Umbracullum

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Umbracullum

The Umbraculum—Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
: Ombrellino (from Latin umbra 'shade' for a sun-umbrella)—is an historic piece of the papal regalia and insignia

Papal regalia and insignia

Papal regalia and insignia are the official items of attire and decoration proper to the Pope in his capacity as the head of the Roman Catholic Church and Monarch of the Vatican City....
, once used on a daily basis to provide shade for the pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
(Galbreath, 27). Also known as the pavilion, in modern usage the umbraculum is a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
and the authority

Authority

In government, authority is often used interchangeably with the term "power ". However, their meanings differ: while "power" refers to the ability to achieve certain ends, "authority" refers to a claim of legitimacy , the justification and right to exercise that power....
of a pope over it. It is found in the contemporary Church at all the basilica

Basilica

The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a ancient Rome public building , usually located in the Forum of a Roman town. In Hellenistic cities, public basilicas appeared in the 2nd century BC....
s throughout the world, placed prominently at the right of their main altar

Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religion, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place....
s.

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Encyclopedia

The Umbraculum—Italian

Italian language

Papal regalia and insignia

Pope

Roman Catholic Church

Authority

Basilica

Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religion, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place....
s. Whenever a pope visits a basilica, its umbraculum is opened.

Translated from the Latin language

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
into the Italian language

Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
, it is known as an ombrellino or in the English language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
as an umbrella. It is shaped as a Baldachin

Baldachin

A baldachin, or baldaquin , is a canopy of state over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent Architecture feature, particularly over high altars in cathedrals, where such a structure may be called a ciborium when it is sufficiently architectural in...
-type canopy

Canopy

Canopy may refer to:*Canopy , an overhead roof or structure that provides shade or other shelter*Baldachin, a cloth or permanent architectural feature that hangs over an altar or throne as a symbol of authority...
with broad alternating gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
and red

Red

Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 625?740 Nanometer....
stripes, the traditional colors of the pontificate (white did not begin to be used as the papal color until after the Napoleonic wars

Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon I of France First French Empire and changing sets of European allies and opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815....
). It also featured a staff with small bells, which often chimed to announce the arrival of a pope travelling by horse and carriage. The controversial Borgia

Borgia

The Borgias or Borjas were an Italy noble family of Kingdom of Valencia origin remembered today for their corrupt rule of the Papacy during the Renaissance....
Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llan?ol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja was Pope from 1492 to 1503. He is the most controversial of the Secularism popes of the Renaissance, and his surname became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era....
was the first pope to use the umbracullum as a symbol of the temporal powers of the papacy (Galbreath, 31); royalty during those days commonly walked outdoors under a canopy. A member of the Papal Gentlemen

Papal Gentlemen

The Papal Gentlemen, also called the Gentlemen of His Holiness, are the attendants of the pope and his Papal Household in Vatican City. They serve in the Apostolic Palace near St....
would often follow behind a pope with the umbracullum in hand.

The umbraculum is part of the coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways....
of the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church....
sede vacante
Sede vacante

Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church....
, i.e., between the reigns of two popes. It was first used as an interregnal

Interregnum

An interregnum is a period of discontinuity of a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next , and the concepts of interregnum and Regent therefore overlap....
emblem in this way on coins minted in 1521 (Galbreath, 34).

The umbraculum is one of the symbols bestowed by the pope when he elevates a church to the rank of a basilica

Basilica

The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a ancient Rome public building , usually located in the Forum of a Roman town. In Hellenistic cities, public basilicas appeared in the 2nd century BC....
.

The coat of arms of the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church are ornamented with a pair of gold and silver keys in saltire

Saltire

A saltire, Saint Andrew's Cross, or crux decussata , is a Heraldry symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter X. Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
surmounted by an umbraculum.

External links

by the collegiate chapter of the Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul in Gozo
Gozo

Gozo is an island of the Malta#Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the island is part of the Southern European country Malta and is the second largest after the Malta Island itself within the archipelago....
, Malta
Malta

Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....