Palatine Tiara

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The Palatine Tiara
It was given to Pope Pius IX in 1877 by the Palatine Guard.

The Palatine Tiara is the most widely used Papal Tiara in the possession of the Vatican. It was donated to Pope Pius IX in 1877 by the Holy See's Palatine Guard to commemorate his jubilee as a priest. It was last worn to date by Pope John XXIII.

1 Coronation tiara for some popes
2 Design
3 "Vicarius Filii Dei" myth
4 Now unworn, but not abolished
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Coronation tiara for some popes

Main article: Papal Tiara

Of all the tiaras in the papal collection, the Palatine Tiara is the most widely used, a fact reflected in the image (right) which shows its worn lappets and its off-centre monde. It was particularly associated with the pontificates of Pope Pius XII (r 1939–1958) and Pope John XXIII (r: 1958–1963), both of which chose to be crowned with it.

It was not however the official coronation tiara. Traditionally popes received their own tiara from their cardinalate see on election. However Pius XII prior to his election had not had a see: he had been Cardinal Secretary of State, and so did not receive a tiara, and so chose the 1877 tiara from the collection to be crowned with. In John XXIII's case, though he did receive his own tiara, his election was so unexpected that Bergamo, his native region, which donated the tiara, had not plans in train to manufacture a tiara quickly in the event of his election. His papal tiara was given to him in 1959. As a result he chose also to be crowned with the 1877 tiara.

[edit] Design

The tiara is made up of a silver mesh over a felt base and consists of three separate golden crowns. Each crown is inlaid with pearls, 90 on each, a total of 540 pearls on the tiara. The first crown contains sixteen rubies, three emeralds, a hyacinth, an aquamarine, three rubies, a sapphire, and eight gold points with five garnets and two Balas rubies. The second crown has on it ten emeralds, eight Balas rubies, one chrysolite, two aquamarines, six small rubies and three sapphires. The third crown has sixteen small Balas rubies, three larger Balas rubies, four sapphires, three hyacinths, three aquamarines, one garnet, eight gold floral ornaments each with two emeralds, one Balas ruby, a chrysolite and eight gold points, each adorned with a garnet. The top of the tiara beneath the monde is covered with a layer of thin gold, on which are eight rubies and eight emeralds. The gold covering is a gold monde enameled in blue on the top of which is cross containing eleven brilliants. Jewels are also attached to the lappets.

[edit] "Vicarius Filii Dei" myth

Main article: Vicarius Filii Dei

The coronation of Pope John XXIII in 1958
The last time the Palatine Tiara was used to date to crown a pope.

Some Protestant groups, particularly associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church claimed that Vicarius Filii Dei', "representative of the Son of God", is spelt out in jewels on the 1877 tiara. "Vicarius Filii Dei" is a title mentioned as a papal title in the forged mediaeval Donation of Constantine. Some Protestant groups claim it is a real papal title, a claim dismissed by the Roman Catholic Church as an "anti-Catholic myth".

All photographs of the tiara, including close-up photographs taken from all sides at the coronation of Pius XII in 1939 show that it actually contains no writing. None of the existing tiaras in the collection, the oldest of which dates back to the 16th century, in fact contains the words Vicarius Filii Dei.

[edit] Now unworn, but not abolished

Main article: Papal Coronation

In 1963 the new pope, Pope Paul VI chose to be crowned with his own tiara given to him by his former see rather than the Palatine Tiara. (He also had a shorter rite of papal coronation than had previous popes.) He never wore any other tiara from the collection and in June 1963 formally renounced the wearing of a tiara for his papacy by placing his tiara on the altar of St. Peter's Basilica during the Second Vatican Council. However his own 1975 Apostolic Constitution Romano Pontifici Eligendo did not abolish the wearing of papal tiaras but explicitly required that his successor be crowned.

His successor, Pope John Paul I insisted however in 1978 that he would not be crowned. Both his successors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI also declined to wear tiaras. None of the three prohibited the wearing of papal tiaras. Pope John Paul II's 1996 Apostolic Constitution, Universi Dominici Gregis mentioned "the inauguration of a pontificate", not a Papal Inauguration, a descriptive rather than perspective term given that coronations also inaugurated (ie, ceremonially begin) pontificates. As a result any future pope is entitled if they chose to wear any of the tiaras in the Vatican's possession, either as part of a traditional papal coronation, a coronation aspect included in the modern papal inauguration, or irrespective of the holding of any coronation ceremony.

The last pope to date to wear the Palatine Tiara was John XXIII.

[edit] See also

Papal Tiaras

Papal Tiaras in existence

Papal rituals, symbols & ceremonial
Apostolic Palace • Camauro • Coat of Arms • Conclave • Coronation • Fanon • Holy See • Inauguration • Mitre • Mozzetta • Pallium • Popemobile • Regalia & Insignia • Ring of the Fisherman • St. John Lateran • St. Peter's Basilica • St. Peter's Square • Sedia gestatoria • Sistine Chapel • Tiara • Vatican City