sakkos

ecclesiastical garb

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Article History

sakkos, outer liturgical vestment worn by bishops of the Eastern Orthodox church. It is a short, close-fitting tunic with half sleeves, buttoned or tied with ribbons on the sides, and usually heavily embroidered. Small bells on the sleeves or sides imitate those worn by Jewish high priests. It is similar to the dalmatic worn by Roman Catholic deacons. Possibly derived from the tunic of Byzantine emperors, it may also have been influenced by the Western deacon’s dalmatic or the Jewish high priest’s sleeveless tunic. It was adopted by all Greek metropolitans in 1433 and by Russian bishops in the 17th century.