EASTERN RITES 131 



chancel rail of the Roman church raised up to a great height 

 and adorned with pictures. In America, the Greek CathoHcs 

 have not always been able to supply their churches with the 

 iconostas as soon as they are opened for worship, but add it 

 later when they become wealthier. 



The vestments of the Greek clergy were once the same as 

 the Roman ones, but now look quite different. The Roman 

 vestments have been clipped or changed for convenience in 

 one place, whilst the Greek vestments have been changed in 

 another, thus making a curious case of parallel evolution. 

 The bishop wears over his cassock the stikhar or alb ; then the 

 epitrakhil or priestly stole, which is joined together in one 

 piece ; then the poyas or girdle, which is a band or belt. On 

 both wrists he wears the narukzdtsy or cuffs, which answer to 

 the Roman maniple. At his side he often wears the nebedren- 

 nik, a diamond-shaped vestment, peculiar to Greek bishops, 

 but sometimes omitted. Lastly, he wears as the principal 

 vestment the sakkos, a vestment somewhat like a dalmatic, 

 but which answers to the chasuble. Over this comes the omo- 

 phor or pallium, which is indicative of the bishop's office and 

 powers. For the purpose of giving the solemn episcopal bless- 

 ing he uses two sets of candles, the trikir, consisting of three 

 candles (representing the Trinity) in his right hand, and the 

 dikir, consisting of two candles (representing the divine and 

 human natures of Our Lord) in his left hand. His episcopal 

 staff ends in two entwined serpents between which there is a 

 cross, while his mitre is in the shape of a crown surmounted 

 by a small cross. 



The priest is vested in the napleshchnik (amice), the stikhar 

 (alb), the epitrakhil (priestly stole), the poyas (girdle), and 

 narukvitsy (cuffs), and over them the phelon or chasuble. 

 This Greek chasuble is long and flowing at the sides and back, 

 but has been almost entirely cut away in front. The Roman 

 chasuble has also been cut away at the sides, for the same 

 reason of convenience, and neither form of chasuble to-day 

 quite represents the flowing vestment of the earlier ages. The 

 deacon is vested in stikhar (alb) and narukvitsy (cuffs), and 

 wears the orar (or deacon's stole), a plain band with "Agios" 

 on it, outside of the alb pinned to the left shoulder. The dea- 

 con, between the Lord's Prayer and the Communion, winds 

 his stole in a cross-like shape around his body. 



