magna Lebiton A skin Cuculion Belt Staff Life of Samuel ofKalamun by Isaac the Presbyter Schema, The skin tunic Cuculion		Semi-hermitic system

Seventh-ninth centuryIcon and wall painting	Icon of the Abbot Menas in the Louvre (seventh century).Wall painting from Saqqarah and Bawit, the Coptic Museum (three monks).
Seventh-ninth century		The body of saintBesada (monastery of Saint SamuelKalamun)
12th 14th century	Rite of ordination a monkLebitonCuculionBeltAnd later the Schema and the mantleRite of ordination a patriarchTunicCuculionThe schema which is bound over the shoulder

Century	Lower Egypt	Middle Egypt	Upper Egypt	Remarks
	The leather belt over the kidneyThe mantle
12th 16th centuries	Beam icon inthe Church of Saint Mercurius(XIII century)Wall painting saint Macarius (XVI century)	Wall paintingsMonastery of SaintAntony (XIII century)	Wall paintings of the monastery of al-Fakhury
14th and 1 5th centuries	Abu al-Barakat Ibn Kabar, the lamp of Darkness			Only commentary
1 7th and 1 8th centuries	The Western travelers WanslebPockok
18th century	Icons of Ibrahim al-Nasikh and Yuhanna al-Armani		Icons from Akhmin

GAWDAT GABRA