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.

Symbolism of the Triple Tiara

Just what the three crowns of the Triple Tiara symbolise is disputed. Even the Holy See and Vatican City, which are two distinct entities, give different nuanced interpretations on their websites. The former link it to the threefold authority of the "Supreme Pontiff: Universal Pastor (top), Universal Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction (middle) and Temporal Power (bottom)" (Holy See interpretation) while the latter interpretes the three tiers as meaning "Father of princes and kings, Ruler of the world, Vicar of our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Vatican interpretation). When popes were crowned, the following words were used:

Related Topics:
Holy See - Vatican City - Pontiff - Jesus

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Accipe thiaram tribus coronis ornatam, et scias te esse Patrem Principum et Regum, Rectorem Orbis, in terra Vicarium Salvatoris Nostri Jesu Christi, cui est honor et gloria in sæcula sæculorum.

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(Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art Father of Princes and Kings, Ruler of the World, Vicar of Our Savior Jesus Christ on earth, to him be the honor and glory forever and ever.)

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Others have given a spiritual interpretation, the three-fold office of Christ, who is Priest, Prophet and King. (EWTN) and Pope John Paul II in his inauguration Mass,{{ref|homily2}} {{ref|greatness}} or "teacher, lawmaker and judge".{{ref|vestments}} A longstanding traditional interpretation often repeated before Vatican II suggested that the three crowns refer to the "Church Militant on earth", the "Church Suffering after death and before heaven", and the "Church Triumphant in eternal reward".{{ref|triumphant}} Another theory suggests they represent the Pope's roles as "lawgiver, judge and teacher". Yet another interpretation suggested in the Vatican's own newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano by the Archbishop Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, who designed Pope Benedict XVI's tiara-less coat of arms, was "order, jurisdiction and magisterum".(CNS) while a further theory links the three tiers to the "celestial, human and terrestrial worlds," which the pope is supposed to symbolically link.(Skynet)

Related Topics:
Christ - Pope John Paul II - Vatican II - L'Osservatore Romano

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Ultimately no-one knows what they symbolise for all the theories, including the words used in the coronation, either pre-date or post-date the addition of the third level to the tiara. The various meaning may well have emerged to justify a three-tiered crown created in that format for completely different reasons.

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The continuing symbolism of the tiara can be seen in the decision of one self-proclaimed "Pope Gregory XVII", Clemente Domínguez y Gómez of the Palmarian Catholic Church, who believed that he was the rightful successor of Pope Paul VI, to be crowned with his own tiara in a ceremony in Spain in 1978. (Image of his coronation with his own version of a papal tiara is at the bottom of this page.)

Related Topics:
Clemente Domínguez y Gómez - Palmarian Catholic Church - Spain - 1978

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