Papal Tiara

The Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, in Latin as the 'Triregnum', or in Italian as the 'Triregno',{{ref|Triregno}} is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown of Byzantine and Persian origin that is the symbol of the papacy. Papal Tiaras were worn by all popes from Pope Clement V to Pope Paul VI, who was crowned in 1963. Pope Paul VI abandoned the use of his own tiara after the Second Vatican Council, symbolically laying it on the altar of St. Peter's Basilica, and donating its value to the poor. However, he did not abolish its use, explicitly requiring in his 1975 Apostolic Constitution Romano Pontifici Eligendo that his successor be crowned.

Shape of the Triple Tiara

Main article: Decoration of the Papal Tiara

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Most of the surviving Triple Tiaras are have the shape of a circular beehive, with its central core made of silver. Within that one shape, a number of variations occurred; some were sharply conical, others bulbous. All tiaras but the latest one were heavily covered in jewels. Each tiara was structured in the form of three crowns marked by golden decorations, sometimes in the form of crosses, sometimes in the shape of leaves. Most were topped off by a crucifix.

Related Topics:
Beehive - Silver - Jewels - Crucifix

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Each tiara contained at the back two lappets; highly decorated strips of cloth stitched with golden thread, on which the coat of arms or other symbol of the pope to whom the individual tiara had been given, were stitched.

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There are two other unusual tiaras: a papier-mâché tiara made when Pope Pius VII was elected in exile without a normal papal tiara to be crowned with, and the one made for Pope Paul VI in 1963. Shaped like a cross between a beehive and a bullet, and made of silver, Pope Paul's tiara contained few jewels. The three tiers were represented simply by three circles running in parallel around the exterior.

Related Topics:
Papier-mâché - Pope Pius VII - Pope Paul VI - Bullet

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The tiara given to Pope Pius IX in 1877 by the Vatican's Palatine Honour guard in honour of his Jubilee (see photograph below) is strikingly similar in design to the earlier tiara of Gregory XVI. It remained a particularly popular crown, worn by among others Pope Pius XI, Pope Pius XII and Pope John XXIII; both were crowned using it. Pope Pius XI's 1922 crown, in contrast was much less decorated and much more conical in shape. (See image below of this tiara worn by Pope John XXIII.)

Related Topics:
Pope Pius IX - Palatine Honour guard - Pope Pius XI - Pope Pius XII - Pope John XXIII

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