Tiara of Pope John Paul II

The Tiara of Pope John Paul II, known also as the Hungarian Tiara, was the most recent known Papal tiara extant, until a new tiara was presented to Pope Benedict XVI on 25th May 2011 [1]. It was donated to Pope John Paul II in 1981. Pope John Paul II never wore this or any other tiara during his papacy.

Details

There are no details as to exactly who in Hungary (either the state, the Catholic Church in Hungary, a diocese or an individual) donated the tiara, though one anti-Catholic website stated that the Hungarian tiara was a gift from "the people of Hungary".[2] Though rumoured to exist, it is only in the 21st century that its existence was confirmed when photographs of the tiara were published.

Photographs suggest that this tiara, unlike most ones, features no lappets.

Use and location

As no pope has worn a papal tiara since Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II made the practice optional later, the Hungarian Tiara remains unworn. It is also unconfirmed as to whether it is currently in the Papal Sacristy in the Vatican alongside the other papal tiaras. Photographs do however show it displayed in the distinctive form used by the Papal Sacristy to display its collection of papal tiaras.[3]

Footnotes

  1. ^ http://orbiscatholicussecundus.blogspot.com/2011/05/pope-receives-tiara-from-catholics-and.html
  2. ^ Previous papal tiaras were often given in the name of a country or organisation, despite these having been paid for and chosen by private individuals or organisations.
  3. ^ Papal Tiaras displayed by the Vatican are photographed on a distinct display base on a grey or blue background. Images in the media, and later images on the internet (see one above) show the Hungarian Tiara displayed in that exact format. No papal tiaras outside the property of the Vatican (with the sole exception of the Tiara of Pope Paul VI on display at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC) ever use that format.
Papal Tiaras in existence
Tiara of Pope Gregory XIII (1500s) · Papier-mâché Tiara (1800) · Napoleon Tiara (1804) · Tiara of Pope Pius VII (1820) · Tiara of Pope Gregory XVI (1834) · Tiara of Pope Gregory XVI (1845) · Tiara of Pope Gregory XVI (lightweight) · Tiara of Pope Pius IX (1846) · Tiara of Pope Pius IX (lightweight) · Notre Dame Tiara (1850s) · Spanish Tiara (1855) · Belgian Tiara (1871) · Palatine Tiara (1877) · German Tiara (1887) · Paris Tiara (1888) · Austrian Tiara (1894) · Golden Tiara (1903) · Tiara of Pope Pius X (1908) · Milan Tiara (1922) · Tiara of Pope Pius XI (1922) · Tiara of Pope John XXIII (1959) · Tiara of Pope Paul VI (1963) · Tiara of Pope John Paul II (1981) · Tiara of Benedict XVI (2011)